Conservatism Ranks as Nation's Top Ideology in 2009, Poll Shows

[Revmitchell]

More Americans identified themselves as conservatives in 2009 than any other ideological group -- an uptick largely due to more independents shifting right, according to a Gallup report.

Forty percent of Americans said they were conservative, compared with 36 percent who said they were moderates and 21 percent who professed to be liberals.

Political independents viewing themselves as conservative boosted the overall ranks of conservatives, who now clearly outnumber moderates in Gallup's annual averages for the first time since 2004.

The report also said the percentage of Americans calling themselves either conservative or liberal has grown over the last decade, while the percentage of moderates has declined.

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[Johnv]

More Americans identified themselves as conservatives in 2009 than any other ideological group

Back in 2007, I had predicted that this would be the swing after the next POTUS election. As we get closer to 2012, the trend, I suspect, will be to see an increase in moderates swing increasingly conservative, who in teh past had been centrist or left of center.

Long term, I suspect the pendulum will continue to swing towards the conservative side until somethere around 2014 or 2015, afterwhich it will start to swing in the opposite direction, and back towards the liberal side.

 

[Revmitchell]

This is certainly contrary to what libbies espouse.

 

[poncho]

Define conservatism. Are we talking about paleoconservatism or neoconservatism? There's quite a difference between the two I think.

 

[Johnv]

Define conservatism. Are we talking about paleoconservatism or neoconservatism?

I think we're talking about oleoconservatism, but we might also be referring to onomotoconservatism :wavey:

 

[poncho]

I was just wondering because today's big government conservativtism bears little resemblance to yesterday's limited government conservatism.

I know there are a few limited government types like me still out there but these days we're pretty much drowned out by all the "war whooping spend what we ain't got on things we can't afford while increasing government's role to do things it's was never supposed to do in the first place" conservatives.

Which is fine if you define conservatism as only being the opposite of liberalism. If this is the type of conservatives that are swelling the ranks these days I don't hold out much hope for the country lasting much past the next rigged election.

 

[just-want-peace]

Poncho sez:

Which is fine if you define conservatism as only being the opposite of liberalism. If this is the type of conservatives that are swelling the ranks these days I don't hold out much hope for the country lasting much past the next rigged election.

Now this is one point that I'm in total sync with Poncho on; assuming that we actually have a "next rigged election"!

And I'm even more concerned that we may not have a "next election", rigged or otherwise. All it will take is a couple more "terror" episodes to swing the pendulum to "Save me - spare no cost".

 

[poncho]

Poncho sez: Now this is one point that I'm in total sync with Poncho on; assuming that we actually have a "next rigged election"!

And I'm even more concerned that we may not have a "next election", rigged or otherwise. All it will take is a couple more "terror" episodes to swing the pendulum to "Save me - spare no cost".

Yeah, by then a full blown dictatorship will be our only hope of survival. And Americans will all rally around Der Furher . . . at first.