From a reader:

Jonah, love your column. I respectfully disagree with this statement you made “For example, there is this propagandistic received wisdom that “if only” the GOP could drop the pro-life stuff then it would clean up with those legions of “socially liberal but fiscally conservative” voters out there”. A great number of my Democrat friends would vote GOP but for the pro-life, anti-gay marriage, creationism in schools, type of social agenda. Not a scientific study, just an observation from an independent Florida voter.

Oh, I don’t dispute for a second that there are people who would vote for the GOP if it was pro-choice. I’m equally sure that there are lots of people who would vote for the Democrats if it was pro-life (ditto the other social issue stuff). Ramesh and Kate know the data much, much, better than I do. But my point was simply that being socially conservative is a net benefit for the GOP and being socially liberal has been a net problem for the Democrats.