By voters continuing to hold their noses and vote not for the guy they wanted, but for the guy who is "less to the left because he can win" over the bigger lefty. Incrementalism by people being manipulated into voting for someone they didn't want, believing they were winning the short term while they lost sight of the long term damage as the ball kept being moved toward the socialist goal post election after election after election, no matter the party in power.
Why on earth would a political party move right if it's members continued to vote for people on the left, if only to get "less of a lefty". The only reason I can think of is if their "less of a lefty" started losing because the voters revolted and refused to be manipulated any longer.
Now a question for you. What caused the Republican Party to move right after Bush I, then Dole, lost to Clinton?
Couple of more. After it moved right, did Republicans start winning? (remember Rather's and Brokaw's faces that night and Jennings saying the voters had thrown a "temper tantrum?") Has the Republican Party remained as conservative as it was since the days of Gingrich, moved more right, or is it moving left again, saying "vote for me, because I'm less left, and if you don't, you'll get the BIG lefty?"
There's nothing new here, except the people who haven't seen this all happening at least once before.
Hb