No, you don't have to date a Republican

Even though it's sort of tongue-in-cheek, I can't believe that Salon is actually trying to guilt-trip people who join political dating sites.

The growing popularity of political dating sites raises some provocative questions. The United States has already been sectioned into red and blue states, and the dialogue between people who share differing political views seems to some observers to be at an all-time low. Dating sites are supposed to bring people together. But doesn't ruling out possible dates on the basis of their politics simply contribute even more to the walls dividing people from each other?

Hey, just because I might be interested in a debate with someone who is, say, against the right to abortion, sure as hell doesn't mean I'm interested in bringing that person to my bed, for obvious reasons.
Okay, well that's a bit overboard, but really now, it's just silly to expect someone who is passionate about their politics not to look around for someone who shares that interest. Sure, someone else might think it's stupid to make political affiliation a deal-breaker, but setting your own standards is your own right. Anyway, I've dumped guys/shot down dates because of conservative politics, but I've also dumped guys for bad taste in music. Republicanism and heavy metal--non-negotiable deal-breakers.
But what really made me laugh was this:

Tom Swanson went looking for a date online but couldn't find a conservative match at the big dating sites, which sparked his interest in founding SingleRepublican.com seven months ago. Swanson knew he was getting into what he calls a "narrow niche market," but he's proved that there is an interest in his site, to the tune of 30 new sign-ups per day.

Last time I checked, those dating sites were already disproportionately male. A conservative dating site must be an absolute nightmare. The woman or two in the 30 new sign-ups a day probably get bombarded. The very idea of receiving a deluge of emails from guys who would cheerfully sign up for a conservative dating site is the sort of thing that makes me wake up in cold sweats.