One major difference between Republicans and Democrats I've found when talking to them is that it seems as if more times than not, Democrats base their opinions on what they think, whereas Republicans base theirs on what they feel. This isn't true in all cases, of course, but it's happened enough times where I feel it's more likely a trend than an aberration.
Teachers and scientists are identifying themselves more and more with the Democratic Party than the Republican one. On the other side of things, religious leaders (Christian ones, that is) are identifying themselves more and more with the Republican Party than the Democratic one. Perhaps this plays into the thinking vs. feeling theory. Whereas teachers, scientists and the like enjoy reading, experimenting, learning, expanding their horizons and aren't typically satisfied until there is ample evidence to support an idea or hypothesis, religious leaders can't base their opinions on concrete evidence, for there isn't any. They have to base their faith on the unknowable, the improvable, on what they feel.
Segueing from that, however, I've noticed that many Republicans I know (especially those that are very religious) take this philosophy beyond the religious realm of things and instead of contrasting their belief-by-feeling with regard to religion with belief-by-thinking with regard to other areas of life, they stand by their belief-by-feeling philosophy. This is where they run into trouble.
The truth is I can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a higher power does or does not exist. I can't ultimately prove nor disprove the story of Jesus. I can do research, read sacred holy books, attempt to think rationally and come to an opinion with which I feel somewhat comfortable, yet I won't ever be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether that opinion is true or false (or somewhere in the middle).
On the other hand, beyond the scope of religion, there are certainly beliefs which I can more or less prove beyond a reasonable doubt, yet I've discovered that even in so doing, many die-hard Republican evangelicals have trouble believing these facts.
I've debunked countless wild conspiracy theories, yet often times when I've done so, I've heard the following in response:
"I still don't believe it."
I'll ask why and mention that I just proved the theory was wrong.
He or she'll then say, "I just don't feel it's right."
What these people need to realize is that there's a vast difference between science and religion, between thought and emotion and it's perfectly alright to separate the two from one another. While it's understandable to base one's beliefs on "feelings" when it comes to religion, that philosophy isn't going to work beyond that and will lead to one closing the doors upstairs, maintaining ignorance and being unwilling to garner more knowledge. Unfortunately, as the Republican Party moves further to the right, this very thing appears to be occurring with greater frequency.
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