According to Gallup.
Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal, 39% to 18%, with 42% saying they have not changed. While independents and Democrats most often say their views haven't changed, more members of all three major partisan groups indicate that their views have shifted to the right rather than to the left.
Powerline is skeptical.
I'm tempted to say that the definitions of "liberal" and "conservative" are moving to the left as fast as people's self-descriptions are moving to the right.
But notes that on individual issues, Americans seem to be becoming more conservative.
Results like this sort of put the lie to liberals' claim that Americans are moving their way. But it doesn't explain the November election results. My take: the November elections were a fluke. Barack Obama was the first black presidential candidate in a generation and many were anxious to "break the barrier." Couple that with Bush (and Republican) fatigue, and you get the Democrats controlling the White House and Congress.
Some Americans are obviously having a case of buyer's remorse with Obama and the Democrats, and this is unsurprising. Perhaps people didn't really expect Teh One to crash the economy, take over the health care industry and push unemployment to 10%, but it's not like they weren't warned. Let's hope the "more conservative" ideology sticks through 2012.
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