By voters continuing to hold their noses and vote not for the guy they wanted, but for the guy who is "less to the left because he can win" over the bigger lefty. Incrementalism by people being manipulated into voting for someone they didn't want, believing they were winning the short term while they lost sight of the long term damage as the ball kept being moved toward the socialist goal post election after election after election, no matter the party in power.
Why on earth would a political party move right if it's members continued to vote for people on the left, if only to get "less of a lefty". The only reason I can think of is if their "less of a lefty" started losing because the voters revolted and refused to be manipulated any longer.
Now a question for you. What caused the Republican Party to move right after Bush I, then Dole, lost to Clinton?
Couple of more. After it moved right, did Republicans start winning? (remember Rather's and Brokaw's faces that night and Jennings saying the voters had thrown a "temper tantrum?") Has the Republican Party remained as conservative as it was since the days of Gingrich, moved more right, or is it moving left again, saying "vote for me, because I'm less left, and if you don't, you'll get the BIG lefty?"
There's nothing new here, except the people who haven't seen this all happening at least once before.
Hb
Exactly... the parties adjust to the voters.
You think the country moved left because right-wingers started voted en masse for candidates they didn't like? Funny... I thought it had more to do with the fact that a significant majority of voters increasingly identified themselves as Democrat. Liberal media, universities and the entertainment industry began brainwashing the masses... deliberately, in my mind.
Regarding the slight movement to the right in the late 90's, I think that was a rebound from left centrists who became disgusted by Clinton in the end. Remember, too, Bush Jr won by only the slightest of margins. The country didn't move very much farther right, IMHO. It's beginning to now, though, after 9/11, Fox News, and Bush Jr.'s example of character and leadership.
We need to keep pulling the voter base more and more rightward. How do we even begin to encourage more lefties to vote for the right if they see even the conservatives savaging the GOP President?