Conservatives Rule?

Demographically, conservatives do rule; politically, they are chronically shut out. Why this happens is a big subject on which we have written many times. For now, let’s just note the most recent Gallup poll finds that conservatives are now America’s most numerous ideological group; click to enlarge:

It’s no surprise, really, as poll data consistently show that conservatives outnumber liberals by one and a half to two to one. It’s noteworthy that the recent increase in self-described conservatives more than outweighs whatever growth in liberals has occurred in recent years.
So, if the U.S. has so many conservatives, why can’t we ever get conservative governance? That’s a big question on which much of modern American history hinges. A part of the answer, at least, is that “conservative” doesn’t mean what it once did. But there is much more to be said, another time.