They aren't changing their mind. They just try and keep proposals palatable to the voting public, and push those proposals further over time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_effect

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

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mapontosevenths 20 hours ago | parent [-]

It might seem like that's all that's happening, but if you look to the history you can see that they've completely reversed course on a number of important subjects. We're not talking about advancing further along the same path here as the Overton window shifts, we're talking about abandoning the very principals upon which they were founded because they are, in fact, as incompetent as everyone else is.

These people aren't super-villains with genuine long term plans, they're dumbasses and grifters doing what grifters gotta do to keep their cushy consulting jobs.

To compare the current stances to the 2005 stances:

* Social Security privatization (completely failed in 2005)

* Spending restraint (federal spending increased dramatically)

* Individual mandate (reversed after Obamacare adopted it)

* Pro-immigration economics stance (reversed to restrictionism)

* Robust free trade advocacy (effectively abandoned under Trump alignment)

* Limited government principles (replaced with executive power consolidation)

* Etc.

In 20 more years it will have all changed again.

	▲	ceejayoz 20 hours ago \| parent [-]
		We knew in 2005 that "spending restraint" only applied to Democratic priorities. We knew in 2005 that "pro-immigration" policies were more about the businesses with cheap labor needs than a liking of immigrants. We knew in 2005 that "free trade advocacy" was significantly about ruining unions. We knew in 2005 that "limited government principles" weren't genuine. They haven't changed much on their core beliefs. They've just discarded the camouflage.