Ideals
As far as ideals go, the modern Democrats are basically big-government socialist in economics and appeasers in foreign policy. For a lot of people, those are good things.
Republicans? As far as economics and smaller government, back in the days of Newt and Reagan, it was a lot clearer. Now? Yech.
As far as foreign policy goes, there's still no comparison, and that, frankly, is what got Bush into office last election.
Polls will trumpet Bush's lack of success in Iraq, but when you nail people down on things like "Should Saddam have been left in power," or "should we quit now," it gets a lot less clear.