--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's the ideology, stupid. Unless the…" description: "\"It's the ideology, stupid. Unless the long-term decline of moderates and rise of conservatives is reversed during the next two years, the ideological b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/william-galston-70055_balance_it-s-the-ideology-stupid-unless-the-long_543889.png" --- # It's the ideology, stupid. Unless the long-term decline of… ![“It's the ideology, stupid. Unless the long-term decline of moderates and rise of conservatives is reversed during the next two years, the ideological balance of the electorate in 2012 could look a lot like it did this year.” quote by William Galston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/william-galston-70055_balance_it-s-the-ideology-stupid-unless-the-long_543889.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/william-galston-70055_balance_it-s-the-ideology-stupid-unless-the-long_543889.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/william-galston-70055_balance_it-s-the-ideology-stupid-unless-the-long_543889.png) > “It's the ideology, stupid. Unless the long-term decline of moderates and rise of conservatives is reversed during the next two years, the ideological balance of the electorate in 2012 could look a lot like it did this year.” William Galston ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political shifts can change the ideological makeup of voters, affecting election outcomes. **In simple terms:** Changes in politics alter voter balance. Key Takeaway Monitor demographic trends to anticipate political change. Themes politics demographics electoral balance Mood analytical concerned Type political strategic When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy planning - voter outreach - media messaging Key Concepts political science trend analysis Questions to Reflect On - How might unexpected events reshape voter ideology? - What data best predicts long‑term political trends? A Different Perspective Predicting exact shifts is uncertain due to unpredictable events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Electorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electorate/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) ## Related quotes > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [It seems to be the case that for the people who actually are all in with Donald Trump - which is who knows: 35,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/it-seems-to-be-the-case-that-for-the-people-who-actually-are-all-in/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) > [Reading builds the educated and informed electorate so vital to our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-henry/reading-builds-the-educated-and-informed-electorate-so-vital-to-our/) [Brad Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-henry/) > [The moment is ripe for an experienced businessman to talk practical, prudent economics to the electorate - which is why Mitt Romney's political fortunes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-moment-is-ripe-for-an-experienced-businessman-to-talk-practical/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [The American creationist movement has entirely bypassed the scientific forum and has concentrated instead on political lobbying and on taking its case to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/the-american-creationist-movement-has-entirely-bypassed-the/) [Kenneth R. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-seah/i-think-that-is-what-the-electorate-is-looking-for-they-are-not/) [Nicole Seah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-seah/) > [The exit polls suggest that after a relatively disappointing first term, Obama managed to reassemble almost all of his 2008 electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-exit-polls-suggest-that-after-a-relatively-disappointing-first/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [There may be a sense in the electorate, especially among independents that President Obama has overreached in some ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fullilove/there-may-be-a-sense-in-the-electorate-especially-among-independents/) Michael Fullilove > [The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-cornerstone-of-democracy-rests-on-the-foundation-of-an-educated/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by William Galston > [You need only do three things in this country to avoid poverty - finish high school, marry before having a child, and marry after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-galston/you-need-only-do-three-things-in-this-country-to-avoid-poverty-finish/) William Galston > [When you win an election, you are always inclined to believe you won for the reasons you wanted to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-galston/when-you-win-an-election-you-are-always-inclined-to-believe-you-won/) William Galston > [The Truth about Leo Strauss is the most balanced and insightful book yet written about Strauss's thought, students, and political influence. It dispels myths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-galston/the-truth-about-leo-strauss-is-the-most-balanced-and-insightful-book/) William Galston Explore all 4 William Galston quotes ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. 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Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's the ideology, stupid. 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