[Luis Gonzalez]

I have a question about the "base".

I imagine that the whole of the voters, looked at in accordance to political views, would appear as a pyramid, with the broad base being the more centrist in ideology who consider themselves Republicans, and coming to a point as we reach the self-define "true conservatives" or paleocon political group.

So, if paleocons are the minority of the party, why do they constantly call themselves the "base"?

You can't set a pyramid up on it's pointy end and expect it to balance and stand.

The "base" of the GOP is in the volume of centrist voters, who are in actuality the base of any political party. Political parties constantly play to those closest to the center of ideology, who would easily swing their vote one way or another according to their specific views.

All that voters at the extreme edges of either political party will do, is abandon that party for a third party that reflects their ideology, not vote for the opposition.

When political parties receive messages from factions within their own political sprectrum that point to the possibility of their votes going elsewhere, rather than acquiescing to what amounts to political blackmail ("do what I want you to do, or I will take my vote away") the parties seek to replace them with people closer to the center.

If you have to go fishing, you go where there's a whole lot of fish.

So maybe the "base" are not all that.

[hchutch]

You got it. Politicians don't always put up with the threats. Despite what certain "true conservatives" would like to believe, if you kick a guy in the teeth the way they have kicked Bush in the teeth, sometimes, they might go elsewhere for the votes.