This generalpreference for the Republicans over the Democrats has also translated into a preference for Mr McCain (for all his faults) over Mr Obama (for all his religion-friendly rhetoric).
The argument that some matters, such as abortion, are of such moral urgency that they supersede a generalpreference for devolution sounds reasonable, until you try to decide which subjects are suitably urgent.
Granted, Brooks does note a generalpreference for high-status mates, a keen sensitivity to evidence of our standing in the various social hierarchies we inhabit, and he does cite some empirical evidence to the effect that successful people tend to be self-deceived about their place in the social pecking order.