The Gallup polling organization has conducted surveys throughout the first six months of the year to ascertain U.S. voters' ideological leanings. Their findings are fascinating, at least to a political junkie...
The Democratic Party appears to be a far broader coalition, much more so than I would have assumed. According to Gallup's surveys, 38% of Democrats identified themselves as liberals, 40% called themselves moderates, and a staggering 22% of Dems called themselves conservatives!
Independent voters broke down about as one would imagine. 34% of indie voters called themselves liberals, 45% called themselves moderate (no big surprise there), and 21% called themselves conservative.
The G.O.P. by contrast comes off like a narrow ideological echo chamber. 73% of Republicans called themselves conservative, a mere 24% called themselves moderate, and a laughable,yet telling 3% of GOPers dared to identify themselves as Republican (memo to the lonely 3%: Teddy Roosevelt and Nelson Rockefeller are both long dead.).
Two questions occur from sifting through this data...
First...how do the Republicans ever expect to win back the Congress, much less the White House? There is clearly a demand for ideological rigidity and lockstep philosophical conformity that precludes the coalition-building necessary for electoral success in, you know, the real world. Insisting on adherence to a set catechism of positions doesn't get you to a majority. I can understand the chilliness towards liberals, but a political party absolutely NEEDS moderates to win elections.
Second...what IS a conservative Democrat? I'm genuinely curious.
