Can someone please explain to me why the Republican Party still enjoys

[MineralMan]

3. That's an interesting question.

Since we have a de facto two-party system in the US, it tends to be balanced in support of the two parties. If it weren't, one of those parties would probably be replaced with something else. The two parties are not separated by any sort of bright line, either. Instead, voters' thinking lies along a continuum of political opinion.

A more or less equal division of political leanings along party lines is almost inevitable in a two-party system, and that's the main reason we have such a close division, nationwide.

Add to that the general lack of understanding that most voters have of both our system and the issues that are exposed in every election means that they choose how to vote based on something other than facts and their own best interests. Issues faced are complex and not binary. So, things like traditional party loyalty and self-interest with regard to some particular issues often have undue weight when people make decisions in elections.

Add our traditional freedom of speech to the equation and politicians routinely lie about their positions and the positions of their opponents. The low-information level most voters have on the full range of issues means that they tend to vote based on almost anything but the actual issues. A candidate's apparent friendliness, age, gender, race or some other superficial thing can swing an election one way or another.

Two-party systems are inherently divided almost equally among voters. It's almost a given. If the division isn't close to equal, the parties will shift their rhetoric to return things to that balance. It's just how a two-party democratic system works. Inertia is always a powerful factor.

Third parties sometimes enter the picture, but rarely gain more than about 10% of the vote. That 10%, though, is often enough to skew the election to one side or another.

The bottom line, though, is that most national political opinion polls are usually divided pretty equally. We are, and probably will be, fairly equally divided politically. I don't see that changing anytime soon. So, every couple of years, we wobble back and forth between the two parties to decide who has control.