The way I see it the 4 main groups of people who vote for Rats and Pubbies respectively can be broken down like this.
A: People who want to control social/value issues based on traditional religious values but readily blame big business for problems- Pubbie (social conservatives)
B: People who mostly care about free business - Pubbie (libertarian wing)
C: People who equate social issues with economic issues and think the government is always the solution RAT (communist wing)
D: People who generally believe in free business but want the government out of their bedrooms RAT/Independent (Reagan Democrats & Swing voters)
It seems that these could form 4 separate parties and that an alliance via a truce on the religious front could lead to A & C joining forces. That would be truly dangerous for America.
But, the strongest and most American force would actually be between C & D. It is also where the majority - at least based on polls and (personal) observation - appears to lie. Most people want the government out of the bedroom and out of the boardroom. About a quarter want it more intensely in either one.
So why are these groups - who don’t appear to belong together, actually together?
I say the divisions among Republicans are more artificial than real. Proof of my assertion is found in the fact that only the artificial conservatives inspire Republicans to choose sides seemingly against each other.
A Huckabee, McCain, or even Romney nomination would cause various subgroups of conservatives to stay home on election day. If a real conservative like Fred Thompson is nominated, there are no subgroups of Republicans who would stay home because they all know instinctively that Fred has no negatives.
The common denominator for Republican coalitions is a belief that laws based on the assumption of personal responsibility and liberty in public matters will make better, smaller government. The assumption is that everyone is an adult.
The Libertarians tend to put too much emphasis on liberty without the acknowledgment that adult “responsibility” includes voluntary charity and protection of the weak, vulnerable and abused and that sometimes government can facilitate these. The assumption is that everyone is an island.
The Dems, socialists, and some conservatives tend to believe that laws can be written to protect us from the consequences of our own liberty as well as that of others. In doing so they kill liberty and denies or pervert personal, voluntary acts of responsibility. The assumption here is that everyone is a child who needs the State to be Mama and Daddy.