Miners of *any* cryptocurrency would have vested interest in keeping bitcoin alive as it is the posterchild of crypto currency and an attack on bitcoin would cause confidence in all cryptocurrencies to take a HUGE hit, so much in the same way that mining pools and ASIC providers currently limit themselves from taking over too much of the network, the hashing power currently being used to mine alts would flock to bitcoin to try to balance things out.
I couldn't have guessed you meant that
It's a fair point, but I don't think the total alt-hashrate is that significant? If there was an attack on BTC of this kind Im sure it wouldn't be 1) obvious and 2) gradual and 3) close in terms of hashrate.
1) If I'm trying to become the 50%+ hast rate owner, I do so by slowly, by adding nodes legitimately. I may buy a mining pool or two, or just gain access to them. Then just wait for the right moment to change the protocol I use.
2) Once I have enough hast rate, I'm not releasing a bit day by day, so people notice empty blocks or a growing orphaned chain that someone keeps building. I suddenly change from normal mining to destructive mining.
3) I won't attack with 51%. I will attack with 55% or 60%, so even if everyone quickly goes to max hash by mining on CPU and switches from alts, I still keep over 50%.