some local colour for you:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ni...vative-nation/

PRINCETON, NJ -- 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.
looks like the republican party still has a future, provided they can adapt to the needs of the electorate.