Where have all the moderate Republicans gone? A generation ago, both parties had significant moderate wings. But each election has yielded a hollower middle, and today the political parties are much more clearly divided into conservative and liberal camps. BPC hosted a panel of experts on the disappearance of political centrists from the Republican Party.

Stay tuned for a future event on the decline of Blue Dogs in the Democratic Party, "The Vanishing Moderate Democrat."

Featuring

Dan Balz
Chief Correspondent, The Washington Post
Author, The Battle For America 2008

Steve Hayward
F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Author, The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989

Lee Huebner
Founding Member of The Ripon Society
Speechwriter for President Richard Nixon
Former Publisher of the International Herald-Tribune
Former Director of the School of Media & Public Affairs, George Washington University

Geoffrey Kabaservice
Author, Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Moderator

John Fortier
Director, BPC's Democracy Project

Coverage

National Journal: LBJ’s Era, and Ours

U.S. News and World Report: Talk of a Third Party 2012 Candidacy Diminishes

Bloomberg Businessweek: How the Mythical Republican Moderate Disappeared

Read the Press Release: Bipartisan Policy Center Discussion to Focus on the Vanishing Moderate Republican

BPC's 2012 Election Series

State of the Union: The Speechwriters' Perspective
January 24, 2012

As President Obama prepared to give the last State of the Union address of his first term, BPC launched an examination of the politics and policy impacting the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. From campaign- and election- themed events to policy debates, the year-long BPC effort began on January 24 with former White House speechwriters anticipating and framing the president's speech later that evening and the Republican response. The conversation explored the mechanics of writing a speech of such magnitude, the additional political pressures speechwriters face in an election year, and the expected reaction from the media and Republican presidential candidates.

The Presidential Primary System: How Well Does it Serve American Democracy?
March 8, 2012

This year's rollercoaster primary season raises many questions: Is primary voter turnout too low? Why do some states use party caucuses and can we count the voters accurately? Should we all vote on one day or in regional primaries? Just two days after Super Tuesday, BPC examined these questions and more in an analysis of the pros and cons of the current presidential primary system. The panel highlighted the release of a new report on 2012 primary turnout by Curtis Gans, the nation's leading expert on voter turnout.

The Future of Red and Blue: How Changing Party Demographics Will Impact the 2012 Election and Beyond
April 11, 2012

Is there a demographic trend that favors either party? Ruy Teixeira, author of The Emerging Democratic Majority, has argued that the Democratic future is bright with the growth of the Hispanic vote and the move of younger educated voters to the Democratic Party. Sean Trende, in his recently released The Lost Majority: Why the Future of Government Is Up for Grabs - and Who Will Take It, argues that the future is less certain for Republicans and Democrats. Both the Reagan coalition and the Clinton/Obama coalition have fractures, and there is no clear indication of what the future holds.

Democracy Project, 2012 Politics