#1 - Why'd the Republican Party push out everyone not conservative?

This is the first blog in a series of questions I need to throw out to the world because I'm not finding the answers through more normal channels.  


Rules of the game:  

1. Read for content.  Don't focus on my spelling/grammar/punctuation/etc.  I'm a math good, formal writing bad kind of guy.  
2. I want your opinion, not the regurgitated crap for liberal or conservative assholes.  There are enough of those out there already.
3. REALLY, focus hard on #2.  I've lost confidence that America can have their own opinion and discuss things without being lead around by the nose by the hate filled idiots that drive today's politics.

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I turned 18 on November 2, 1986.  The only thing I remember about my birthday was that I was able to vote in the presidential election (go Reagan).  I voted republican in every election until the 2004 election.  At that point I felt like Bush/Cheney were not taking the country in the direction I agreed with.  Not so much a vote for Kerry, but a vote against Bush.  For me that is when things changed.  The Republican party started becoming a party of intolerance, fear and hate.  If you didn't agree with the social doctrine of the religious far right then you were not welcome.  So I left.  But where's a fiscally conservative, socially liberal guy to go?  Sure as hell not to the Democrats.  There's just a different flavor of idiot.  In 2008 I changed my political denomination to independent.

Enough tirade, the open ended question is...Why did the Republican party push out everyone that's not conservative?  Everyone talks so much about "securing the base" that they forget about everyone else that's out there.  Weren't the last few elections 51%/49% or something like it?  Doesn't that mean there are almost as many people supporting both sides?  Doesn't that leave a whole lot of people not conservative nut-jobs or liberal flakes?

We're an awesome country and we deserve better than the crap we're getting.  When are the people in the middle without a special interest dog in the fight going to stand up?  Just in case anyone thinks this is a partisan blog...the liberals get their question next.

Hope I hear from people interested in a dialogue, not repeating what they heard on Fox.

Steve