Charlie Cook notes that "when Democrats lost their House and Senate majorities in 1994, polling for organized labor showed that the top issue for union members voting Republican for Congress was guns, something that had nothing to do with unions... It was the presidential loss in 2000, on top of the congressional losses in 1994, that convinced the Democratic Party to simply shut up on guns."Democrats haven't changed the way they feel about guns, they simply realize that this is an issue we can't do a damn thing about - thank you NRA - and by talking about it we are giving seats to the Republicans.
"Republicans need to think about this in terms of their emphasis on certain social and cultural issues. The GOP has turned away a large number of highly educated, economically upscale voters who would be a natural fit for the party were it not for these divisive subjects... Generationally, Republicans are killing themselves with voters who are now under 35, who see the party as narrow and intolerant. As Will Rogers used to say, 'When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.'"
I wonder if the Republicans will realize that talking gay marriage non-stop will turn away voters in the same way.
They are all missing the point. Government should not be involved in this debate at all. If the Liberals and Conservatives want to battle it out in the media, so be it. But to put this issue in the hands of politicians, any politician, is inviting them to strip your freedom away without you even knowing it.
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