To understand American politics, you need to understand the fundamental left-right asymmetry.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

Very, very roughly, depending on which polls you look at

20-25% of Americans self-identify as liberals.
30-35% of Americans self-identify as moderates
35-40% of Americans self-identity as conservatives.

Those numbers are shifting left slightly with time, but only very slowly.

This means that

:- The self-identified moderate vote consistently breaks heavily for the Democrats.
:- If that ever doesn't happen, the Democrats are absolutely doomed.
:- If the three demographics voted with equal frequency (which is obviously not a safe assumption) then the Democratic vote comes from about 50-60% self-identified moderates, and 40-50% self-identified liberals, while the Republican vote comes from roughly 20-30% self-identified moderates, and 70-80% self-identified conservatives. To the extent that that assumption is false, it's probably more likely that the liberal/conservative numbers are underestimates and the moderate numbers overestimates than vice versa, but I suspect they're not *that* far out.
:-This is why in the Republican party, the base has more power than the self-identified moderates but in the Democratic party it's the other way round.

[djean111]

1. And so - liberals will always be voting for the lesser evil. Gets tiresome.

[99Forever]

2. I don't know about liberals in general...

... but this liberal damn sure won't. If I would have to hold my nose, you aren't getting my vote. No way. No how.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Or,you could say,

what did they do for me today. Memories are extremely short in the USA. And,most do not take the time to really think or care to understand their political actions of lack there of.

[PowerToThePeople]

4. To understand American politics.

and more and more and more....