Posted on 10/29/2004 5:07:10 PM PDT by ambrose
Bush singles more open to dating opposites than Kerry supporters
By Erin Smith/ Staff Writer
Friday, October 29, 2004
As President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry ready for an Election Day showdown in their race for the White House, one Brighton business owner has come to a startling conclusion: Bush backers are actually more liberal than Kerry supporters - if only while out prowling the singles scene.
In a recent poll by LunchDates, a Brighton-based personalized dating service, found that the majority of its Democrat members prefer to date only Democrats, while Republican singles said the political affiliation of their significant other is unimportant.
Seventy percent of Bush backers, age 25 to over 40, told LunchDates the political affiliation of a prospective date is unimportant, but Kerry supporters may be pickier daters. Twelve percent of Kerry supporters declared shared political views were "very important" to a relationship versus only 1 percent of Bush backers.
"Bush men seem to be more into women's looks and other interests," said LunchDates founder Steve Penner.
Forty-two percent of Kerry singles and 29 percent of Bush backers also claimed political similarities were "somewhat" important.
Kerry men were the most politically discriminating, with 60 percent noting common political ground was somewhat or very important.
Although Penner admits the poll is scientifically inaccurate, he said it is important to examine whether shared political beliefs is a trait Boston-area singles look for in potential spouses.
Penner, who has been tracking political preferences at LunchDates since the 1988 presidential election, said the political sentiments of singles have changed over the years.
During the Reagan years, singles tended to readily identify themselves as liberals or conservatives, but in the 1990s, many singles responded that they did not think about politics often, Penner said.
Democrat singles' interests in dating within their own political arenas is continuing to rise in the new millennium, according to LunchDates polls. In the 2000 election, 55 percent of Gore, compared with 46 percent of Kerry supporters in 2004, said political affiliation was not important dating criteria.
Republican singles, on the other hand, are becoming less interested in politics in the singles scene. Republican single who believed shared political beliefs to be unimportant jumped 18 percent from 2000 to 2004, said Penner.
Although Republican singles appear to be less discriminating daters when it comes to politics, it does not indicate a general disinterest in politics. In fact, the opposite is true as there are fewer ambiguous and waffling single voters in 2004, said Penner.
Penner documented that 21 percent of LunchDates singles were still undecided two weeks before the 2000 elections, but this year, only 13 percent were undecided five weeks before the Nov. 2 election.
Although politics is not the only focus of the dating service, a LunchDates' standard entrance interview asks singles how important politics is to them in a relationship.
"We don't ever want to match up a right-winged conservative with a more progressive left-leaning liberal because they're certainly not going to get along," said Penner.
LunchDates, Boston's oldest personalized dating service, surveyed 200 men and 200 women through interviews with match counselors from Sept. 21 to 28.
Doesn't surprise me at all. Libs claim to be tolerant but tend to be the least tolerant of other ideas, as we all know. My liberal friends are baffled and downright offended that I support Bush.
They also tend to be sanctimonious and pretentious so they don't accept differing viewpoints as genuine good-faith differences in opinion.
And finally, they tend not to understand that there's more to life than politics. Hence, someone opposed politically is opposed in every way that matters to them.
Not to mention the fact that in reality, the vast majority of people aren't politically oriented enough to care one way or the other. None of my friends, for example, even consider politics when it comes to women, no one cares enough to make it an issue.
Although hardly universally the case ...
Republicans tend to be more individualistic, and
Democrats tend to be more tribal.
Individualists assess others on their individual merits,
and assume the reverse is true. Can you and I reach and
keep agreements.
Tribalists assess others on tribal identity and tribal
loyalty. Are you a "them" or an "us".
In prehistoric times, the Republican individuals were
probably more likely to mate with members of other
tribes. The Democrats stayed in the tribe.
The human race is a tribal species. It helped make us
the dominant critters on the planet, but tribalism
scaled up to nationalism does not serve us.
Kerry men were the most politically discriminating, with 60 percent noting common political ground was somewhat or very important.
Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.
Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.
I could never date a liberal man - I have to respect a man's intelligence and can't do that with a lib.
No, I am NOT exagerrating.
Yep, most folks are apolitical.
I (unfortuantely) know all too well.
Read: Bush men know liberal women put out.
Kerry men were the most politically discriminating, with 60 percent noting common political ground was somewhat or very important
Read: Kerry men look for liberal women who put out, but they are also making sure they don't have talk about their idiotic politics and thus get rejected. It would scar their poor wittle psyches.
Because we know we're in the power position as a Republican. Liberals are easy.
That's because Bush Singles always expect their political opposites to grow up one day
DINGDINGDINGDING!
We have a winner!
The dating starts with people. Ideas can affect things after the dating begins.
The exception is the religious conservative who might be dating for the purpose of finding a wife but he probably isn't in a dating environment where there is much of a mix.
If the rumors about democrat men are true, gagging won't be a problem
Do you know the real reason Republican men like to date Democrat girls ??
Did you ever hear of getting a piece of elephant ;-)
( I couldnt help myself)
Sorry but no I wouldnt consider dating a stupid liberal guy for a nanosecond.
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