I can see both sides on most of this stuff. To me the most unacceptable mainstream republican beliefs are the "family values" stuff. Any way you cut it, I can't see opposition to legal gay unions as anything other than bigotry. Abortion is a little more of a gray area, but the bottom line is that your* religious beliefs have no place in a secular government.

I can agree with most of James' statements, for instance, but I think a lot of republicans need to reconcile the ideal that the government should play a minimal role and butt out, so to speak, with the reality that under republican leadership, spending (and national debt) has increased, the government has condoned domestic spying, warrant-less wire tapping, and building/buying prisons in foreign countries so suspects can be detained indefinitely without trial. For all the rights you stand up for, you certainly don't mind other rights being violated.

*you = a hypothetical republican, I'm not trying to attack any HANners here