I know, that irks me too.
Blue = associated with tradition; makes sense to give it to conservatives.
Blue = associated with colonial America; makes sense to use that for conservatives.
Blue = traditional home team color; should go to conservatives. Not so much because conservatives should be considered America’s home team, though they should, but CONSERVatism and home team just make sense together. “Progressives” are the ones who want to change stuff, THEY should get the opfor color.
Red = traditionally associated with commies. Why on earth would you use it for conservative/freedom lovers/capitalists?
That's a very short association considering that Marx Wrote Das Kapital in the last half of the 1800s... especially if you consider that Red is the next color a language has. (All languages have words for black and white. If a third hue exists, it is red.
; Source)
Why on earth would you use it for conservative/freedom lovers/capitalists?
Because Red is associated with the Crucifixion? (Which is all about freedom.) Because it's associated with passion?
It seems rather stupid to throw away all its historic meaning for a political/economic philosophy a measly 150 years old.