Whichever side of the ideological aisle you are on; the fact is that you are not in the majority.  Neither party can definitively defeat the other.  As a civilized society then, we citizens must make compromises together.  Interestingly, the public’s ideological self-description is that 40% are conservatives, 35% are moderates and 21% are liberals.  Within each of the polarized ends of the spectrum, there are also self-describing differences.  Within the Democratic Party, liberals and moderates are essentially tied at 39% and 38%.  Within the Republican Party, conservatives outnumber moderates 3 to 1.  Approximately 30% of the public is self-described as being Republican conservatives and 11% Democrat liberals.  The remaining people are self-described moderates that vote Independent, Republican or Democrat.  With this information, we can certainly comprehend the manifestation of conservative ideals in the national arena.