the centrists are coming, the centrists are coming. that s the rallying cry at a retreat in my hometown of philadelphia this weekend. what s call the centrist project seeks to build independent representation at all levels of government. the independent movement would seem to be a cause in search of some leadership. according to a gall up survey in july, 45% of americans regard themselves as independents compared with 28% who say they identify as a member of the democratic party or 25% who say i m a republican. and yet there are only two independents in the u.s. senate and none in the u.s. house of representatives. greg orrman is participating this weekend. he s also the author of the book the declaration of independent, how to break the two-party stranglehold and restore the
leave trump. greg, i don t know, because i think something that s taking place here is that president trump s loyalists are and have seized control of the party some of the leaders. but i think that in the end, the party is going to be there for him. at least the machinery, what exists of it for donald trump. we re back in a moment more social media. when you re clocking out. sensing your every move and automatically adjusting to help you stay effortlessly comfortable. there. i can even warm these to help you fall asleep faster. does your bed do that? oh. i don t actually talk. though i m smart enough to. i m the new sleep number 360 smart bed. let s meet at a sleep number store. copdso to breathe better,athe. i go with anoro. go your own way
american dream. he obtained 40% of the vote in kansas in 2014 running as an independent against republican incoumbent senator pat roberts. greg, why if 45% of the country say i m an i is there a 0.0 in the house of representatives? well, that s a great question. you know, if you look at the re-election rates for members of congress, they run in the high 90s, and yet congress routinely has a 15% approval rating so you have to ask yourself the question. and the answer is multiple. but number one is obviously they rig the rules to make sure no one can compete with them. we ve been working with organizations to try to change those things. but maybe more importantly is there are just institutional and structural barriers to independents succeeding. the whole political economy has been built around serving democrats and republicans and that s really what the centrist project is trying to change.