The American Spectator

Bob Miller| 10.26.09 @ 10:02AM

This majority will mean something only if it puts like-minded candidates into office. Both major parties seems to have some other outcome in mind, even though one of those parties contains most conservatives. Go figure.

Bob| 10.26.09 @ 11:10AM

Antle, I'm sure you know better than this. One-third of Dems consider themselves "conservative" as well as Colin Powell, Frum, Brooks, Bush, McCain, Specter, Snowe, Collins, etc. These trends have more to do with a poor economy than any political or ideological reference.

Nice try, however, but just wishful thinking. By the way, I also consider myself conservative even though I am pro-choice.

Daisy| 10.26.09 @ 1:38PM

You might be considered conservative at HuffPo (Your home base) or maybe Cuba and North Korea (Not so sure about mainland China), but here, at AmSpec, you're a brain dead liberal RINO.

datechguy| 10.26.09 @ 11:11AM

Can someone explain to me why the Republican party would want to reject 40% of the voting base that they can while chasing 25% of moderates rather than trying to chase 50% of moderates without losing 75% of conservatives?

Ken (Old Texican)| 10.26.09 @ 12:35PM

Thanks again Mr. Antle.
Do you happen to have the estimate of conservatives and/or Republicans who sat home in the 2008 election?

Pasadena Phil| 10.26.09 @ 1:43PM

The GOP is already the 3rd party. Conservatives outnumber either "major" party. NY-23 is a test for whether the GOP can continue to attract funding when it loses elections in "safe" districts by fighting the American trend of shifting right by warring on conservatives.

Bob| 10.26.09 @ 1:53PM

Ken, about 58% of registered voters voted in 2008. This number is lower than the 64% in 2004 and lower than the 60% in 2000. However, further analysis shows that the total number of people voting increased in 2008. The lowered percentage is related to the increased registration of those from 18-34 who registered but did not vote. All other segments voted about the same as in the past. So the answer to your question is that very few people stayed home for the 2008 election. These statistics come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Given that only 20% of the voters are registered Republicans, I doubt that it had any effect on the final result.

datechguy -- where did you get your numbers? Republicans represent 20% of voters. About 70% of those are evangelical conservatives, the rest are suburban moderates. In 2004, Republicans represented about 36% of voters with evangelical conservatives about half of that. Therefore, the party has lost mostly moderates who have become "independents". Independents now represent about 41% of voters and are the largest segment. This is what happens when the Republican party turns more to the radical right like those found on this blog -- the party just gets smaller.

Given the numbers, there is little reason to "purify" the party as the party has already moved to the extreme right. Those that disagree, just can't count -- or perhaps failed math.

This means that hard right conservative candidates will get increasingly elected in primaries -- and in most areas of the country, will not get elected in general elections. That's why the only part of the U.S. with a majority of Republicans is the South -- and thus why the party is so "white". The only segment McCain won were the seniors -- Obama took the rest. The growing segments are black and Hispanic and young -- all solidly in the Democrat camp. Demographics is destiny and unless the party appeals to those demographic groups, it will continue to be marginalized.

Ken (Old Texican)| 10.26.09 @ 2:07PM

Bob
I would not accept any numbers or conclusions from you, if you had a signed affidavit from Elvis.

You know...if your conclusions are correct, our next government will only allow tax-payers to vote. Yeah...think about it a moment.

If you are correct...you communist liars...LOSE big time.
Welfare queens and Mickey Mouse will not vote again.

Bob| 10.26.09 @ 2:38PM

Actually, Ken, I have a signed affidavit from from Thomas Jefferson.....

Of course you would not accept any numbers -- and you shouldn't. You should use your own capability to find out the information yourself instead of being lazy. This information came directly from our government -- UNDER GEORGE BUSH. Why believe him?

Mary Louise| 10.26.09 @ 3:14PM

3 of my co-workers are independents and I'm surprised that they're all fans, more or less, of Glenn Beck. It's not that they don't see his heightened sense of doom as exaggerated, it's that they're uneasy themselves with the 'change' that's afoot.

A good while back, G. Will wrote a column on the liberal/conservative divide, noting that the electorate identified as conservative but was operationally liberal. And I think that's right to some degree.

The libs weren't out of the box ten minutes before throwing stimulus money at cotton-headed pieties. Not many people want to be identified w/that kookery.

The same plurality cited in the poll gets nervous when they think Conservatives are going to 'slash' Sosh Security, etc. So that plurality toggles back and forth, but I don't think I ever remember a plurality of Americans identifying as liberals.