"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:brbYc.251496$eM2.49663@attbi_s51...
snip However, the moral issues (abortion; taxes;
marriage; stem cell research; etc.) that separate the parties are in areas
that don't lend themselves well to compromise, since there are usually
only
two diametrically opposed choices for each issue.

But there are plenty of people in each party that disagree with the party
line on one or more of these issues. Cheney's stance on the marraige
amendment is a particularly interesting example. There are plenty of
Republicans who wish President Bush would leave his religion at church. I
know Rush Limbaugh fans who believe the second amendment is outdated. And
there are Democrats who are against abortion. And for school vouchers. (Put
me at the top of the school voucher list)

While the party lines are didactic and polarized, the populations within
them are much more diverse.

Michael