the electorate belongs to either the Republican or Democratic Party. These parties represent different beliefs. Democrats have long been known as the liberal party who encourage government spending programs, pro-choice legislation, and gun control, while the GOP has been conservative, warning of the adverse affects of government, supporting pro-life legislation, and absolute freedom of the second amendment. In the past, certain groups have consistently identified with certain parties. Catholics and women have always favored Democrats, while Anglo Saxon Protestants and the wealthy have supported the GOP. Voters tend to remain loyal to the party they identify with. With lack of a credible reason, a staunch Democrat or Republican will turn a blind eye to an unattractive intervening variable because long-term regularity, party ID, holds more significance. History has shown that massive shifts in party ID do occur. Before the 1932 critical Presidential election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Republican era had swept the national. Roosevelt, the Democratic candidate, realigned the country. He brought forth a democratic era that has lasted to this day, which explains why more Americans identify with the democratic, rather than republican party. (Although a greater percentage of Democrats than Republicans choose not to vote)
             Consequently, characteristics of public opinion mold voting behavior. Public opinion is not considered to be ideological. That is, members of the mass public do not consistently take a liberal, or for that matter, conservative view. The mass public tends to have their opinion skewed. I consider myself to be a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal. I am then considered to be non-ideological. Twenty five percent of the population does not favor one side over the other; they consider themselves to be in the middle of the political spectrum. Public opinion has also be
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