You keep hearing that the United States is a "center right" nation." Here is what that is all about -- a lesson Obama needs to learn . . . . . . . . . after the coming election.

Summary: Gallup reports that those who identify as "liberal" and "conservative" apart from political party affiliations,  are on a 23/41 split, respectively,  and "conservative" has always been double [or nearly so] that of the "liberal" element.  This is why the outnumbered Republican party can win national elections - the general population thinks "conservatively."   Because the general population is conservative but not ideologically so,  the liberal Dems can win elections, as well,  as long as they do not cross paths with populace opinion.  Understand that while the populace is "conservative" but not in a principled way (ideology),  it can be fooled via compromise and incrementalism.   

Summary conclusion:  A move to the "Left" is best accomplished incrementally, via comprise  ----   exactly the strategy of the Left (since Woodrow Wilson) until Obama.  In the beginnings of Obama's administration,  he often said "Time for talk is over;  time for action is now."  He no longer uses this phrase.   The phrase served two purposes: one, to tell the Right that things were about to change, and, two, to send a message to his own party members,  telling them that the strategy of incrementalism was no longer the preferred strategy.  

Because Obama abandoned incremental politics and its requisite "compromise,"  the American people can, now, see where the Democrat party is taking this nation.   This coming election is a referendum on that sense of direction.  History - I believe - will record that Obama is the worst thing to hit the Democrat Party in its history.  

Statistical end notes: 

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans are more than twice as likely to identify themselves as conservative rather than liberal on economic issues, 46% to 20%. The gap is narrower on social issues, but conservatives still outnumber liberals, 38% to 28%.

These results are based on Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-6. Since 2001, the poll has asked Americans to say whether they are liberal, moderate, or conservative on "economic" and, separately, "social" issues. The interpretation of what qualifies as social or economic issues is left to the respondent, given that the question does not define or provide examples of these types of issues.

In the same poll, on Gallup's standard measure of ideology -- not asked in reference to any set of issues -- 41% identified themselves as conservatives, 33% as moderates, and 23% as liberals. Those figures are similar to what Gallup typically finds when it asks people to identify their ideology.

Thus, compared with the standard measure of ideology, slightly more Americans say they are economically conservative and slightly fewer say they are socially conservative. Also, significantly more Americans say they are socially liberal than identify their basic ideology as liberal.

More Americans Identifying as Economic Conservatives

Over the last four years, an average of 48% of Americans have said they are conservative on economic issues, including a high of 51% in May 2010. From 2001-2008, an average of 42% said they were economically conservative. This increase in economic conservatism has been coupled with a decline in the percentage who say they are moderate on economic issues. There has also been a slight increase in the percentage of Americans identifying as economic liberals, to a high of 20% this year.