GOP: A Permanent Minority Party?
By Tony Phyrillas | 04/08/09 | 04:45 PM EDT | 6 Comments
Startling numbers from the Pew Research Center about the decline of the Republican Party.
Among registered voters, just 28 percent identify themselves as Republicans, a decline of 5 points since 2004 and only 1 point above a record low level of Republican self-identification in 16 years of polling by the Pew Research Center.
The survey found 38 percent of registered voters identified as Democrats and 34 percent identified as independents.
Among the 28 percent of voters who now identify as Republican or Republican-leaning, 68 percent identify themselves as conservative.
In other words, the RINOs have fled the party.
Pew also found that among conservatives, three-quarters think the party should turn further to the right.
"While a majority of moderates and liberals within the party advocate a centrist approach (66%), they make up fewer than a third (31%) of Republican voters overall," the Pew Research Center says. "As a result, 60% of all Republican voters support a more conservative direction for the party."
The decline of the GOP can be seen in comparing 2008 party identification with numbers in 2004.
From Pew: In 2004, the balance of party affiliation was far more closely divided: 35% of voters called themselves Democrats, 33% Republicans, and 32% independents.
Read more from the Pew party identification survey at the center's Web site.
TAGS: Republicans, Democrats
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Comments
Good post, though I'm suspicious of your conclusions. Specifically, I doubt "RINOs have fled the party."
Sadly, too many conservatives have left; nothing else explains the support of Ron Paul, whose belief system in total is utterly bizarre.
So many Republicans, however, have had it with the big-spending ways of our own party leaders that they protested by voting for Paul or simply re-registering as something other than Republican.
Those who think we need to become more "moderate" have it precisely backwards. We need to be come more ideological, not less, to present voters with a clear contrast to Democrats, who will surely train wreck this economy and open a door for us if we're ready to take it.
Call it becoming more "conservative" if you will (I don't. I'd call it becoming more liberal--in the sense of classic liberalism), but our recent mistakes have been acting as though too many ideas from the Left have any merit whatsoever.
We need to admit that Obama has been able to triangulate the Republicans. He is only a front, but he is able to unite Blacks, gays, pro-abortionists and Hispanics and the radical environmentalists. So, what is the Republican party left with!. You can do the math. It is sad but we are looking at , maybe 20 years of socialism controlling this country. 8 years of Obama and the next 8 of his wife Michelle. (Just like in Argentina with the Kichners). And you could see that during the presidential campaing when states like North Dakota were voting for Obama.
Conclusion:
Long period of Socialism in the United States.
Creation of a new party other than the Republican Party
High Inflation.
Obama controlling the Presidency for a long time.
The creation of a new currency in the US in order to deal with high inflation.
High unemployment rates.
The Saul Alinskis of this world have worked very hard to plan the failure of the capitalist model of government that the US has specially people like Soros. But there is always a new seed that will bring the changes and I expect to live long enough to see it again.
It's because of crazy statements like yours that the Republican Party will (more than likely) LOSE more seats.
Blacks? Hispanics? Gays? Perhaps we shold "try" to forget the last 8 years of Bush/Cheney, and try ( a big word) to be the party of Lincoln.
I'd rather see a strong possibility of a NEW REPUBLICAN Party come out, forgetting the right-wing Christian movement ( Didn't Jerry Farrwell die?) and move foward, otherwise, but believing that the blacks, hispanics, gays are NOT responsible for the end of the Republican Party. It's crazy talk that will end us.
Like it or not, it's a fact; whites are no longer the majority! We MUSH inclube blacks, hispanics, and yes...even gays.
I'm a principled conservative leaning towards fleeing. It doesn't surprise me at all to find that the GOP is hemorrhaging members, and I dn't think all of those leaving are RINOs. I can't stand to watch as those in power in the party desecrate it by spending, spending, spending, spending, spending all in the name of power grabs. Note to big spenders: It ain't working!
If Republicans would really return to conservative fiscal values and embrace realistic foreign policy issues, more moderates would return.
As long as Palin, Cantor, and Limbaugh are the party spokesmen, Republicans will remain a minority party.
I don't think the GOP is in decline but rather just recovering from the losses of 2006 and last year. May I remiind everybody that in 1964, much the same was said and written about the GOP. The ' 64 defeat was historic in its magnitude. But like the Phoenix, the party rose from the ashes. It will do so again.
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