Democrats and Republicans may not be as divided by their sexual habits as their voting habits.I always thought that Republicans only have sex when required by party leaders. Social and cultural issues still divide us by gender, age and race, but on that most intimate of personal issues we are surprisingly and sexually united. But in how we live our life, what we want for the future and what we do behind closed bedroom doors, we're all a lot more alike than you may think...although I don't think I'm gonna be knockin' boots with Hillary anytime soon!
Today in America there may seem to be little or no consensus on matters of policy or politics. But according to the results of Playboy's 'Politics of Sex' survey by Frank Luntz, all you have to do is change the subject from what happens on Capitol Hill to what happens between the sheets, and the political chasm is bridged by unexpectedly similar sexual views," said Luntz in the magazine's February issue. Playboy magazine conducted a nationwide survey on the "politics of sex" and found that voters in both blue states and red states "are surprisingly united when it comes to sexual matters, and there is less separation in the bedroom than originally thought."
The survey of 900 registered U.S. voters found 25 percent of all Republicans and 35 percent of all Democrats have had more than 10 sexual partners in their lifetime. Republicans say they were 18.4 years old when they first had sex, Independents say 17.6 and Democrats say 17.5. Fifty-five percent of people who attend church every week consider themselves to be "sexually adventurous," while 51 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of Democrats have watched pornography with their sexual partners. Americans belonging to both parties say they are more turned on by intelligence than by physical appearance, yet 23 percent of all Republicans and 24 percent of all Democrats would "definitely" or "probably" say yes to a one-night stand in the oval office with a president they found physically and sexually attractive.
Obviously sex appeal never hurts a candidate. Some say John and Bobby Kennedy, Bill Clinton and, this year, John Edwards and Barack Obama owe their popularity to an appeal far more basic than their positions on nuclear nonproliferation. No woman at the center of public life has been able to strike a chord in quite the same way. 58% of respondents think Bill Clinton was the sexiest president of the past 40 years. Ronald Reagan is second, with 22%. 38% say Richard Nixon was the least sexy; Bill Clinton is second, with 18%.
Here are a few choice examples of sex survey questions and results from the Playboy Sex in America survey.
Q. Which of these candidates do you think is most likely to talk dirty in bed?
None of them - 37.0%
Hillary Clinton - 19.8%
Rudy Giuliani - 16.5%
Barack Obama - 7.6%
Fred Thompson - 4.4%
John Edwards - 4.0%
Mitt Romney - 2.9%
John McCain - 2.4%
Dennis Kucinich - 1.7%
Joe Biden - 1.0%
Mike Huckabee - 1.0%
Chris Dodd - 0.9%
Ron Paul - 0.5%
Bill Richardson - 0.3%
Q. Regardless of whom you'd vote for or your political affiliation, who do you think has been the sexiest president of the past 40 years?
Bill Clinton - 58.8%
Ronald Reagan - 21.7%
George W. Bush - 7.4%
Jimmy Carter - 5.6%
Gerald Ford - 2.7%
Richard Nixon - 2.2%
George Herbert Walker Bush - 1.5%
Q. And who do you think was the least sexy president of the past 40 years?
Richard Nixon - 38.0%
Bill Clinton - 17.4%
George W. Bush - 13.7%
Jimmy Carter - 11.3%
George Herbert Walker Bush - 8.0%
Ronald Reagan - 6.7%
Gerald Ford - 4.8%
Q. Who is the sexiest woman in politics?
Michelle Obama - 19.7%
Condoleezza Rice - 17.5%
Laura Bush - 16.3%
Hillary Clinton - 14.0%
Jeri Thompson - 9.6%
Elizabeth Edwards - 9.4%
Judith Giuliani - 6.3%
Nancy Pelosi - 5.7%
Barbara Boxer - 1.6%
Q. Generally speaking, who do you think is better in bed (or has a better sex life)?
Independents - 45.5%
Democrats - 36.0%
Republicans - 18.4%
Q. Who do you think has to pay for sex more often?
Republicans - 57.3%
Democrats - 32.7%
Independents - 10.1%
Q. And do you view political power as a sexual turn-on?
No - 83.6%
Yes - 16.4%
At the end of the day significant differences on major issues remain. From Iraq to immigration, we are a highly polarized and very argumentative nation. 25% of Obama supporters say the sexiest part of the female body is the butt. Only 14% of Giuliani and 11% of Clinton supporters agree. The Politics of Sex poll proves the disparity is far smaller than our perception of it. The lines between black and white are becoming gray as fast as the lines between red and blue are turning purple. Now wouldn't this be a great topic for a YouTube debate?
