PRINCETON, NJ -- Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal, 39% to 18%, with 42% saying they have not changed. While independents and Democrats most often say their views haven't changed, more members of all three major partisan groups indicate that their views have shifted to the right rather than to the left.

...

Given the 2008 election returns, many are asking whether the GOP has become too conservative on the issues or whether Americans have grown more liberal. At the same time, upon the end of the 2008-2009 Supreme Court term, court watchers are noting the divergence between the liberal direction in which Obama seems to be taking the country and the conservative direction being paved by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Which way do Americans want to be led? While the new Gallup Poll finds the public reporting a heightened sense of conservatism in its political outlook, Americans' specific policy positions have not changed much since 2004. To the extent they have, about as many of these positions have become more liberal as more conservative.

Aside from the trends, Gallup's recent polling from 2008-2009 indicates that a majority of Americans concur with the Republican Party's general philosophy on the death penalty, defense spending, gay marriage, the role of government, environmental protection, and handgun legislation. Americans are about as likely to agree with the Republican Party's general philosophy as they are to agree with the Democratic Party's in terms of abortion, government activism, government promotion of "traditional" values, taxes, changing the power of labor unions, and certain aspects of the need for healthcare reform. They are more likely to agree with the Democratic Party's philosophy on other aspects of healthcare reform, embryonic stem-cell research, government regulation of business, the Iraq war, and immigration.

With such a mix of political leanings, then, it is understandable that Americans can approve of the job Obama is doing as president (his approval ratings remain near his term average of 63%), and simultaneously approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing (59% now approve, up from 48% a year ago).

And for those seeking to understand why the Republican Party suffered such major election losses, they may find that political ideology has very little to do with it.

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ORIGINAL: servantforuse

The Obama train was not to be stopped in 2008. People did want 'change', but not the kind of change they are getting.

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The Obama express might just run out of gas in 2010. The Republicans have to stay on messege though. Less regulation and lower taxes...

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ORIGINAL: servantforuse

The Obama train was not to be stopped in 2008. People did want 'change', but not the kind of change they are getting. The Obama express might just run out of gas in 2010. The Republicans have to stay on messege though. Less regulation and lower taxes...

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ORIGINAL: xBullx

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What is the Liberal fixation with Bush? I mean if it was a well groomed, sweet smelling little pussy I'd get it. But I don't think many Republicans were all that impressed with W. in the end. That's why The Big O got elected.

Bush was a egomanical moron. Though I do believe his Iraq War will end uyp making him look brilliant in about 50 years.

Obama is proving to be an delusional, inexperienced, incompetent, weak spirited, teleprompted idealist that would trade our collective souls for a single points increase in popularity.

I have to echo what I heard someone say the other day. Considering our recent presidential and political trends; I am, for the first time in my life, ashamed to be an American. 

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ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

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ORIGINAL: xBullx

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What is the Liberal fixation with Bush? I mean if it was a well groomed, sweet smelling little pussy I'd get it. But I don't think many Republicans were all that impressed with W. in the end. That's why The Big O got elected.

Bush was a egomanical moron. Though I do believe his Iraq War will end uyp making him look brilliant in about 50 years.

Obama is proving to be an delusional, inexperienced, incompetent, weak spirited, teleprompted idealist that would trade our collective souls for a single points increase in popularity.

I have to echo what I heard someone say the other day. Considering our recent presidential and political trends; I am, for the first time in my life, ashamed to be an American. 

Ashamed to be an American.........well that says it all .
Any idea where you will be going.......Wouldn't want you walking around all ashamed and everything....perhaps Merc will take you to Italy with him?

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Which way do Americans want to be led?

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ORIGINAL: CallaFirestormBW

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Which way do Americans want to be led?

I don't want to be led ANY damned way. I want the government to follow MY lead!!!

DC

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Though I do believe his Iraq War will end uyp making him look brilliant in about 50 years.

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ORIGINAL: CallaFirestormBW

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Which way do Americans want to be led?

I don't want to be led ANY damned way. I want the government to follow MY lead!!!

DC

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ORIGINAL: slaveboy291

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Though I do believe his Iraq War will end uyp making him look brilliant in about 50 years.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, that's a good one.  Yeah, just like the Russian leaders who said "let's go to  Afghanistan" 30yrs ago now look brilliant.The only "brilliance" Bush showed with Iraq was the brilliant way he conned people into believing that Iraq was a threat.

Iraq was as much a threat to the States as teenager selling dimebags is to a Columbian drug cartel.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

Further more, I think the poll points to the validity of a hypothesis about the last election.
I thought the poll was a mixed bag
The Republicans in power (and Bush) weren't conservative for the most part. Other than in foreign policy and defense, they pretty much abandoned any pretense of "conservative principles".
How did the Republicans in power get elected.... other than through the support of the Conservative base of the Republican Party?
I don't believe that John McCain would have ended up doing much of anything of substance different than Obama has (other than the "apology tour"). I know that I didn't really have any desire to vote for him, and didn't try to talk anyone into voting for him, either.
What Apology Tour......was that an Abba reunion Tour?
I think that the apparent ideological shift that many on the left want to crow about after the election was actually a large measure of disgust at the Republicans abandoning conservative principles. In effect, we had a choice: a liberal who claimed to be a liberal, or a Republican who was going to act like a liberal.
Actually what the left has been crowing about was a huge ass Presidential Election Victory....and 60 Senators.
Both parties are pretty much controlled by elitists, and operationally, there's not a dime's difference between them.
Why when the Democrats are in power....do the parties than become interchangable?If this is so.if theirs no difference in the parties....why are those on the right so upset?

Why the hell not vote for the real thing?
We believe we did!
What I do think is a strong possibility - if the Dem's continue down the road they are on, and the Republicans show no desire to regain their conservative roots - that a third party might actually have a chance of being built.
If the Dems continue down this road....they might just correct some of the egregious errors of the Bush Administration(though they better hurry-up,for there is so much work to do)

Populism has always been a strong force in American politics. For a long time, it was mainly attracted to the left side of the political equation, and the Democrats ended up mostly benefiting.
Wrong again Firm...it is the populace as a whole that ends up benefiting
Now, however, the Dems are basically split up into an urban "gentry" and a rural populists. Many bluecollar and rural Dems have been voting Republican for years, and many of them actually migrated into the Republican party.
Yeah...we saw so much evidence of this in the election just past.
LOL!

But the Repubs have their own "gentry" versus populist split. (For both parties, this split is really a class split).
There's a split all right.....some Republicans would love to shed the cross they have been forced to labor under......how to get the fundies out of the drivers seat.

While soundly ignored or belittled by many - especially much of the press - the Tea parties are a true grassroots movement.
They were ignored for good reason...they are and were irrelevant.

What we need is a catalyst. Either an event, or series of events (a worsening economy) to convince more people to take a more active role, or a person who really motivates and inspires.
You know Firm this sounds real close to you wishing greif and misery on your fellow citizens so as to further a political agenda.
You wouldn't do that would you?

The majority of Americans (I believe) are disatisfied with the current "politics as usual" BS that both parties are giving us, and as the gallup poll shows, there is some cognitive dissonance between who we are electing, and who we want to elect.
So Presidents Obama's approval ratings are an illusion?
Interesting times.
Now on this point I fully concur.
Mike
Firm

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Bush will not be running for President in 2012. You will have to find someone else to blame.