The nation claims 60%+ Conservative Christian. You have to stop looking at the 30% or less that are active voters and appeal to the ones who don't.
What it takes to get the every-day Joe six-pack to care enough, and believe enough to stop everything, go down and register, and then go down and vote takes more than slick Wall Street packaging and disingenuous platitudes. That's why, in Rush Limbaugh's words, Conservatism works "every time it's tried". That's why the Conservative base is 100 miles wide and 100 miles deep.
One would also do well to look at Reagan's high of 54m to Bush's high of 64m... 10m gained in 20 years? That is a sure sign of attrition considering the size of Conservative families, and their loyalty to what they believe in.
I myself, am responsible for doubling the voter roles within my own house in that time, with two more voting in the next election, though my father has passed away (a net +2, +4 by next election)- and that does not count my siblings (none of us voted Republican this year, I might add)...
Republicans should be able to easily bounce 70-75m by now- and if they re-committed themselves to Reagan, that is where they would be- But then, no one expects them to do that anytime soon.
well 75 million voting GOP instead of the tops 62 million we got means either more whites get off their asses and participate or latinos have a massive Road to Damascus conversion or the GOP becomes the LatinoCracker party and God only knows.
There are no 15 million conservative blacks hanging back and really I’m not sure that many latinos can be moved so dramatically so it looks like whites are going to be the target.
and I’m not sure it’s conservatives staying home as much as MOR whites going for Obama that killed us...or both actually.
there is a fight right now obviosuly between the Moderates Pro Amnesty What Culture War You’re All Racists GOP and the Palin side. The media has dug in with the anti-Palin group.
It will be a challenge for her. She is going to need some bigname GOP to rally to her.