over the years, which party has devolved more?

[freepcrusher]

I mean which party is more unrecognizable than it was 50+ years ago? Its a good question. The republicans seem to have lost the progressive attitude of the northern plains state but the democrats have also lost the rural redneckcrats wing of the party.

[tpfkaw]

In the South, the Democrats, everywhere else, the Republicans (due to the loss of their conservative wing).

[Niemeyerite]

In the South, the Democrats, everywhere else, the Republicans (due to the loss of their conservative wing).

what?

IMO, democrats have changed more. specially in the south, but also everywhere else.

[tpfkaw]

In the South, the Democrats, everywhere else, the Republicans (due to the loss of their conservative wing).

what?

Yep, only one conservative ran in their primaries last time around, and he barely outdid Alan Keyes 2000.  To be fair, they did nominate a few conservatives for Senate last year, but only two won.

(well, four won, but only two "won")

[Phony Moderate]

lol

[freepcrusher]

the democrats in the south are not that much different than they were 50 years ago. I'm originally from Texas and even now, the democrats are still more conservative than the national party. Someone like Pete Laney could easily pass as a republican in the NE.

[Napoleon]

Wormyguy, who is an example of a conservative you can provide?

[tpfkaw]

An example of a moderate conservative might be Mark Hatfield or Dwight Eisenhower, a "normal" one might be Robert Taft or Walter B. Jones (in his current incarnation), a more radical example would be Ron Paul.

[Napoleon]

An example of a moderate conservative might be Mark Hatfield or Dwight Eisenhower, a "normal" one might be Robert Taft or Walter B. Jones (in his current incarnation), a more radical example would be Ron Paul.

Ok, that's not too bad. You're excluding neoconservatives it seems.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

An example of a moderate conservative might be Mark Hatfield or Dwight Eisenhower, a "normal" one might be Robert Taft or Walter B. Jones (in his current incarnation), a more radical example would be Ron Paul.

Ike was to the left of Obama.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Hard to say. Loosely speaking in the most general terms, the Democrats were founded as the party of the people, while the GOP was founded to preserve the Republic from slave power. So, probably the Republicans, considering slave power is long gone. You can make the case that the GOP is still fighting to preserve the Republic from a variety of threats from Terrorism to judicial activism, but they are not the same threat(s) that originally provoked their creation.

[tpfkaw]

An example of a moderate conservative might be Mark Hatfield or Dwight Eisenhower, a "normal" one might be Robert Taft or Walter B. Jones (in his current incarnation), a more radical example would be Ron Paul.

Ike was to the left of Obama.

I'm glad you think that.

[Historia Crux]

Most definitely the Republican Party. You can just look at the electoral maps, the slow withdraw of the GOP from places that have become synonymous with Democratic victories(Vermont, California, New York, etc)to their bastions of the west and south. The GOP's movement from their more overall moderate party base of the 1900's is also a testament towards the transformation or devolution of the Republican party.

[JacobNC]

Northern Republicans probably aren't all that much different than they were 50 years ago.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

An example of a moderate conservative might be Mark Hatfield or Dwight Eisenhower, a "normal" one might be Robert Taft or Walter B. Jones (in his current incarnation), a more radical example would be Ron Paul.

Ike was to the left of Obama.

I'm glad you think that.

I'm guessing you're defining Conservative as more Libertarian or PaleoCon than the curent definition.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Actually, what wormyguy said isn't entirely absurd. Back in the 1950s, republicans were moderate conservatives. Today instead, they are insane reactionaries.

[Elyski]

The Republican party has devolved from a party of traditional conservative values, to one dominated by "Democrats" (the GOP members of congress) and loons (The Tea Party). Completley unrecognizable then it was when Eisenhower was in office.

[Nichlemn]

the democrats in the south are not that much different than they were 50 years ago. I'm originally from Texas and even now, the democrats are still more conservative than the national party. Someone like Pete Laney could easily pass as a republican in the NE.

They may be more conservative than the national party, but the true DINOs like Larry McDonald more or less don't exist any more. Furthermore, the parties have been infused with liberal blacks.

[Jackson]

Republicans.

[Del Tachi]

The Democrats

[AUH2O Libertarian]

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I would agree with this completely.

Goldwater was the last actual conservative to get nominated.  Ike was the last traditionally conservative President (although Coolidge is a better example).

The GOP has been dominated by trotskyites and evangelicals since Nixon's "southern strategy". (So basically ex-Democrats).  Traditional conservative principles of free markets, non-interventionism/isolationism, moderate social policy, and anti-unionism haven't been very prominent in the GOP for quite a while now (at least in practice).  The rise of Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Chris Christie give me hope but at best I think the GOP will be split with the evangelicals who have no where else to turn (although I think neocons could be fully absorbed back into the Democrat Party).

The Democrat Party has also changed, but I think it began it's transformation way back at the turn of the century progressive movement.  The platform of today's Democrat Party is not too radically different from FDR's time.  Contrast that with the GOP who had leaders like Senator Taft who were vehemently against WWII.  Do you think Mr. Republican Taft would have approved of Iraq? lol