In the 1960s the Democrats and Republicans switched places on a lot of issues. It wasn't taught very well to me in school, and for a variety of reasons its not discussed much in the current media. Ovbiously, the parties themselves don't want to make a point out of it.

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

Lee Atwater, former chairman of the Republican party, on tape, talking about the southern strategy:

https://www.thenation.com/article/exclusive-lee-atwaters-inf...

I'm not sure why you had to linkt to this 3 separate times in the same discussion, but for anyone else that just wants the mp3:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/thenation/audio/mp3/Full_Audio/LeeAt...

I suspect that the parties might flip again. The Democrats has been very pro-authoritarian lately for example loudly defending the FBI, CIA, drone programs, patriot act and erosion of civil liberties. While the Republicans have recently picked up a small anti-authoritarian streak. Both are now arguing from rather atypical positions for them.

I think the Democratic party is in real danger of being politically encircled. "Knock yourself out, take the center."

I can see that. It would be rather disastrous. I wonder if that because more military officials seem to be Republican might give them an edge in strategic thinking? They have a majority of the electorate and yet still lose from time to time, mostly when the Republicans give them just enough rope to hang themselves with a few years prior.

Right, and it's a disingenuous statement. The current Republican ideologies were not abolitionist back then.