What does the GOP stand for?

[Sam Spade]

Since 9/11, in most polls conducted, the key defining issue as to whether you are a Republican or a Democrat is foreign policy.

So, if we want to define the GOP or the Democratic party at this point, it is probably best that we make foreign policy differences stand out above all others.

However, after this issue, the lines become much more blurred and confusing.

The truth is that both the American parties, Democrat and Republican, are large coalitions of people with a few similar ideals (right now the joining ideal is foreign policy) and many dissimilar ones.

On social issues, there are many people whose beliefs fit the more conservative Republican generalization and yet vote Democrat (mainly because of economic and foreign policy issues).  In the same way, on economic issues, there are many people whose beliefs fit the Democrat generalization on economic issues and yet vote Republican.

This should tell you where the center of the country is at present: slightly left of center economically, slightly right of center socially (center defined in American terms).

The economically conservative Democrat (or new Democrat) faded away on the national scene post-9/11.  The socially liberal Republican faded away on the national scene post-Reagan, esp. post 1992.

And yet, most polls find that the country is split one-third between Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  The problem with this analysis is that when national elections arrive, suddenly a good bit of the Independents start moving to either the Republican or Democratic side, leaving a certain number of swing voters as true independents.

But I'm getting wordy right now; the truth is that both parties are tough to define now and would have been tough to define 50 years ago.