Hi Hugh - Agreed. In many cases the conservatism comes first (not religion). But I also recognize that people typically have an affiliation to the culture within which they were born and raised. If you're born into a conservative household and grow up in a conservative bubble, then there is a good chance the conservatism will stick. By extension the same would be true of religion - Grow up in an evangelical household that surrounds you into the evangelical bubble and it may well stick. However among those people born into and raised in a conservative bubble are people who aren't really conservative deep down. They may say they are conservative and they vote conservative but that is because it's the culture they were raised in and live in. If they were exposed to other ideas they might grow and see things differently (and I recognize they have little interesting in learning or being exposed to different perspectives and hence the challenge). In part my hope lies in the realization that some people are abandoning the GOP. To illustrate, as a I mentioned to the Layzeebeaver the eXvangelical twitter feed (and others) at times has some interesting insights into people who were born into the conservative culture, but came to an awakening later in life (sometimes much later in life, not just younger people). That awakening caused them to go in a completely different direction and at times turn away from the GOP.
Your comments about their lover of the Founders is great observation - As you note highly paradoxical!
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