Wow, this week-end is turning out even less productive than I thought.

So I just literally fell down the research rabbit-hole. You know you ask one question; "Well if I am going to understand the role religious media has played in forming American public opinion I best do some research on religion, politics 'n American history". No sooner can you say Google Scholar, than *whammooo* two hours gone and no reading done, just more research. crap.

Anyways, So I found this article called; "The twelve Tribes of American Politics" which claims to be a comprehensive (in three pages no less) breakdown of the various spiritual and secular positions that make 12 political demographics, the tribes.

What's *interesting* and I mean that in the broadest sense, is that the Jews, Latinos, Muslims, and Protestant Blacks make up tribes of their own. Tiny tribes all, except the Black Protestants as they are 1% larger as a group then the white bread protestants but only appear at the end of the page... Hmmmm so if the breakdown wasn't ordered according to the size of the demographic groups then how was it ordered...

Within all these tribes, it is clearly stated that is no uniformity of political affiliation? In fact in most tribes voting appears fairly variated, For example; the "Spiritual Left" has 20% voting conservative. Which leads me to think that 20% of the spiritual left could also be characterized as the "deeply confused".

But seriously what am I to get from this statistical data? If Jews exist and make up a tiny percentage of the voting population in America, and what's more they do not vote in a block, then that isn't really an indicator (and watch out now) of their political power seeing as America has supported Israel since the second world war. (Thanks Ting Ting!)

So what's benefit of using " Jew" as a political category? what's the benefit of using spirituality as political demographics at all, if the size of these demographics has no bearing on their real political power.

Maybe it would be better to do values demographics around issues instead of "tribes". As in 60% of people who claim to believe in some form of higher power support womens right to choose? ( I just made that up but I'll bet it's true.)

On the Israel question, I'd have to suggest that either"My People" have told a pretty convincing story or, somebodies spiritual homeland has been hi-jacked by the political will of an oil guzzling behemoth and is being used as home-base in a game of grab the most fossil fuel and run.