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“So the GOP doesn’t care if they lose there base, the bulk of there party?”

I don’t think that the traditional conservatives at this point make up the majority of the party. Where is all this support for mitt coming from? While you could argue that it’s crossover voting, I think that’s just denial.

I think the GOP-e has had enough of what they view as a noisy rabble and is willing to watch the noisier ones simply leave. They believe, and I think that they’re correct in this, that if they run someone like mitt, the bulk of self identified conservatives might grumble, but they’ll vote for him.

While I have no doubt that the bulk of FReepers won’t vote for mitt if he’s the nominee, I don’t that’s particularly reflective of the GOP base. Zotting RINOs isn’t an option in the real world.

In my view, there are three broad ideological groups wrestling for control within the GOP. You have to get two out of three in order to win. The GOP-e, nominally led by mitt romney is one. The traditional conservatives, who really don’t have a leader is the second. And the smallest and newest is the libertarians who are of course led by the Paul faction. (Full disclosure: I’m a supporter of the Paul faction) While I would prefer that traditional conservatives get with the Paul faction and make a deal, I don’t think it likely. Traditional conservatives can’t seem to agree on a nominee amongst themselves let alone broker a deal with the other elements within the party. I think it more likely that the GOP-e and the libertarians will come to a deal.

Gallup poll: Conservatives outnumber liberals

Self-identified conservatives make up 71 percent of the Republican Party. | AP Photo
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By TIM MAK | 1/12/12 4:28 PM EST

Conservatives continue to make up the largest segment of political views in the country, outnumbering liberals nearly two-to-one, according to a new poll Thursday.

The Gallup survey found that 40 percent of Americans consider themselves conservative; 35 percent consider themselves moderate; and 21 percent see themselves as liberal. The figures did not change from 2010.

For the third straight year, conservatives outnumbered both moderates and liberals.

Conservatives began outstripping moderates in 2008, and the percentage of moderates has declined steadily over the past two decades, from 43 percent 1992 to 35 percent in 2011.

In fact, both self-identified conservatives and liberals have risen in number since the early 1990s, indicating a growing polarization in American politics.

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While self-identified conservatives dominate the Republican party
up 71 percent,
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the Democratic Party is more split — 39 percent of Democrats view themselves as liberal, and 38 percent consider themselves moderates.

Meanwhile, independents are mostly moderate (41 percent), but skew more toward conservatism (35 percent) than liberalism (20 percent).

The Gallup survey, which was conducted from January to December 2011, includes 20,392 respondents and has a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.

” While you could argue that it’s crossover voting, I think that’s just denial.”

Well, I think that could be more significant than you might think. Remember Rush’s Operation Chaos in ‘08? That represented untold thousands in the primaries. The left has no incentive NOT to cross over this year; they’re dedicated (and organized) to re-anoint BHO - including trying to insure that the weakest possible candidate ends up running against him.

But exact numbers aside, as long as conservatives remain divided among 3-4 candidates (albeit some un-electable ones), that’s how Romney keeps winning even though polls show he only has about 25% total support. With the other 75% scattered, Mittens slides by.

Newt can defeat BHO if he’s allowed to get to the general. But with Ron Paul screwing things up, Newt badly needs Perry/Santorum voters. They’re both good people, but neither can get the large spectrum of voters outside the primaries - Perry reminds too many of GW, Santorum’s viewed as too extreme (by non-Repubs and a fair amount of GOP), and neither are adroit enough to go up against BHO and the media’s dirty tactics.