If one looks at the polling data, about a third of Americans identify themselves as independents, belonging neither to the Republican nor Democratic parties. But political scientists tell us that this number is deceptive; about a third of independents lean towards the Republicans and a third towards the Democrats. Only a third of a third are true independents. I am one of that third. And I really don’t know who I will vote for this year – or if I will vote at all. This is why.

For most of my life, voting was easy: I voted a straight Republican ticket. The only exception was 1972, when I voted for John Schmitz, the independent conservative candidate, over Richard Nixon. Yes, I was that rightwing in those days.

For 30 years, I worked in Republican politics, serving on the White House staff for Ronald Reagan, as well as the congressional staffs of Ron Paul and Jack Kemp. But the election of George W. Bush changed all that. I quickly became disillusioned with the younger Mr Bush’s policies; I felt that he wasted an enormous opportunity that Reagan would have given an arm for – Republican control of both the House of Representatives and Senate.