Yes, Virginia, There Really Are Independents Posted by Heather Hurlburt

Progressives love to argue among ourselves about whether "swing voters" really exist, and whether targeting them is a high priority or a terrible sellout.  You owe it to yourself to read not just Sunday's Washington Post article reporting new Post-Kaiser-Kennedy School research, but also the survey results themselves.

They break down independents into multiple categories and point out how independents are now a) a larger self-identified group than Republicans and b) more likely to identify with Democrats.  BUT there is fascinating variation issue by issue.  To sum up quickly:

Independents come down with Democrats on the disastrousness of the Iraq war, but still give Republicans the edge in fighting terrorism (the only issue where independents rank Rs over Ds);

Independents come down with Democrats on the importance of global warming;

with Republicans on their levels of concern about immigration;

more likely than either Ds or Rs to say that the effects of globalization are "mostly bad."

There's lots more...