Does Social Issues matter when deciding your political affiliation?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

So, a little backstory on this. Many years ago I had a friend who was a proud member of the Republican Party, but she leaned left on most social issues. Being pro gay marriage, pro choice, etc. She told me that social issues didn't matter when deciding which political party you belong to. Meaning that a Republican can be for gay marriage, pro choice, pro gun control, and lean left on other issues. While Dems can lean right and be opposed to gay marriage, pro life, and anti gun control. Even though the majority of party members would lean to the default position.

I was wondering if anyone else agreed with this idea? That when deciding which party to go with you don't have to consider social issues at all?

Discuss.

Issues of social justice have always ben crucial to me. Although I admit I was far more dogmatically left wing as a young man.

I belonged to the Australian Labor Party for over 25 years. The Labor party in Australia was founded as the political arm of The Trade Union Movement.  I was a unionist all of my working life.  I left the ALP when I realised that it simply did not have all the answers.

Today I'm a pluralist. In elections I vote for the least offensive bunch of venal incompetents on offer. So far that's been the Labor Party. But It's been a close call in recent years as the drifts slowly to the  right.  Today the party is centre left. It has left and right factions. 

There's a lot of infighting in Australian politics. As a result there have been six leadership changes*** in the last decade or so . (three of each side)  

***Unlike the US, we the people do not directly elect the Prime Minister. He must be elected  as a member of parliament in his own right. Then he must be the leader of the elected government. He is chosen by his party. That means he can be removed as leader and therefore Prime Minister, at any time.  This happens with a frequency which really annoys the electorate. 

 The majority of Australians seem to want to chuck out Queen Elizabeth as our head of state to form  a Republic.

(Bold mine)

Might as well. HRM is about as useful as tits on a tortoise.

Boru