Well, it's Something...

According to Pew Research, 23% of Americans believe that AIDS "might be God's punishment for immoral sexual behavior." As hard for me to comprehend as that is, at least we can take some solace in the fact that 20 years ago, the number was 43%. That's a lot of progress.

Here's the full story.

The poll covers other social issues, and the results show that agreement with social conservatism is also down since 1987, though not as much as the AIDS question. So there is a larger point Republicans should take from this and other trends that are becoming increasingly obvious.

It is that Republicans are right to soul search and question their lost roots, but they should not make an idol of any past era, issue, or individual. Some beliefs, like efficient governance, results-based policy evaluation, and individual responsibility and choice should be re-emphasized. But in other areas, the party must renew itself with fresh insight on issues, including environmentalism, energy, social dogma, and a host of others.

The party needs to find a way to be progressive in a Republican way. This space will flesh out these ideas further in posts ahead.