Poll: Percentage of Americans who identify as Dems at 22-year low

            
This story could be interpreted in so many ways.  Would you admit to being a Dem with the record spending and old tired politicians still hanging on.  Some Dems have also made it known that they are switching to become Republican as their party no longer stands for what it once did.  Then again, if it were me being asked the question, I would be too embarrassed to admit to the fact.  But still, maybe some have finally come to their senses.

New numbers from Gallup show that just 31 percent of Americans identified themselves as Democrats in 2010 — a five-point decrease from a year ago and the lowest percentage measured by the polling firm in 22 years.
As Democratic identifiers decreased, the percentage of those calling themselves independents jumped to 38 percent — outpacing Democrats by seven points and Republicans by nine points.

Despite the decrease in Democratic identification, Gallup found that the percentage remains two points higher than Republican identifiers, who stand at 29 percent.   The numbers were culled using data from 21 Gallup and USA Today/Gallup polls conducted over the past year with more than 25,000 interviews.
Gallup's Jeffrey Jones writes that while there tends to be small variation in the numbers year-to-year, "the changes are typically not large." He calls the five-point Democratic drop "notable."