One reason, I believe, is because they have gotten more organized and more open in thier ways.  I know that many right-wing conservatives are connected with Christian religions.  I also know that many churches in the past election handed out election materials to their congregations and some preached that it was a moral necessity to vote for the right-wing conservative.  The TV evangelists were especially strong on this, but I know people who said that even in the Catholic church they preached the "rightness" of those who opposed abortion.\n\nAs a whole, the left-wing balance is not as organized.  And it has become complacent in the past (meaning they do not tend to vote as much).  \n\nI also know that, as a country, we tend to swing back and forth, like a pendelum.  So the more the right-wing conservatives gain power, the more vocal those in the opposite corner, and many in the middle ground become, and we eventually reach a pivot point where we cycle again toward the middle.\n\nIMHO (in my humble opinion)