RIGHTIES RISING – AT 8:01 P.M. ET:  Conservatism seems to be rising in the United States, according to the latest report of the Gallup Poll:

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives have maintained their leading position among U.S. ideological groups in the first half of 2010. Gallup finds 42% of Americans describing themselves as either very conservative or conservative. This is up slightly from the 40% seen for all of 2009 and contrasts with the 20% calling themselves liberal or very liberal.

The 42% identifying as conservative represents a continuation of the slight but statistically significant edge conservatives achieved over moderates in 2009. Should that figure hold for all of 2010, it would represent the highest annual percentage identifying as conservative in Gallup's history of measuring ideology with this wording, dating to 1992.

COMMENT:  That's gratifying, but the figures should be read carefully.  Conservative doesn't mean Republican.  Republicans cannot turn in a sleepy performance and expect to benefit seriously from the conservative trend.

I came from liberalism, and the very forces that drove me away are ascendant in liberal movements, including a rejection of the central theme of national defense.  It's really too bad, because there are some very decent, practical liberals who can contribute much to the national conversation.  But they have been drowned out by the wingnuts who think the Garden of Eden was in Manhattan, and survived until replaced by the set of "West Side Story."

June 25, 2010