"I'd modernize our policies some if it was up to me too." As if she didn't have enough to ruin him completely, this was the final linchpin. And still he didn't care. "We lag behind the Democrats for a reason... But we have to lag, not linger long enough to be completely forgotten. Our purpose is to keep this nation productive, fiscally sound, and business friendly. To keep some of our traditions alive and give business a chance to prosper without being backed into a regulatory corner in the name of good intentions gone awry.<em>Not</em>to fight battles about what consenting adults want to do with their own body -- or bodies, as it were. We exist to protect traditions and practices from the past that are worthy of our vigilance. Unfortunately, far too many of my colleagues want protect<em>all</em>of the past indiscriminately. A lot of us are guilty of moral hypocrisy too."<br/><br/>"My wife isn't rare. You know about the closed gay senators that fought gay marriage, but there's definitely more where that came from. My colleagues wouldn't approve of my sexuality. They'd hate my lifestyle. And my sham of a marriage would be a literal nightmare to them; a disgrace of one of god's covenants."<br/><br/>"I talk business and fiscal policy because I don't want to get into the rest. That's why the evangelicals hate me, but they'll vote for me anyway because I'm 'from' in a southern state. If only the others realized that we don't need to cater to backward, small-minded assholes to get their votes."