The Letter People Don't Want Behind Their Names Anymore
Not something that is actually possible here, given Missouri's lack of partisan registration for voters, but it seems that across the nation people are deciding that they aren't interested in being Republicans any longer.
For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all. ...
And though comparable data are not available for the 21 states where
voters do not register by party, there is evidence that an increasing
number of voters in those states are also moving away from the
Republican Party based on the results of recent state and Congressional
elections, the researchers said.
Notwithstanding non-partisan registration in Missouri, other indicators affirm the anti-Republican trend here.  In the period since 2005, Democrats have won the two statewide elections that've been held (U.S. Senate and State Auditor in 2006) and have picked up seats in both chambers of the assembly. A far greater number of Missourians opted to vote in the Democratic Presidential preference primary in February than in the GOP contest. Further, Missourians will elect a Democratic governor and pick up more legislative seats this November.
We're all familiar with the cliche about Missouri's being a bellwether for presidential politics. Our state is apparently a bellwether for vast defections from the GOP as well.
