Karma will get you. When you violate the principles of a political ideology to the degree that the current Republican leadership has and to the degree that it has, it is only a matter of time that the voters will simply start abandoning the party.
According to the Politico, the polling organization Public Opinion Strategies has noticed a huge trend of voters no longer identifying/affiliating with the Republican Party. While the article mentions that the most significant drops in affiliation would be Independents who formerly favored conservative ideals, it also ignores the fact that many former registered Republicans are moving more towards the Independent ticket disenfranchised with the party. While these voters won't cast a pro-Democrat vote, they will simply opt not to vote at all preferring to stay at home in protest with the hopes that in the long run letting the current Republican leadership lose office and somewhere down the road be replaced by a legitimate conservative.
Yes, the Iraq war is a major part of the Republicans losing popularity, but there is more to it.
One of the huge fallacies about political groups in the United States is that all Republicans are conservative and all Democrats are liberals. This is not really an accurate sentiment as there are conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans and moderates in both parties. (And, yes, there are also fringe element radical and reactionary groups within both parties as well.)
What is utterly perplexing about the Republican Party is that it has moved more and more towards a hybrid of the classical Rockefeller Republican (often derided as country club Republicans) and emerging Neo-Conservatives (There are variants to the origin of what a neo-con is, but it is usually a combination of former conservative democrats who drifted to the Republican wing and globalists) yet the base of the Republican Party is primarily classical Reagan and Goldwater conservatives and the base isn't happy with this new crop of Republicans who are heavy on government spending, open borders, globalization, et al. In June, rage and anger from the base over President Bush's pro-amnesty stance led to a revolution of sorts which saw a massive drop in grass roots donations combined and this has now manifested to a multitude of the conservative base moving towards independent status.
This should come as no surprise. Why should conservatives affiliate themselves with a party that is not conservative?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. Its become somewhat of an embarrassment now to call yourself a Republican. People realize this country needs to change & the only way it is going to change is electing a democrat to the White House.
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Patrick at 6:52AM on Sep 19th 2007
2. YOu should have to have a big R tatooed on your forhead if you voted Repuke the last 2 Presidential cycles. R for Repuke and R for taking responsibility for what you wrought!
Kelly B. at 11:07AM on Sep 19th 2007
3. Yes, Kelly B. Let's make Republicans wear R's on their heads, and while we're at it, there's a certain other segment of the population whom we could make wear yellow stars of David on their arms. That way we could all know who to watch out for. You stupid Nazi.
Steve at 12:29PM on Sep 19th 2007
4. Furthermore, when you say we wrought this, you assume that this is what we intended to happen when we voted Republican. I, for one, have been very disappointed with Bush and the Republicans for failing to do what I hoped they would, and what they claimed they would. The present state of affairs is not what we voted for.
Steve at 2:35PM on Sep 19th 2007
5. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR PATHETIC POLLS. I'D VOTE FOR A REPUBLICIAN RONALD REAGAN BEFORE I'D VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT BILL CLINTON... ANYDAY OF THE WEEK... REAGAN HAD MORALS, WASNT A BOLD FACED LIAR, LOVED ONLY ONE WOMAN, HIS WIFE... AND LOVED AMERICA ENOUGH TO PROTECT HER... NOT SELL NATIONAL DEFENSE SECRETS TO THE CHINESE. CALL ME A REPUBLICIAN, I WEAR THE BADGE OF COURAGE PROUDLY.
PERRY at 3:53PM on Sep 19th 2007
6. Good for you Perry, I call myself an American.
David McCool at 4:25PM on Sep 19th 2007
7. I USED TO BE A DEMOCRATE AND BECAME A REPUBLICIAN AFTER 911. MAINLY BECAUSE I CAME TO BELIEVE IN A STRONG DEFENSE AND I HAVE A NEW FOUND TRUST IN OUR MILITARY TROOPS AS WELL. I DIDNT BELIEVE IN SUCH THINGS WHEN I WAS A DEM AND ITS HARD FOR ME TO ADMIT THAT NOW, IT JUST WASNT PART OF THE THOUGHT PROCESS, I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS A PART OF IT FOR 35 YEARS. I AM PROUD OF OUR PRESIDENT EVEN THO I VOTED FOR GORE THE FIRST TIME... BUT, WAS RELIEVED THAT PRESIDENT BUSH WAS OUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AFTER 911 AND SAW HOW HE BROUGHT US TOGETHER ALBEIT FOR ONE BRIEF SHINING MOMENT.... I DID VOTE FOR PRESIDENT BUSH HIS SECOND TIME AROUND THOUGH. I SAW HIM DURING HIS CAMPAIGN AND COULDNT BELIEVE THE STRONG PRESENCE HE HAD IN THE ROOM, THAT MAN I SAW, ISNT THE ONE YOU SEE IN FRONT OF A CAMERA. WE ALL KNOW HES NOT AT HIS BEST THERE BUT TO SEE HIM IN FRONT OF YOU IS A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE, SOME OF YOU MAY FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE WITH ALL THE NEGATIVE PRESS AND THE WAY HES TALKED ABOUT BY SO MANY OF OUR OTHER "LEADERS." LET ME JUST SAY HE GAVE ME A PRIDE IN MY COUNTRY I NEVER FELT BEFORE WHEN HE ASKED ME AND EVERY ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM TO "STAND WITH HIM." HE IS A GOOD, DECENT MAN AND A SPEAKER THAT LIFTED ME UP IN MY PRIDE, I SAW PEOPLE CRYING AS HE SPOKE ABOUT HIS BELIEF IN AMERICA AND HIS BELIEF IN ME AND YOU. I HAVE HEARD OTHERS SPEAK PRESIDENTS JOHNSON, CARTER, AND NIXON BUT NEVER FELT LIKE I WAS A TRUE AMERCAN UNTIL I HEARD BUSH SPEAK. IT HURTS ME TO HEAR HIM CALLED SUCH UNFAIR NAMES BUT I HAVE A THICK SKIN AND CAN HANDLE IT, MY HURT FROM THE COMMENTS STEM FROM THE PATRIOTISM THIS MAN INSTILLED IN ME AND THAT I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR. I GUESS I FEEL A BIT PROTECTIVE OF HIM BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID FOR MY HEART THAT DAY. I BELIEVE HISTORY WILL SHOW HE DID WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS RIGHT TO KEEP AMERICA AND HER CITIZENS SAFE UNDER HIS WATCH. I ONLY HOPE THE NEXT PRESIDENT WILL HAVE US AS HIS FIRST PRIORITY AS WELL. I WILL NEVER AGAIN TAKE MY COUNTRY OR HER SECURITY FOR GRANTED OR ALINE MYSELF WITH A PARTY THAT DOESNT HAVE AMERICAS INTERESTS AT HEART.
