You are, of course, correct. When I ponder these things holistically, I do tend to think about the parties in terms of what they say their goals are (which, eve

You are, of course, correct. When I ponder these things holistically, I do tend to think about the parties in terms of what they say their goals are (which, even if everything else about them turns my stomach, the Tea Party has at least raised dichotomy to a level of real discussion). When it actually comes time to vote, those holistic views are chucked in favor of what the candidates are actually saying. In that context, there has rarely been a group not in the second category. It also explains why my voting for the last few elections has tended to lean more towards Democrats, even though I have so many philosophical issues with the party.