How Bush Could Lose Part V: Social Issues
This is also a very difficult for the democrats, and not because of the issue of abortion. As hotly contested as that issue is, ultimately it does not play much of a role in presidential politics except for the base. Thus a Republican who goes pro choice will be hurt as will a democrat who is pro life, but beyond that, and despite what the activists try to claim, it is pretty much a wash in the general election.The real problem here is that, as with the domestic policy, Democratic seem to have lost there way and thus seem to be the advocates of the special interests than the average citizen. As the special interest groups have pushed for increasingly radical changes (Changing the definition of Marriage, Banning “Under God,” Reparations for Slavery), the Democrats have suffered as a result.
A recent example has been on same-sex marriage. With the liberal base this may be supported, but the polls show that most Americans oppose this and this is true of the important swing voters. Thus the “civil unions” supported by most democrats is easily portrayed as a fig leaf to try keep the base, while not alienating voters. But again there should be no inherent reason that a Democrat could not side with average Americans and take the stand that Bush is taking, and probably much more effectively: to support the traditional view of marriage, while appealing to tolerance and acceptance of homosexuals. Short of that, it is best to downplay this and other social issues.
