Rasmussen Poll releases results on how U.S. voters self-identify, every month. The poll released on December 1, 2009, shows: Democrats 36.0%, Republicans 33.1%, no party or other party 30.8%.
The highest “other” ever in this Rasmussen Poll was in July 2007, when “Other” hit 32.9%. The link above has another link that shows the results back to 2004.
I do not know, besides former GOP Bob Barr grabbing the 1912 Teddy Roosevelt symbolism of the Bull Moose, what the Loyal Opposition could have done for the ‘Window of Opportunity’ of P2008, but most alternative politicos do agree that the non Democans and non Republicrats pretty much ‘blew it’ ……….. Don Lake
It does not seem to me like they “blew it.” I think that President Barack Obama took many votes that otherwise would have gone to Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney. Furthermore, I think that Ms. McKinney won a lot of votes that otherwise would have gone to Mr. Nader. That is the way of things, sometimes.
It is a real bummer that Republicans polled as high as 33.1% in the Rasmussen monthly poll. Still, I am not going to take back my prediction (that the GOP will be minor-sized by 2012). The Republican Party has outlived its vibrancy and it will not be able to hold up under the social changes to come.
Phil, I’m sure you are a nice guy with whom I would enjoy political conversation, but I’m afraid your prediction about the GOP becoming a minor party by 2012 simply will not happen. The Republicans will “adjust” politically to do whatever it takes to “appeal” to the voters. They learned their lession with their “political grandfather” – the Whig Party – which imploded because it would not address the Slavery issue. They won’t make that mistake again.
What I do predict for the GOP is that eventually the “country clubbers” who control the party, will tell the “religious right” to take a hike and the party will become more “moderate” on social issues, i.e., abortion, same sex marriage, but remain “conservative” and traditional on economic issues.
If that happens, then you WILL see a new 3rd party that might be only a minor party in size classification, but it will elect a few members of Congress, a few state legislators, a few school board members, etc., who will “annoy” the GOP more than anything else. Such a party might have a presidential candidate that could poll as high as 15% of the vote and in some elections keep the GOP candidate from winning.
But, then again, I could be wrong. We’ll all just have to live long enough to see what happens.
Phil Sawyer Says (in a previous post):
December 5th, 2009 at 9:45 am
By 2012, the Republican Party will be a minor-sized party. I have been saying and writing this for the past few years. I think that I will stop repeating this for awhile. While I still think that it will happen, I am guessing that some people are tired of hearing me say it. Let us just see if it happens.
A main point that I want to make is this: I think that the chances are very good, “Buckeye Kned,†that the current two party duopoly will soon be over. The small party that is the strongest, best organized, and most in touch with the mood of the electorate, will come in and fill the void left by the GOP.
Let me just add to that, “An Alabama Independent”: I think that your prediction is fascinating. However, I do not think that the Republican Party learned from the problems of the Whigs. I don’t think that the party has even learned from the evils of the eight years of Bush-Cheney. Any person who is still a member of the GOP, by the way, should be ashamed of himself or herself.
At the present time, the GOP has lots of money, many people in high places, and the advantage of not being the party in power during these very difficult economic times (along with the fact that too many people will not remember that it was the Republican Party that got us into this current mess). Will that be enough for the GOP to come back to power? I do not think so. Will it be enough for the GOP to remain a large party? Once again, I do not think so. Our country is going to continue to be buffeted by the strong winds of social change into the years leading up to 2012 – and beyond. The Republican Party simply is not up to the challenge.
It does not seem likely to me, by the way, that the “country clubbers” will be able to force out the “religious right.” I think that there is going to continue to be civil war in the GOP. It will be like a football game being played during the crisis of the Titanic.