Gays, guns put right on defense

By MARTIN KADY II
Politico
4/10/09

The culture wars are making a comeback, but this time around, social conservatives find themselves in an unfamiliar position: playing defense.

Just look at the headlines of the past few weeks — gay marriage is gaining ground with landmark rulings in Vermont and Iowa; the Obama administration is putting immigration back on the front burner; gun control is on the table again in the wake of several mass shootings; and, as POLITICO reported this week, the vague prospect that the Senate will ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child has some conservatives talking about a constitutional amendment to guarantee the rights of parents.

Any of these issues used to be enough to ignite the social conservatives and rally their leadership in Washington.

But there is no longer a sympathetic evangelical ear in the White House. There is no Tom DeLay calling divisive yet base-pleasing votes on the House floor. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who was able to force Senate debate on gay marriage and flag burning in 2006, is long gone from the chamber.

(More here.)