During a recession, people are generally edgier, generally less willing to think about the other guy, and not nearly as willing to consider a moderate position on many things. Boaz says one of the most dramatic changes in the public's attitude is the new openness to policy proposals to privately invest a percentage of Social Security funds, or create a government-backed investment program in addition to Social Security. According to pollsters, Americans have also shifted away from the disdain for government that fueled the Republican Revolution of 1994. With the movement's symbolic leader, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, out of elected office, political analysts suggest the Republican Party is distancing itself from its previous emphasis on government-shrinking policies. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in January, said he did not believe the core of conservatism has changed at all, but chose to articulate his conservative message in terms of outreach, rather than ideology.
Conservatism is about loving people.
He points out that while global warming and urban sprawl are the top concerns of environmentalists, those issues are not nearly as pressing to the American, who are focused on clean water and clean air. The University of Chicago's John Mark Hansen, presenting a report to the American Political Science Association, notes that one of the features of democracy that people criticize is that although citizens have a say in the government, those citizens are not necessarily competent to do so. Hansen examines the public attitudes towards the budget and examines whether those attitudes are consistent and responsible. EPI suggests that the public wants more spending on Social Security, Medicare, and other domestic programs, chiefly education and health care. This poll by the Gallup organization states that Americans highest concerns are with crime rates and education standards in their community.