Yes, saying I'm glad I don't live somewhere is truly bigoted. What was I thinking?

Well, from the context as well as other comments you have made, it's pretty clear what you were thinking. You were thinking that the South is a backward, irrational, ultra-conservative, way-too religious place where people don't think for themselves, embrace creationism, are ignorantly horrified at the thought of gay rights and same-sex marriages, and don't have the idea that "everyone should get to be happy." It is a place that does not share your values and that you, therefore, would not be able to tolerate. Which gets us to "bigot."

It's alright. You can admit it. I wouldn't want live anywhere other than the South, and I can assure you that my feeling is due to largely to prejudices about other parts of the country, expecially the Northeast. (Well, that plus the weather and the accents.) I am, therefore and in this regard, a bigot, and I do not apologize for it at all.

I know mystic, but I think those polls are likely to change. Lets be honest, the country really hasn't been confronted with mormonism on a grand scale yet. Theres also difference between southern conservatives telling a pollster that they won't vote for a mormon, and in voting for someone like Hillary when it comes down to it. If there were another feasible candidate, I'd agree with you. McCain and Rudy just aren't going to cut it, especially if we get to a 3 person primary debate.

But apparently the viewpoint that gay marriage shouldnt be implemented makes one a bigot...

No? I can see the push polls now: "Would you be more or less likely to vote for Mitt Romney if you knew that he was a Mormon, and that Mormons have historically practiced polygamy?" Below the belt and misleading? Sure. But that won't stop anything. Ask McCain about South Carolina in 2000. Ask Matt Salmon about the Arizona gubernatorial race, when just a few weeks before the election, a third-party candidate ran ads linking Salmon's Mormonism to Colorado City, Arizona, and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Quite true. I don't think Romney vs. Hillary will be the issue, though. I'll be surprised if Romney is the GOP nominee, partially because I think many evangelicals, who may not publically admit that they would not vote to put a Mormon in the White House, will in fact not vote for him.

Who is gonna beat him? Everyone says he has the most buzz of any conservative candidate. McCain can't beat him in the primary, neither can Rudy. He was behind only Frist in the TN straw, and has done well in all the Iowa ones. I think being mormon will be something to overcome, but I don't think he'll have much competition when it gets going. McCain will have just as many, if not more problems luring voters in the GOP primaries. Rudy is not a serious candidate.

I'm sorry Shinerbock, I jumped the gun and assumed that you're homophobic. Please tell me your actual stance on gay rights and I won't call you names without evidential proof.

I asked him last night and he said he would not consider Romney's Mormon-ness but he thought that Romney was a little TOO conservative. Mr. GP is more libertarian than anything else and sometimes he surprises me. Not loving Romney was one of them...either that or he was trying to placate me during finals.

I don't know...I would consider Wisconsin voters pretty indicative of the "mainstream left."

Sounds like he and I are on the same page then.

I differ with him on the Mormon thing. We had a Mormon Congressman here in Oklahoma for awhile -- he really hooked up Salt Lake City while hosing us. I can live with the differences in faith. That's not a big deal. It's the Salt Lake connection which bugs me.

Geeky, you may be right. Perhaps I should have said something along the lines of the nationally electable left.

Centaur, I don't agree with gay marriage. I really don't care about civil unions. I mean, if people want civil unions, i'm not gonna protest. I won't be overly upset if they aren't implemented, however.

Kevin, I think he isn't bothered by the Mormon thing because he himself is a member of, a, um, less "prestigious" religion than ours. ;)

shiner, I think you may be right about nationally electable - I really do like Feingold though, he's been a fantastic senator for WI and I think he'd be fairly popular in the Midwest, although I don't know if he has national appeal.

That could be any religion... literally ANY religion :cool:

The only known legislation bearing his name = McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill, which "will take money out of politics."

Didn't work in 2002

Didn't work in 2004

Didn't work in 2006

And 2008 candidate McCain has already announced that he won't campaign under the terms of the bill he helped author, and will ignore and exceed the limits of M-F by raising his own funds - refusing federal funds.

McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill - big flop, praise Allah.

LOL!! That was a great episode :) I felt the past two elections were classic "douche vs. turd sandwich."