Gallup Poll: Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group

Late last week, Big Media was practically wetting itself over a survey that showed Republican party identification is at its lowest point in decades. As usual, Big Media's analysis did not demonstrate a true understanding of what the numbers meant. A recent Gallup Poll frames the nation's political temperature more clearly.

Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

Big Media may see this as contradictory, but the two sets of numbers make perfect sense. One uncomfortable and inconvenient truth that Big Media has tried to ignore during the Tea Party uprisings and Town Hall discussions was that the increasingly vocal Patriots are rooted in ideas, not party politics. During the September 12 March on Washington, I saw thousands upon thousands of signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, but only one that was overtly GOP. That was one guy who was working the street trying to sign folks up for the Republican Party. Real America is disgusted with corrupt politicians, Constitutional infidelity and partisan hacks who have zero respect for the American people (for example, the kind of people who keep changing the name of nationalized healthcare to various euphemisms in hopes of finding one that sounds respectable).

Conservatism is on the ascent. Many Republicans realize they have lose their way, but many have not. Some want to play the same political games as they have played in the past. Some want to give half-measures of socialist programs to appear "bipartisan." A few haven't been paying attention since last election day and still want to hitch their wagon to the O-Train.

We The People have risen up and are in the process of re-establishing the GOP as the Conservative party. In recent years, I have found I am more likely to call myself an independent than a Republican because of the party's recent sorry state. Many others have abandoned the label for similar reasons. So, when GOP identification falls it doesn't mean Americans are less Conservative. To the contrary, it means there is a growing group of folks who demand that the Republican Party stand on principle and fight to defend the Constitution and individual liberty. According to Gallup, there's a change in the air.