Close but no cigar

Amy Sullivan examines why Democrats are losing the culture war:

One answer is that national security is still a major issue, generally favoring Republicans. But more important is the fact that abortion and gay marriage are proxies for deeply held cultural concerns. They tell voters something about the character of a candidate — or a party.

Most voters worry about escalating challenges to family stability and the losing battle to instill good values in their children instead of the materialism and coarseness peddled by popular culture. They fear that our society has developed a casualness about life, especially as science has made it easier to manipulate and create beings.

Banning gay marriage and outlawing abortion don't directly address those anxieties. But proposals like these at least acknowledge that the concerns exist and are valid. So while Republicans offer the wrong prescriptions, they get the diagnosis right. And they win because most of the time, Democrats won't admit that anything is wrong. In politics, as in most areas of life, something always beats nothing.

When I read the headline, the first phrase in my mind was "something always beats nothing."

The hatred in the media of the war and George W. Bush, along with a crowd of inept and corrupt Republicans in Congress (not most, but too many) may give the Dems a comeback, but it won't last long if all they do is try to roll back the accomplishments of the Republicans. And Republicans won't come back if they don't go back to conservative principles.