So, yes, I think the influence a candidate's religion has on his politics matters, but only if that candidate is putting it front and center - otherwise, I just don't care.

It was the small land owners that were really wiped out. And remember that the vast majority of the small land owners owned no slaves. They fought because their homes were being invaded. After the war they had no lines of credit, no markets and no distribution system that was not controlled by the infamous carpetbaggers. It was truly a situation made to create intra generation hatred for the government.

And the large landowners and merchants fed that hatred. It took WWII for the lower classes to see that there was a world beyond there small towns. My parents were sharecroppers. My dad served in the Marines and went to school after the war and he and my Mom worked their way to land ownership and a comfortable middle class retirement. But I digress.

The hatred is gone, but the distrust for the government remains. Beyond the large cities the South was always conservative as Democrats. It remains conservative as Republicans.

By and large it sees Obama as just the latest government agent to tell them what to do.

I give you the hundreds of local black officials, a governor, wide support for a NSA, two Sec States, a SC Justice and yes.... Herman Cain.

You know, the South came from a troubled past but it has largely gotten past that. I coach little league baseball and watch a team of kids...black and white kids... playing, supporting and cheering each other. I see their parents setting together in the stands, cheering the kids and chatting with each other about the game, their gardens, their jobs, their lives as friends and neighbors.

He doesn't like Santorum a whole lot more than he likes Romney, so for him, dropping out to let Santorum carry the charge is just a non-option.

Even in defeat, Mitt Romney is nothing if not consistent. In nearly every state where he has campaigned, exit polls show Romney performing basically the same in every major demographic group, give or take a few points.

And despite the results Tuesday night, it's almost definitely good enough for him to win the GOP nomination.

That's because, while those demographics have been too tough for him to overcome in Southern primaries and Midwestern caucus states, those states are basically done voting.

The road forward goes through much less conservative voters.

SNIP

How consistent is Romney? He has taken between 26 percent and 30 percent of the vote in every Southern state dominated by conservative voters -- Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

The thing is, while that consistency cost him on Tuesday, it's likely to benefit him going forward. While the voting is just halfway done, Romney is almost done with his most troubling region, the South, and his most troubling contests, Midwestern caucuses.

Even in the remaining Southern states, things may get better; both Texas and Louisiana feature more concentrated urban populations (a Romney strong suit) than other Southern states, which should help him perform better. (Romney also performed well in Western Mississippi, which is a good omen for his campaign in the state's neighbor-to-the-west, Louisiana, on March 24.)

Romney's problems outside the South have been almost completely relegated to Midwestern caucus states with low turnout. In fact, the only primary Romney has lost outside of the South was in Missouri, which was a beauty contest in which Romney didn't compete.

Oh, and that it's up to you to "keep up".  I learned that, too.

A nation needs diversity, but it must be built upon a foundation of agreement in certain core principles.  I'd like to believe we have this foundation...liberty and justice for all, equality under the law, minorities protected from the tyranny of a majority...but do we or is that a fairy tale at this point?

Why live with such strong conflicts if we don't have to?  Wouldn't we all be happier, and better served, chopping this puppy up?