Conservatives up, Republicans Down

Via Redstate, a Gallup poll shows increasing numbers of voters are self-identified conservatives:

Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004.

So, rumors of conservatism's death have been greatly exaggerated: "Ed Morrissey argues that this trend may indicate a further polarization of America along ideological lines."

That may well be true, looking at data like this:



Republicans are veering right on social issues. Meanwhile, Blacks are as conservative as Republicans on social issues, and Americans continue to oppose gay marriage.

And yet, we find Republican voters themselves have a poor view of the Republican Party. "Lost their way" is a popular negative image of the Republican Party. Republican base voters are mostly white, religious and conservative. So we see more evidence that, whereas Democrats manage to encompass more voters than their liberal ideology would indicate, the Republicans can grab only a subset of the natural conservative and right-leaning moderate base. We have conservative independents unhappy with the GOP, minority conservative Democrats who agree on some issues, and moderates with a poor image of the Republican party.

If only we had the state-run media on our side. Sigh.

UPDATE:

Comeback will require the right attitude:

... what the leadership lacks is that “Braveheart” spirit - they are like those Scottish nobles trying to cut deals with the English King for their own hides, while the TEA-Partying rabble want someone who will FIGHT!

It’s not unhelpful to know where you stand, but it is pointless to bemoan it rather than change it. It’s not the snarling that we need, but the “Dont give up” DETERMINATION TO MAKE OUR VOICES MATTER. ... instead of waiting for the ‘next Reagan’ while clutching the martinis and muttering how all is lost, realize that we have among us 10,000 Reagans ready to take on the Obama-borg. We are the solution, the 40% of American that self-admits to being ‘conservative’.