A fairly detailed non-partisan survey from the Pew Research Center breaks down the Republicans and Democrats into their core groups and explores the attitudes of each subgroup on a range of issues. Makes for very interesting reading.

It turns out that most of us are a lot more alike politically than we might have thought, and that the nation is not REALLY so polarized after all, although there are some core constituencies of each party that are quite firm in their opposition to each other’s policies.

After you look at the Pew Report, linked below, take a look at this DailyKOS discussion about the Pew Report and what it means for the debate about universal health care.

Beyond Red vs. Blue
Republicans Divided About Role of Government - Democrats by Social and Personal Values

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The typology study’s finding of significant cleavages within parties not only runs counter to the widespread impression of a nation increasingly divided into two unified camps, but also raises questions about political alignments in the future. In particular, the study suggests that if the political agenda turns away from issues of defense and security, prospects for party unity could weaken significantly. As the following chapters detail, numerous opportunities exist for building coalitions across party lines on many issues currently facing the nation ­ coalitions that, in many cases, include some strange political bedfellows. Overall, there are many more shades to the American political landscape than just the red and blue dividing the Electoral College maps last Nov. 2.

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