Republican Conservative Base Shrinks

[RFayette]

That's honestly surprising. Even more surprising is that a quarter of Republicans have a positive view of socialism.

My mother is a hard-core Republican voter who supports a lot more spending on education, higher taxes, and universal healthcare, but the abortion issue completely rules out voting Dem for her.  I imagine there are other GOPers like that, along with some low-info voters of course.  My father's politics is essentially the inverse. 

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

That's honestly surprising. Even more surprising is that a quarter of Republicans have a positive view of socialism.

Not super surprising to me. There are plenty of lower income socially conservative populists still hanging around who refuse to vote Democratic as a matter of conscience.

[TJ in Oregon]

That's honestly surprising. Even more surprising is that a quarter of Republicans have a positive view of socialism.

Not super surprising to me. There are plenty of lower income socially conservative populists still hanging around who refuse to vote Democratic as a matter of conscience.

It's not surprising that there are plenty of lower income socially conservative populists who vote Republican while supporting some policies that would be called socialist in a lot of countries, what is surprising is that they, in the US, ascribe a positive image to the word socialism, which a lot of people over the age of 40 will immediately take as a reference to the Soviet Union.

[Simfan34]

That's honestly surprising. Even more surprising is that a quarter of Republicans have a positive view of socialism.

Not super surprising to me. There are plenty of lower income socially conservative populists still hanging around who refuse to vote Democratic as a matter of conscience.

It's not surprising that there are plenty of lower income socially conservative populists who vote Republican while supporting some policies that would be called socialist in a lot of countries, what is surprising is that they, in the US, ascribe a positive image to the word socialism, which a lot of people over the age of 40 will immediately take as a reference to the Soviet Union.

Yes, this is what I was thinking. It's not so much the views but the word.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Yawn.  No big news here.

[pbrower2a]

Yawn.  No big news here.

Demographic change has political consequences. Political parties adapt or recede into oblivion. Republicans may be able to hold the House due to gerrymandering in 2010, but even that depends upon a one-time advantage that itself can become irrelevant. Republicans may need only 47% of the popular vote for the House of Representatives, but nothing says that they will get that indefinitely.