Are you surprised so few Repubs are switching Parties??

[kentuck]

With such an insane and distorted agenda, one might think a few Republicans would get fed up with the direction their Party has gone? But, I have not heard of anyone changing to the Democratic Party? More and more, they are like a cult, it seems to me. It would take some heavy-duty de-programming to change any of their minds. They will all get a parachute or they will all jump off the cliff together. Republicans are in a sick and sad condition.

[ixion]

1. not really. They don't appear to require ethical consistency in their stances

which means they say whatever will keep them in their cushy, live-like-royalty jobs.

[Township75]

6. Either do Dems, so why should the jump?

?

[ixion]

13. 'xactly

[Beacool]

14. Exactly times two.

:-(

[deacon]

2. It's a party of extremists. Their way or no way and completely intolerant. n/t

[JHB]

3. The power of propaganda

The hard conservatives have their own narrative (or rather, narratives, since there's more than one "feather" making up their wing), the MSM has been by various turns cowed, bought, and/or socialized into not fighting back when the RW attacks them, and our side hasn't really invested in an information infrastructure that can give a counter narrative on a large scale.

So people who might otherwise switch are deeply worried about our "radical socialism".

[iamtechus]

4. How do you suppose dems would act if their party started acting the same way ...

... with regard to war funding, taxing the wealthy, healthcare etc.?

Would we see a mass exodus of dems to the repub party?

[kentuck]

5. No, but...

We should not confuse insanity with impotence. There is no rational reason to support the Republican agenda, unless you are very wealthy. Otherwise, you are nothing but a tool to promote their insane ideas that harm yourself as much as any other American.

[peace frog]

7. Oh, hell no

The Repubs in my family are mostly moderate non-teabagger types but no way will they switch, and certainly not to the Dems. They claim to want to "stay and fight" but really, they have capitulated. There's no stopping the GOP 'bagger crazee now.

[bowens43]

8. NO. Stupidity is a prerequisite for a republican.

Ignorance,hatred,greed and bigotry are republican family values. They embrace these things.

[trotsky]

9. Republican first, American second.

I truly believe that's how most Republicans feel even though they would never admit it. I guess a lot of them rationalize it to mean that to be a true American, one must be a Republican.

[IndyPragmatist]

10. They wont jump until after 2012

Right now they have confidence that they will control the White House after 2012. Six months ago, I would agree with them, but seeing the pathetic group of Republican candidates for the presidency, I'm not as sure anymore. Now, if Christie from NJ runs, then I think they will win.

Back to the topic at hand. Even though Obama has been much more moderate (thats what most call it, I say he has been all over the place), most Republicans and even a lot of moderates believe that Obama and the Democrats are pushing a socialist agenda. Now, most don't think it's to the extent that Fox News is pushing (that being 4 more years of Obama would turn us into North Korea), but most moderate Americans view the Democrats as "too far left". Whether or not this is actually true doesn't matter, that is what many believe.

It's what always happens to the party in power if things aren't going amazing. With Clinton, because of the stock market surge, many moderates leaned towards the Democratic Party. In the first few years of Bush, most moderates leaned towards the Republicans. As things went sour, they started moving towards the Democrats. That's how Obama got elected and the Dems got huge gains in Congress. Now, as things aren't as rosy as anticipated, many moderates are starting to lean back towards the Republicans.

So come 2012, they will probably win the White House. And by 2014, as things aren't going as they promised, moderates will move back towards the Democrats. Many moderates just want progress. They don't have a blueprint for that progress, but they have it as their goal. Whichever party brings progress, they will favor, and whichever party does not, they will oppose.

[mazzarro]

11. Why would they jump ship when they know that corporate money

flows mostly in one direction for sure - their insane party! That is where they are sure to cash in.

[CanonRay]

12. A Georgia state legislator switched this week.

[lonestarnot]

15. Maybe they are afraid they will be choked.

[Johonny]

16. I think the resonable people left already

which is why you have so many independents these days. Or else they call themselves libertarian because they don't want to be associated with the hate of the Republican party.