Gallup is out with a new poll showing that 40 percent of the public identified as "conservative" in 2009. The percentage of self-identified "liberals" stood at 21 percent. Moderates dropped four points, to 36 percent.
Where did the growth in conservatives come from? According to Gallup, the percentage of independents identifying as "conservative" rose from 30 percent to 35 percent. Independents have moved away from the Democrats as the party has veered left.
The current trend in American politics is stunning; Obama has shed support, Democrats are looking for the exits, and the public has moved right on a variety of issues. No trend goes on forever, and the Obama administration is planning to return to the center this year, beginning with the president's State of the Union address. Economic recovery and centrist policies could still rescue the Democrats from major defeats in the November midterms.
Remember, though: 2008 was supposed to be the death-knell of conservative power in America, the end of the "Age of Reagan." And certainly 2008, due to a unique set of circumstances, washed out Republican power in Washington at least until 2011 (and maybe not even then). But the power of conservative ideas has not subsided--indeed, those ideas will become more compelling to Americans as the bailouts, debt, taxes, and regulations pile up.