Well, if these numbers have any meaning, then perhaps.

Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004. The 21% calling themselves liberal is in line with findings throughout this decade, but is up from the 1990s.

Could Obama be shifting the American public to the right? Hard to tell -- but it is a possibility.

However, there is an area of concern when one looks at the various age cohorts.

The pattern is strikingly different on the basis of age, and this could have important political implications in the years ahead. Whereas middle-aged and older Americans lean conservative (vs. liberal) in their politics by at least 2 to 1, adults aged 18 to 29 are just as likely to say their political views are liberal (31%) as to say they are conservative (30%).

Now it will be interesting to see how matters develop over the next several years -- or decades. But considering that there is a historical trend of folks becoming more conservative as they age, I again see a positive trend for the GOP. After all, when the policies of Obama prove to be a disaster, many of the liberal youth will likely shift towards the conservative side of the spectrum.

But the key is outreach. Conservatives may be 40% of the public, but it takes better than 50% to win. We cannot insist upon ideological purity if we want to see GOP victories in the future -- a position I have long noted as I've criticized those who would object to moderate conservative candidates (such as, for example, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison). My fellow conservatives would do well to remember that in politics we must be prepared to welcome those who agree with us 70% of the time lest we find ourselves governed by those who agree with us less than 30% of the time.