I thik the premise is "Cheney and Limbaugh bad" and then, in a concerted effort, they find anything and everything they can apply the premise towards - no matter how rickety. If one rightly rejects the premise, all their efforts fall apart. 

By the way, why don't they show earlier breakdowns of party identification, when Republicans were at the same point as now? Are they going to lie and say that the upswing was due to the GOP's efforts to recruit "moderate" candidates pre-2003, like who exactly?

The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.

Has anyone seen the sampling methodology used to arrive at the conclusions about party identification.  I'm sure it was a completely unbiased sample consisting of New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles

I am trying to remember...after the dems lost in 2000, 2002, and 2004, were the msm running the constant drumbeat of "what's wrong with the Democrats?"

 Or was it "They just need to get their message out past the GOP attack machine."

98 San Jacinto Blvd.
Suite 1200
Austin, TX, 78701

Is all we need to know about MARK MCKINNON, REPUBLICAN PARTY STRATEGIST.  Austin is full of liberals, and emulates California with fruits and nuts lifestyle.  Austin's "Keep Austin Wierd" campaign is proof enough.  He is nothing more than a mercenary selling out to teh highest bidder and he sold out to Obama.

I think we should watch what the MSM is telling us, but I imagine it confuses some of the fence sitters.  We should define our party and look to scripture to know what to do.  As steel sharpens steeel we should do for each other.  We should not hide our light under a bushel but shine light into darkness because the darkness cannot abide the light.

"... and moderates like Colin Powell and Senator Arlen Specter"

Saw that and did not read another word of the story. 

"You should always tell the truth, because if you tell the truth you make it the other person's problem." Sean Connery

Stories like these simply illustrate what ignorant, shallow individuals Mark McKinnon and Lindsey Graham are.  One need only look to the example of Arnold Schwarzenegger to see what RINO "governance" is like...half-hearted rhetoric about preserving business, lowering taxes and slashing irresponsible government spending; followed by bluster about "bringing Republicans and Democrats together" (as if that was an inherent virtue); followed by a limp campaign to address the spending issues; followed by a cowardly surrender to the thugs in the State Unions; followed by the annexation of a trendy junk science-based policy in image makeover campaign designed to win support from the socialists who defeated his weak campaign for passage of some responsible ballot initiatives; followed by a complete surrender to the budget desires of the pinkos in the State Legislature; followed by a campaign of arm twisting and threats at Republican legislators who refused to surrender with him; followed by the surrender of a handful of Lindsey Graham/Mark McKinnon/John McCain/David Frum/David Brooks/Spray Tan Crist "Republicans" in the State Legislature, endorsing the largest tax increase in the history of the State; followed by grass roots voter revolt in the face of a heavy-handed tactics designed to force taxpayers to ratify these obnoxious tax increases; followed by desperate and disingenuous attempts by the Governor to secure last-minute support by threatening to cut off police, fire and other essential services (and to open the prisons) rather than standing up to the fat, lazy, incompetent and greedy SEIU GOONS; followed by...if the State is lucky...bankruptcy.  Sorry, but Graham, McCain, Snowe, Collins, Crist and Schwarzenegger are cancers on the Republican Party...and either they're going to stand down/leave the Party or those of us who refuse to tolerate their mismanagement are simply going to stop supporting the Republican Party altogether.  This is not some minor "dust up" from which both wings of the Party will emerge united.  This is a war for the soul of the Party...and if they win, they can have it.  It's damaged goods.

By the way, I am so sick and tired of this clash being defined by the media and the RINOs.  They always misrepresent this battle as a fight between "moderates" and "social conservatives".  Strictly speaking, this is not about abortion, the 2nd Ammendment and gay marriage (though people who have strong opinions on these issues are on the right side of this debate)...this is about a bloated and self-serving government refusing to address the real issues at the root of the economic crisis: entitlement spending, union payoffs and failure to address the consequences of unfettered illegal immigration.  RINOs are ignorant of and/or afraid to address these subjects, so they punt, turn on their base and wag their fingers about "big tents" and "intolerance".  They change the subject to abortion, guns and gay marriage (because there's no math nor economics involved) in an attempt to shame base conservatives and win support from intellectually incoherent "moderates".  Sorry, but the line is drawn in the sand now.  I will never support a RINO candidate...if a Republican candidate earns a David Frum/Ross Douthat/Colin Powell endorsement, I will support the Democrat.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill

First, why should the Dems care as long as they're winning elections and controlling the government? The public are generalky front runners and the next election is not going t be based on the cult of personality as this one was.  As taxes rise so will prices in order to pay for them. You don't expect the people being taxed to eat them do you? If they do, instead of them being inflationary, they will be deflationary and where will the growth come from to generate the tax revenues we'll need to pay the deficits we know we're going to have? What about the increase in intrest rates, in order to get our creditors to buy our debt, what economic impact will that have? Higher borrowing costs for sure, economy wide.  How will that contribute to economic growth and increased tax revenues? It won't.  How about additional inflation caused by the expansion of the money supply by the FED?  Think that might have an impact that transcends the cult of the personality?  Then there are the wars.  Comrade O can "finesse" his way around Iraq, maybe, but as a supporter of the Afghan war he has no such option.  All these beltway RINO strategists aren't worth a bucket of spit.  The Great Obama may find himself in a LBJ box on the one hand and a Carter box on the other, simutaneously.  Even the most ignorant of RINO "statgerists" and MSM who can read an actual history book knows either 1 of these 2 boxes led to 2 elections of Nixon and 2 of Reagan.  Just keep the faith and don't buy into their bullshit.

As usual, the Left attempts to define us.  And fails.

'' . . . moderates like Colin Powell and Senator Arlen Specter, who just bolted the party.''

Colin and Arlen were not Moderates.  But they are traitors to the Conservative way of living.

Every time you hear the Left talking about what the GOP or Republicans or Conservatives are, or should be, they are framing the situation or argument in their terms and by their rules.  It is so Alinsky motivated and transparent that I am surprised that they think they can affect us.  And since the Left gets most of their news from Jon Stewart and Colbert I wonder why they bother.