What direction do you think both parties are trending in?

[Kevin]

What direction do you think both parties are trending in?

I think in a span of about 10-20 years the Republican Party will be trending in a more economically conservative/libertarian direction. While I see the Democrats moving in a much more social democratic direction and becoming much in a way like the British Labour Party in direction in about the same time span.

What is everyone's feeling's on this?

[ottermax]

I think it's the exact opposite. I'm remain a fan of the Democratic Party because it is trending slightly in a libertarian direction on economics although this year isn't a great judge of that. I think that the people who are becoming Democrats are moving the party in a more libertarian direction and the people who are leaving are the more socially conservative economic liberals. Both parties in my opinion are becoming more polarized; Democrats more liberal and Republicans more conservative. That trend looks likely to continue.

[Kevin]

I think it's the exact opposite. I'm remain a fan of the Democratic Party because it is trending slightly in a libertarian direction on economics although this year isn't a great judge of that. I think that the people who are becoming Democrats are moving the party in a more libertarian direction and the people who are leaving are the more socially conservative economic liberals. Both parties in my opinion are becoming more polarized; Democrats more liberal and Republicans more conservative. That trend looks likely to continue.

Interesting,

I'm basing my thoughts on this in terms of the younger base supporters and activists I've met from both parties. The younger Republican activists I've met tend to be overall liberterian leaning on most issues or highly remenscent of traditional old style Republicans except much more conservative on economics. The Democrats in the same aspect I've met tend to be more liberal and more left overall then their forebears, in addition this would be somewhat consistent with the views of the younger demographics which were shown in this election. However even though I think the Democrats are going to end up with a more social democratic party at the end of this, I think they illbe adble to mold this to their advantage.

[Lief 🗽]

Like, people say that the Democrats are becoming libertarians and the Republicans are becoming communitarians/christian democrats, but I just don't think that a libertarian-communitarian political spectrum will ever happen. It certainly doesn't exist in any other countries. The parties may very well switch roles, but if they do, they will switch roles both economically and socially.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

On economic issues, I see the Democrats continuing to move to the left, as the younger voters joining the Party bring a more liberal view.  On social issues, they seem to be getting more libertarian, and also emphasizing social views less.  On the whole, I think we'll soon reach a point wehre economically liberal but socially conservative voters are either an extreme minority within the Party, or are no longer in it at all.

Economically, it's hard to see where the GOP is trending.  None of the major candidates this year were true economic conservatives, but it seems like most of the new names being mentioned for 2012 are more libertarian than conservative.  It does seem clear, though, that the Religious Right is losing its power inside the GOP.  McCain's victory over Huckabee seemed to be indicative of that.  Socially, though, the Republicans seem to be staying still, and not moving in either direction.  In 10-15 years, I think, the GOP will be economically libertarian, but socially conservative, with barely any economic liberals, and moderates like Olympia Snowe a thing of the past.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Like, people say that the Democrats are becoming libertarians and the Republicans are becoming communitarians/christian democrats, but I just don't think that a libertarian-communitarian political spectrum will ever happen. It certainly doesn't exist in any other countries. The parties may very well switch roles, but if they do, they will switch roles both economically and socially.

[Jacobtm]

Because the Democrats are gaining membership all across the country due to frustration with Republican rule, the Democratic party isn't really trending in one direction, it's in fact becoming much more diverse.

[bhouston79]

I think that both parties will trend to the left, because the nation as a whole is trending to the left, especially on social issues and on the issue of health care.  All you have to do see evidence of this fact is look at the exit polls, which showed Obama winning by ridiculously high margins among young people.  Twenty years from now mainstream Republicans will be approximately where moderate Democrats are today.  And mainstream Democrats will be substantially to the left of our current President.  The Republicans may try moving further to the right in 2012 as a token gesture to Republicans in a year where they are likely to lose badly anyway (unless the economy simply doesn't improve at all over the next four years which is unlikely), but when they lose in an even larger landslide, the Republicans will "learn their lesson" much like the Democrats did in 1992 by running a moderate candidate. 

[TomC]

The Democrats are trending somewhat libertarian and definitely internationalist and the GOP is trending populist and somewhat isolationist.

[longtimelurker]

The coalition the Democrats assembled may eventually break apart just as the New Deal coalition broke apart.  Specifically, I see the Hispanic voters of today as analogous to the southern white voters of the New Deal.  Southern whites started voting on non-economic issues (i.e., starting voting Republican) once they got wealthy enough (this process has taken decades, and if we include Appalachia among southern whites, is still going on).  With southern whites, the issue was race.  Likewise, as Hispanic voters become more prosperous and can afford to look beyond their pocketbooks, they will trend Republican because of the issues of abortion and homosexuality (and maybe others).  This process may also take decades.  Obama's victory was not anywhere as dominating as FDR's, so the coalition is not as strong to begin with.  But, continued immigration of poor Hispanics may balance losses of 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics to the Republicans.  This is in contrast to southern whites, whose losses to the Republicans were not replaced by immigration of poor southern whites to the US.

[pbrower2a]

So long as the Hard Right keeps taking over the GOP, I see the GOP in a death spiral to oblivion. The Democratic Party will be the only game in town in most places, but not for long; as after the demise of the Federalist and Whig Parties it split. Such a split is possible in 2020 or 2024.   

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Wind.

[Governor PiT]

On the whole, I think we'll soon reach a point wehre economically liberal but socially conservative voters are either an extreme minority within the Party, or are no longer in it at all.

That is not true. Many Latinos fit that category and they are one of the fastest growing voting blocks. I could see tension with social liberals such as both blacks and Latinos in California supporting Prop 8 and causing division with the Democratic Party.

[Holmes]

On the whole, I think we'll soon reach a point wehre economically liberal but socially conservative voters are either an extreme minority within the Party, or are no longer in it at all.

That is not true. Many Latinos fit that category and they are one of the fastest growing voting blocks. I could see tension with social liberals such as both blacks and Latinos in California supporting Prop 8 and causing division with the Democratic Party.

I'm sorry what

How many latinos do you actually know that would jump ship to the Republican party because of prop 8? There are latinos in my family, and latino families are huge, and they're all pretty straight dem. I can't speak for places like LA and San Diego in SoCal though, but I'm pretty sure they don't care either, especially since Obama decisively won those places.

Besides, if there would've been a minority shift towards the GOP because of gay marriage, it would've happened 4 months ago, you know when Obama, Boxer and DiFi all protested prop 8 in the first place.

[Governor PiT]

On the whole, I think we'll soon reach a point wehre economically liberal but socially conservative voters are either an extreme minority within the Party, or are no longer in it at all.

That is not true. Many Latinos fit that category and they are one of the fastest growing voting blocks. I could see tension with social liberals such as both blacks and Latinos in California supporting Prop 8 and causing division with the Democratic Party.

I'm sorry what

How many latinos do you actually know that would jump ship to the Republican party because of prop 8? There are latinos in my family, and latino families are huge, and they're all pretty straight dem. I can't speak for places like LA and San Diego in SoCal though, but I'm pretty sure they don't care either, especially since Obama decisively won those places.

Besides, if there would've been a minority shift towards the GOP because of gay marriage, it would've happened 4 months ago, you know when Obama, Boxer and DiFi all protested prop 8 in the first place.

I am not saying they would but they may cause a rift within the Democratic Party.

[pbrower2a]

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fascist (n) -- someone who wants an intolerant  and monocultural society in his own country to be expanded into places where it isn't welcome.