I think the problem is that we lump all these things together as "politics." This way, it's easy to bring up the specter of "we're too partisan these days," but if you look at the individual issues, it's a lot more rational.

* If you're a woman who's pro-choice, would you want to date someone who might try and stop you from getting an abortion? * If you have LGBT friends or family, would you want to date someone who might be a jerk to them? * If you, a family member, or a friend is an immigrant, would you want to date someone who might try to deport them?

In the past, I think a lot of people didn't interact with people who weren't like them, so it was easier to put aside these differences. Being exposed to more diversity makes ignoring these things less of a possiblity.

> I'd think it would only matter whether you could come to an agreement on whether there would be guns in the home you share.

That does sound like a dealbreaker to me. A gun collector isn't going to marry somebody who won't tolerate guns in the house, right?