Fewer pledge allegiance to the GOP

LA Times ^ | Mar 23, 2007 | Janet Hook,

[VictoryGal]

WASHINGTON — Public allegiance to the Republican Party has plunged during George W. Bush's presidency, as attitudes have edged away from some of the conservative values that fueled GOP political victories, a major survey has found.

The survey, by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found a "dramatic shift" in political party identification since 2002, when Republicans and Democrats were at rough parity. Now, 50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans.

[VictoryGal]

I think the first paragraph is MSM garbage, and the second paragraph is closer to the truth.

People haven't abandoned conservative values. The GOP has, and the people have left in response to this.

The GOP needs to wake up and renew itself to its core principles. Pronto.

[NoneOfTheAbove]

What's more, the survey found, public attitudes are drifting toward Democrats' values: Support for government aid to the disadvantaged has grown since the mid-1990s, skepticism about the use of military force has increased and support for traditional family values has decreased.

Sounds like wishful thinking on the part of the LAstTimes.

[3AngelaD]

More pseudo information/propaganda from the La Brea Tarpits Times and the P-U research center. Including statement key to entire endeavor: "What's more, the survey found, public attitudes are drifting toward Democrats' values: Support for government aid to the disadvantaged has grown since the mid-1990s, skepticism about the use of military force has increased and support for traditional family values has decreased."

More support for welfare programs...

[USS Alaska]

Is this a survey of REGISTERED voters or an opinion poll of adults? Most of these polls show nothing of fact, but spout opinions that the writer thinks justify his story. Did you know that 95% of demonRAT voters are dead? In a recent poll at St.Joseph's Cemetery, 100% of the demonRATs voted in the 2006 election.

[cripplecreek]

That's what happens when you put party over principles.

[patriot preacher]

Simple reason for this: Republicans haven't stood for anything, and accomplished relatively little while they were in power in Congress and the White House. They were capable of far more, but were too weak, too worried about the MSM, and too lacking in conviction and dedication to principle to acheive anything. Now, the Republicans are for the most part acting as though they are comfortable in the minority again. Why support the party? I'll support those (Republican or not) that are committed to Conservative Principles. The party can take a flying leap.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Read the full report, it is lengthy. While I agree with you that the GOP politicians in Congress failed up by porking up spending and failing to reduce the size of Government, this study goes much deeper and goes back years. It demonstrates a trend that frankly is frightening.

People's attitudes are becoming more secular, more socialistic and more favorable to the government accession of power.

I suspect that you are correct that some recent displeasure with the GOP could be reflected in this data, however, it would be a mistake to say that is the sole cause of this.

I think it could be that the left's control of education is turning out more socialists now days.

[rhombus]

The GOP needs to wake up and renew itself to its core principles.

I don't even see conservatives being able to agree on their "core principles". I hardly think the GOP will be able to agree on core principles. People only left in 2006 for a variety of reasons. For every election since 2000 the GOP actually increased its numbers in elective office. This article is mostly wishful thinking.

[marlon]

Possibly but it sure seems strange that if this trend has been going on for so long now how come the demo/socialists haven't won every election by a landslide? They barely won this one and that was with an unpopular war and 6 years of unrelenting attack, disloyalty to the conservative base and outright lying and manipulation by the left.

[FairOpinion]

"Now, 50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans."

Now someone here please explain to me how someone can get elected president with 35% of the votes in a general election. And remember this is the 35% who are "aligned" with Republicans, i.e. probably some independents included, to whom Republican fiscal conservatism appeals. The % of those who are solidly also social conservatives are most likely much less.

REALITY is that for ANY Republican to get elected president he MUST appeal to independents/moderates and even some Democrats.

Either nominate a Republican WHO CAN WIN -- i.e. APPEAL to a broad spectrum of voters or say hello to President Hillary.

Anyone who prefers Hillary to an imperfect Republican is either not a conservative of has his/her braincells in storage.

[NoneOfTheAbove]

I have an idea on how the Republicans can reverse the trend.

• Try being conservative for a change!
• Try cutting the budget for a change!
• Try eliminating government agencies for a change!
• Try expanding personal liberties for a change!
• Try stopping the flow of illegals for a change!
• Try reducing government regulation for a change!
• Try fighting back against the socialist onslaught for a change!
• Try living up to your campaign promises for a change!

The vast number of people in America are libertarian conservatives--limit goverment, limited government power, limited spending, reduced government regulation, lower taxes, government out of our lives. Run on that platform and then do it, and people will vote for you. Run on that platform and then do the opposite, and people will abandon the GOP.

[FairOpinion]

[Sam Ketcham]

Your comment is right on from my perspective. Bush is the best moderate Democrat we could elect - playing footsie with Kennedy since he arrived. Lacks the testicular fortitude to stand up to the Democrats, hangs on to failed policies viz. why didn't he send more troops to IRAQ years ago; never explains what he is doing except for illegals - there he says "it isn't practical to deport them" buy never tries and continues to allow them in while hemming and hawing - secret agreements with the president of Mexico etc etc.

If it isn't Tancredo or Newt in the primaries, I'm not voting.DO NOT TELL ME NOT VOTING IS LIKE VOTING DEMOCRAT - LOOK AT BUSH!

[Basheva]

The left has been forecasting the doom of the right every since there was a left and right.

Hasn't happened yet.

I think the difference is that the left always identifies with the democrats. They support theirs no matter what.

The right only identifies with the Republicans when the Republicans identify with the right. We support ours only when they are right.

Ours is a more principled stand - theirs is a more powerful stand.

[FairOpinion]

"Kohut said the spread between the parties mostly reflected the defection of independents from the GOP more than a more favorable assessment of the Democrats. "

As I said, if Republicans won't appeal to independents, they are setting themselves up to be not only a permanent minority, but an ever shrinking minority -- ciding the leadership of the country to the Democrats entirely, for the next 50-100 years.

[italianquaker]

"nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People & the Press"
yeah right

[BurtSB]

Again , the pew institute and the Left Angles Times are parts of the leftist pr machine .
Its odd how they never have studied the even larger drop in Democrat voters ? This is more DNC propaganda meant to disillusion the RNC base. Ignore it !

[RockinRight]

What about Fred Thompson? Would you vote for him?

[NoneOfTheAbove]

"an imperfect Republican" got us to where we are today. He and his father before him destroyed the GOP libertarian-conservative majority that won Reagan two land-slide terms. That majority is still out there, but they don't trust the GOP. You can only promise and not deliver smaller government so many times before people won't believe you any more. That's what got us where we are. He told us that they were going to deliver "compassionate conservatism." What we got are open borders, NCLB, CFR, Patriot Act, massive increases in the deficit and pork barrel spending, ... We've simply gotten sick of drinking the GOP KoolAid.

[3AngelaD]

" People's attitudes are becoming more secular, more socialistic and more favorable to the government accession of power." Thank you, mass media, socialist takeover of education...

I would be more inclined to take this seriously if they had polled more than 2,000 people, hardly representative of the entire country, and God knows how they picked them, I'd be surprised if it was a random sample, knowing P U Research and its historic biases.