If you are a political independent...

...or a Democrat, a Republican or anything in between, then you'll want to read this Third Way report.

It suggests that President Obama -- already facing electoral uncertainty in 2012 because of a bad economy -- is now facing another important obstacle to re-election: political independents.

Among the items that should catch your attention:

-The number of registered Independents in the eight "swing" states is up; the number of registered Democrats and registered Republicans is down (though the number is worse for Democrats);

-North Carolina, Colorado and Florida are the three states that have seen the largest percentage increase in independent voters;

-Independent voters in the 2010 midterm elections significantly changed their voting patterns from 2008, moving from strong support for Democrats to an even stronger preference for Republicans;

-President Obama's support among Independent voters has plummeted;

-The president could lose as 3-5 of the "swing" states he won in 2008.