I have a feeling that I've posted or distributed this before, but, it's worth reiterating.
This article from the Atlantic in 2003 indicates that how you answered the following questions is the single most accurate predictor of whether you vote Democratic or Republican:
1. Do you believe homosexuality is morally wrong?
2. Do you ever personally look at pornography?
3. Would you look down on someone who had an affair while married?
4. Do you believe sex before marriage is morally wrong?
5. Is religion very important in your life?
Generally speaking, someone who's not morally outraged by homosexuality, porn, adultery, or fornication almost always votes for the Blue candidates.
Which gets back to something I've felt for a while about this whole abortion debate that it looks like we're about to get into again as we pick a new Supreme Court justice:
It seems to me that, for religiously conservative Republicans, the issue of abortion isn't just about killing unborn babies. They've already made a moral judgement about a woman who would find herself in the position to even consider an abortion.
And even that hints at something even deeper - they think the woman is amoral, and, therefore, should be punished by dealing with this unintended pregnancy.
And the key word here is "punish". I think there is a VERY pronounced element of sadism coursing through the veins of much of the modern Republican party policy-makers.
How else can you explain the apparent fact that someone extremely high in the executive branch has encouraged, advocated, and promoted the use of torture in the War on Terror? Especially when torture is known to be unreliable at best at uncovering intelligence (because, eventually, the guy will tell you whatever he thinks you want to hear to make you stop - even if it's a lie).
Just a thought.