Mary j at 4:41PM on Sep 19th 2007
8. I set her Mary after reading your post and have to say I feel ashamed of myself for saying some of the things I have said about OUR president. We are blessed to live in the greatest country in the world and sometimes, we in our busy lives forget that and we forget BUT NEED TO BE REMINDED of that moment when we were all one...because this President put his arms around us and made us feel patriotic. Thank you also thank you for telling me about your experience of seeing the president in person because its rare to hear these stories, I wish more people would share them on these posts.
Jane at 4:56PM on Sep 19th 2007
9. To David#6 We are all Americans, but the ticket is Republician or democrate, in case you've never voted, you have to pick a side, bro. That process makes you an American...voter.
Jim at 5:08PM on Sep 19th 2007
10. Steve, after voting for shrub in 2000, you saw
what he was all about, yet you voted for him
again in '04.
You knew exactly what you were voting for.
Perry, Reagan was a sociopath,a liar, loved
2 wives, hated middle class Americans ( Labor
Union buster ),armed Saddam Hussein ( including
the poison gas he used on his own citizens ),
Illegally armed Iran in payment for holding
American hostages until he was sworn in as
President.( Carter weak,Me Tarzan ),and by spending
more money than every previous President combined,
left us with the largest fiscal deficit ever.( until
shrub came along ).
If you still want to be called a republican,will
you also wear the badge of shame that increasingly
go's with it ?
BOB JOHNSON at 5:15PM on Sep 19th 2007
11. Mary,America was hit by the most horrific
terror act in our history while Republicans
were in control.
How do you conclude that they are better
at defense than Democrats?
BOB JOHNSON at 5:30PM on Sep 19th 2007
12. Bob the boob is a hate filled, leftie loon. We all know how ya feel bobby, you dont have to continue to regurgatate it, man. Go over to moveon.org, they'ed love that continueous hate...of all things american.
Terry at 5:36PM on Sep 19th 2007
13. Bob, Clinton was in office for 8 years while the terrorist attacks were being planned, where have you been? Because of Clintons "non" action to the first world trade center bombing and then the Cole and then the terror attack at the embassy in Africa... (Osama said they were waiting for some kind of retaliation, but it never came, so they proceeded with the planning of the BIG attack) where have you been man its all a matter of record! Bush had only been president for 7 months when it happened and he went after the bastards. At last, a man that had a pair!!
Frank at 5:50PM on Sep 19th 2007
14. Bob, Learn some facts! That's the difference I've noticed between dems and repubs. The repubs have "facts" to back them up. They dont just spout off "opinions"... You know what they say about opinions!! Reagan was a sociopath, a liar, and hated the middle class???...I'M STILL LAUGHING!!! You obviously havent read a "fact" based book on this man, otherwise you'd know all those "opinions" you have of him are the opposite of who he was. You are a hateful misinformed person, and twist the issues to fit your way of thinking too. Its embarrassing.
Connie at 6:13PM on Sep 19th 2007
15. The United States was organized and established by independent voters. There were no organized political parties in the U.S. until the election of 1800, when a political party organized by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison took over the government.
The problem with political parties is that ultimately they do away with free and open elections, replacing them with party controlled elections such as are now conducted in the United States.
The latest move against free elections here in Arizona was the removal of the option to register independent from the Arizona voter registration form, described by a political party spokesman now on the state committe of his party.
"The independent growth trend, in my opinion, is not as large as it would appear....This huge growth of the independentvoters occurred.....until three months ago when a new form was created. We are finding they are now declaring themselves to be Democrat and Republican. It's likely those numbers aren't going to continue to grow like they had for the previous three or four years."(Maricopa Monitor, 15 Nov 2005)
This is the second time the parties were caught red-handed in this kind of attack against independent voters. In 1988 they passed legislation that resulted in dismissal of all independent deputy registrars for voter registration in the state.
Statistics for registration of independent voters show the effect of this latest action.
2000-2002 107,715
2002-2004 165,771
2004-2006 26,483
Robert B. Winn
Robert B. Winn at 8:58PM on Sep 19th 2007