THE REAL DIVIDE

The real divide in the electorate is NOT religious versus non-religious, or regular church-goers versus non-church-goers.

The real divide is much more basic. The real divide is suburban/ex-urban/rural traditionalists versus URBAN/urbane faddists. The RED versus BLUE county map proves this (hat tip VODKAPUNDIT).

Need more proof? Here: the anti-homosexual marriage referenda went down about an average of 70% - or 2-to-1. That's a MUCH larger percentage than those who voted for either candidate or than those who attend church regularly - or evangelicals. And they are not all homophobic, and they MUST include Democrats.

Why did so many people want marriage to remain what is has always been? Because they are traditionalists. And to these traditionalists religious values are an important source of (BUT NOT THE ONLY SOURCE) - inspiration for ALL life's crises, issues and debates. This doesn't make them anti-secularists - Bush in fact is a committed secularist as much a committed Christian; the two are not mutually exclusive - no matter what you hear about Bush's Faith Based Initiative.

The BLUE states are IN FACT merely the states dominated by large cities that are themselves dominated by anti-traditionalists - what I call "faddists" - people who eat at the latest hot-spots, read the newest books, wear the trendiest fashions, see the newest movies and watch the hottest TV shows.

These trendy urbanites value the "next new thing" (especially ones that are "EDGY" - that PUSH THE ENVELOPE, and challenge traditional values and norms) more than they do the classics or traditional values.

But traditional values are time-tested and dependable -especially in a time of great strife or war. And MORE people will always seek guidance and shelter in traditional values in tough times. They are our bedrock; they are dependable; that's why they survived and continue to inspire us to be our best.

SO... how and why did Kerry get the votes of so many people who opposed homosexual marriage? Well, first, because Kerry lied about where he stood on the issue, and then couched his lie in so many nuances that many people couldn't tell he was lying. Second, many people who are traditionalists are also traditional Democrats who would have as tough a time voting for a Republican as worshipping in a church of another faith.

The results of the homosexual marriage referenda, and of the exit polls (which revealed that MANY people put "MORAL VALUES" at the top of their priorities), and the results of the presidential election should be a warning to the Democrat Party that these traditionalists will not long suffer the onslaught of those who would turn their party into a party of anti-traditionalists run by Left-wing moral relativists.

[PS: I'm still a registered Democrat - though not for long - and I'm NOT a regular attendee of religious services. I'm an urban traditionalist.]