I'll forgo what I was going to say about the south, as that is my home, and I do take offense. Can't reason with ignorance.
Everyone needs to come more to the center. The harder the "libs" (perceived as the blue) push a splintered, special interest agenda-the harder those that want some sort of a moral and cohesive base to their society are going to push in the opposite direction. The key difference is, in my opinion, that the more conservative factions tend to me more supportive of what is good for the group as a whole, at least in their perception. The liberal faction concentrates on what is good for the individual, irregardless of what it does to the fabric of their society. They then back up and try to justify why their view is good for the whole, and it generally amounts to "what does it hurt?"