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"He also said fewer were registering with the party, because Democrats "are defining themselves by polls and therefore don't have a durable message"

Since you seem so impressed with Mr. Gans, (for what reason I don't know) explain how the Republican party abandoning its 26 year commitment to protecting the unborn fits into creating a "durable message" and your use of, ahem, questionable poll numbers to justify that position would not lead to charges of "defining themselves by polls..."

>>>Since you seem so impressed with Mr. Gans, (for what reason I don't know)<<<

Our own fiscally conservative The Washington Times printed him, did it not?

>>>explain how the Republican party abandoning its 26 year commitment to protecting the unborn<<<<

What commitment? Have they passed a bill banning abortion in the Republican-dominated House? No. Pro-life Republicans compose about 35% of the Republican base, and even the RNC has confirmed this. To appease the 35% that cares more about the unborn than the born (judging from their inactions at orphanages, where fundraising's tougher I guess) the pro-life concept has been given lip service in the party platform time and time and time again. But as they say, platforms are what parties run on prior to the nomination and run away from immediately thereafter. Has the White House proposed a ban on abortion? Of course not. They'll never forget the sting of losing the popular vote even before the economy went South.

>>> fits into creating a "durable message" and your use of, ahem, questionable poll numbers to justify that position would not lead to charges of "defining themselves by polls..."<<<

It's one thing to switch with the polls every few weeks; it's quite another to adapt to political realities over the long term. Maybe 18% of American registered voters are pro-life. Perot got 20% of the vote in 1992, and it was impressive. Why not start a "Life at any cost, and at others' expense" party and see if you can attract as many votes? There are far more fiscally conservative Democrats who would subsequently vote Republican than there are intolerant pro-life Republicans that would be lost to the new proposed political party. Now that campaign finance reform will kick in later this week, proposals like these will resurface more and more. Count on it.