The number of people who agree with Democrats has been growing...

...the number of people who agree with Republicans has been shrinking.

The power of the Republicans has been growing....

...the power of the Democrats has been shrinking.

Why?

eom

Need I go on?

...I think you missed one thing--even though all your responses are part of the answer.

We were supposed to be in an era of Republican dominance in the last 30 years. We're not. Why? I think it is because of the South.

People expected the South to turn drastically Republican after the Civil Rights Act. It didn't happen. While some people might have been privately against the Act, they publicly remained Democrats. In addition, Black Republicans switched parties.

Carter halted the storm, winning the solid South in 1976. Then the Reagan Revolution happened, but never acheived full force because of the Dem congress. Then Clinton and Perot unexpectedly happened. Clinton won 2 elections and Dems gained seats in 1996, 1998, and 2000, winning back the Senate for 18 days until Bush's inauguration.

Now Republicans have 3 branches, but are they all that powerful? Not really. Bush is getting his butt kicked by the Republican-controlled Senate. Jeffords gave the chamber back to the Dems for 2 years, and moderates have blocked everything he wants to do.

...that has somehow captured a majority of power.

I'd call that dominance.

My point is, it's happened because of "backbone," or lack thereof.