MYTH OF LIBERAL SUCCESS – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  We're being told by the mainstream media that liberal social policies are gaining favor all over the United States.  The culture war is over!  Well, not so fast.  Surveys tell a very different story.  From IBD: 

The end of the Supreme Court term was depressing for conservatives. The double-whammy of a 50-state mandate for gay marriage and the upholding of ObamaCare sounded the alarms for religious freedom. All that unease is measurable.

Credit the Washington Post for doing precisely that. The polling team has just reported, "Liberals have won a string of victories on gay marriage and health care reform this year, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds a large majority of Americans are unhappy with where the nation is headed on social issues."

They found 63% of respondents are uncomfortable with the country's overall direction on social issues these days; 41% feel "strongly" uncomfortable about the nation's changes.

The spin coming from the media suggesting there is a national celebration underway is simply false. Indeed, the findings aren't encouraging for Democrats: 51% of racial minorities are uncomfortable with the current tide on social issues, along with two-thirds of women and even 50% of adults under age 30. That doesn't sound like the conventional wisdom about the "right side of history" crushing everything in its path.

The left counts on unelected forces to press its agenda. Hollywood's assembly line of products push the LGBT agenda with so much fervor that polls show Americans think about a quarter of the population is gay, 10 times higher than reality. Judges with their fingers in the wind feel "change" is in the air, and bow to media elite pressure.

But the debate isn't over. On the hot-button issues individually, the nation is divided. "History" is incomplete. It's as fluid as the liberals are on gender. It's true that gays have made significant gains in recent years — but how significant? On the Supreme Court mandate for gay marriage, 52% expressed support and 44% were opposed (51 to 45 among registered voters). The public divides more closely on the Supreme Court ruling for ObamaCare (45% for, 42% against).

Nevertheless, media coverage of these issues lines up dramatically for making and solidifying "change" and lectures that the Republican Party would be suicidal to take a stand against the tsunami of social liberalism. It dovetails perfectly with President Obama's spin. Both willfully ignore polls that suggest otherwise.

A new AP-GfK poll also found less of a social revolution in the polls. The survey found support for gay marriage in America slipped to 42%.  Only 39% backed the Supreme Court decision, 41% were opposed, and 18% didn't take a position. When gay rights were placed alongside religious liberty, 39% said it's more important for the government to protect gay rights, while 56% said protection of religious liberties should take precedence. Support for religious vendors being able to refuse to serve gay marriages climbed seven points to 59%.

COMMENT:  Polling is complex.  I'd want to know the way questions were phrased, and who was polled, but I think the article gets it generally right.  There is no real social revolution underway.  Americans are divided, but I think we are still basically a center-right country.  The young generation may actually turn out to be less liberal than previous generations, in part because of the impact of 9/11, which is still felt.

July 25, 2015