Richard writes: "Joni's appeal is that she is very introspective and reflective, which may appeal across a broad spectrum of political views, but will most appeal to those who have endured a good deal of introspection and reflection in their own lives. People who have found themselves 'on the outside' are more likely to reflect on their position. The 'outside' can be of many human experiences, being outside of a positive love relationship, or outside the power brokering of Washington politics. Perhaps a larger portion of the right never felt the need to question as much. " In my experience, Republicans are not introspective and are generally disdainful of any of those processes and they are largely uninterested in literature, poetry, theater, etc. and more inclined to cutting the budget of the NEA and eliminating funding for public radio and television. Instead of therapy, they are more inclined towards martinis, especially as drunken at country clubs after rounds of - yawn - golf. If you disagree with me, I will be the first to admit there is a liberal bias in Hollywood, the media and the arts because very few artists are Republicans. They have different pursuits and make their money in different industries and have less need for artistic expression. Most of them stop buying music after college. Look who shows up at the Democratic and Green rallies, and look who shows up for the Republicans -- I think Bo Derek was the best the Repubs could come up with this year, along with the perennial Charlton Heston. I grew up with a lot of Republicans, and they are not a compassionate bunch. Most of them have conservative views because they were largely born into environments that were favorable to them. They make the assumption that everyone else was born into the same world, so why should anything change? I know I'll be accused of making a broad generalization, but Republicans are very seldom even interesting as people, much less as romantic partners. I find them to be a dispassionate group who seldom feel strongly about anything. The few Republican friends I have dismiss Joni as someone who whines and feels sorry for herself. If a weakness of the Democrats is that they are more likely to be embroiled in sex scandals, the weakness of the Republicans is that they just aren't as interested in sex, which is just too bad. - Clark NP: Holst, the Planets
