I'm not sure I could justify the use of 2 entirely different time scales for comparison. It's interesting, but not necessarily relevant. Did the previous years show month over month change, etc.? Also, given the limited frames are the various demographics in control?

One shows annual change, and one shows monthly change. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be relevant. Both are interesting and worth note.

Generally when charts are posted side by side like that, it's under the assumption that there's a comparison of some sort. Maybe the auditing and quality function of my corporation has ingrained funky rules in my head, but presenting the data as it's shown would be a big "no" in my world.

Two things I'd rather see - overall month over month data in an control chart, not just a run chart. With just five months data we really can't declare a trend yet on Independents - although it's a definite area to monitor and likely to be a full blown statistical trend soon. Looking at yearly data, it would be fairly safe to call the Republican decline a trend for the year over year data.

Over there:

For me, there is no Democratic Party any more -- I've suggested FKD (pronounce it), as an appropriate acronym for the party Formerly Known as Democratic.

The FKD has been captured by a faction whose purpose in life is to support the banksters with trillions of dollars NOW NOW NOW, yet is unable to pass the simplest mortgage reform, and denies single payer a seat at the table -- going so far as to censor its live blogs to do so. That this faction, the Big Money Democrats, used sexism and false charges of racism to seize the party machinery should come as a surprise to nobody -- except, possibly, those "progressives" who deluded themselves, for reasons I have yet to understand, that Obama was one of them.

The sooner the Republican Party vanishes up its own nether orifice, the better. (Right now, it seems to be kept alive only by Beltway booking agents.) Then the FKD can split into the two parts it naturally should split into -- the Big Money Democrats, and the rest of us they threw under the bus.

Yes, a new Roosevelt Coalition would be the way out of that, but if the FKD can't even pass cramdown, what hope is there of that?

I am beginning to think that 2010 could be the year of serious third party candidate, Bernie Sanders types, having a real chance. And I think Indiana could be that place.

I've been smacked down using the words "third party" so many times in the past (including on this here blog) I don't even bring up the subject any more.

... that's because you were right and I was wrong! Though I'm not sure a third party would have been possible in 2006 or appropriate in 2008. But with the Republican brand destroyed, maybe it's time for the FKD to be laid to rest as well.