What is the future for social conservatives in U.S. presidential elections?

[Suburbia]

What is the future for social conservatives in U.S. presidential elections? Will Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, etc. ever win the White House, or is their time finished?

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Republican Party is now uniformly socially conservative, and they played a role in getting the party to be that way.  Whether it is Walker, Rubio, or Bush, social conservatives should be happy, and we can credit the tireless work of Huckabee, Santorum, and so many grassroots activists for that!

[Rockefeller GOP]

The Republican Party is now uniformly socially conservative, and they played a role in getting the party to be that way.  Whether it is Walker, Rubio, or Bush, social conservatives should be happy, and we can credit the tireless work of Huckabee, Santorum, and so many grassroots activists for that!

Ah yes, the fiscal moderates who feel they can call real Republicans "RINOs" just because they don't shout nativist drivel or oppose gay couples being able to adopt a child.

[Thunderbird is the word]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

[Blair]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

[Rockefeller GOP]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

[WVdemocrat]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

I didn't even know Obama was opposed to gay marriage until 2012, when he announced he supports it. I really can't believe the Democratic Party was against gay marriage for nearly as long as the Republican Party.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

You forgot immigration.

[Sumner 1868]

I suspect that they will quiet down for a few years in order to self-reflect. What they'll conclude I don't know.

[ElectionsGuy]

Arguing against state laws like prostitution, religious freedom (arguing for the right to preferential treatment, to opt out of serving certain people), possibly polygamy. Drugs is still on the table, as well as abortion and guns, those haven't gone anywhere. Immigration is both a social issue and an economic issue, so that will be there as well.

[DS0816]

I don't have sympathy for "social conservatives." (That description, social conservative, is used loosely. The Republican Party is not overall conservative. And, socially, they're out of touch.)

The best policies in advancing the people of the United States have been historically through liberal, not conservative, policies.

What makes some specific policies possibly conservative, in some respect, in addition to liberal, is because they end up in sync (even without the exact same reasoning). Any true conservative who was supportive of same-sex couples having legally recognized marriage, throughout the United States, looked to the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. (This escaped the four "conservative" U.S. Supreme Court justices which included the chief.) That actually bridged the gap between both true conservatism and liberalism.

Steve Schmidt and Meghan McCain went on record in the spring of 2009 with stating that the Republican Party, at a disadvantage in a new presidential realigning period (which began with the election of 2008), should jump ahead of the advantaged Democrats to pursue making same-sex marriages legal throughout the United States. Responses were predictable: the party agreed instead with Talking Points hacks like Fox News' Laura Ingraham. So, the Democrats got there first, including making it a part of their party's platform with the presidential election of 2012.

Never mind the question, "What is the future for social conservatives in U.S. presidential elections"! The question more than likely intended is, "What is the future for Republicans in U.S. presidential elections?" The answer is: win two or three of nine or ten election cycles which began in 2008. The silver lining will be: retain majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives for at least seven of the midterm election cycles during this Democratic presidential realigning period.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

[Blair]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

I'm sorry, but have you studied the supreme court? You can't just impeach judges for bad decisions-Judicial Independence is codified in the consititition.

You would have been one of the people threatening to hang Earl Warren in the 1960's wouldn't you?

[pbrower2a]

Need for the good fortune of Democratic failure due to an economic meltdown or military/diplomatic calamities. Lacking that, a couple of defeats before they become irrelevant.

[KingSweden]

It depends on how you define "social conservatism," as exclusively religious politics or as supporting a group of ideas that are secular, but support a conservative social policy. The second, I think, is bound to be much more successful in the United States moving forward.

All this gloom and doom about social conservatives (I am certainly not one myself) leaves out that if they were willing to - and they have not shown that willingness, at least as far as I have seen - SoCons could build a coalition designed for the 21st century, provided they were willing to branch out beyond evangelicals and the handful of Catholics who they have an alliance with but still do not particularly like. Immigrants from India who are practicing, devout Hindus are staunchly socially conservative, but vote for Democrats in high numbers because of the nativist, evangelizing strain in the American social conservative movement. This would be the first place to start, in addition to perhaps even reaching out to secular Chinese and Japanese immigrants who are very strict with their children at home but are not initially drawn to religiosity in their politicians. Eventually maybe even Muslims and Latinos, since we keep hearing every year about how Hispanics are Republicans who just don't know it yet (I think progress has been made here in reaching out to Hispanic Evangelicals and conservative Catholics and getting them more involved).

The point I'm trying to make here is that social conservatism does not need to be the same thing as political Christianity. A law-and-order, strong-families (or whatever you want to call it) coalition can be built in a multicultural society. Whether today's social conservatives recognize this or not is the question about how relevant they will be.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

I'm sorry, but have you studied the supreme court? You can't just impeach judges for bad decisions-Judicial Independence is codified in the consititition.

You would have been one of the people threatening to hang Earl Warren in the 1960's wouldn't you?

Judges can be impeached. Even for decisions. No. Warren was actually in the right on the racial stuff. Remember, I would've stood with MLK in the 60's. He'd be standing beside me today on Oberfall vs Hodges. I don't think you can say the same.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

I didn't even know Obama was opposed to gay marriage until 2012, when he announced he supports it. I really can't believe the Democratic Party was against gay marriage for nearly as long as the Republican Party.

For those of you too young to remember, social acceptance of gays is a very new thing. Public opinion was overwhelmingly hostile towards gay issues of any kind until the late 90s/early 2000s, and "homosexual" was a dirty word until quite recently. Also, while it is true that the Democratic Party was late in getting on board the gay rights bandwagon, I don't recall a Democratic presidential candidate ever making opposition to gay marriage the centerpiece of his campaign, unlike what George W. Bush did in 2004.

[YaBoyNY]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

I'm sorry, but have you studied the supreme court? You can't just impeach judges for bad decisions-Judicial Independence is codified in the consititition.

You would have been one of the people threatening to hang Earl Warren in the 1960's wouldn't you?

Judges can be impeached. Even for decisions. No. Warren was actually in the right on the racial stuff. Remember, I would've stood with MLK in the 60's. He'd be standing beside me today on Oberfall vs Hodges. I don't think you can say the same.

I'm glad you know where MLK, who has been dead for over 40 years, would be standing today.

It's also hilarious that you think that one of the greatest civil rights icons would be standing against civil rights. But I don't get the impression from any of your posts that you really have the slightest clue what you're talking about.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

I'm sorry, but have you studied the supreme court? You can't just impeach judges for bad decisions-Judicial Independence is codified in the consititition.

You would have been one of the people threatening to hang Earl Warren in the 1960's wouldn't you?

Judges can be impeached. Even for decisions. No. Warren was actually in the right on the racial stuff. Remember, I would've stood with MLK in the 60's. He'd be standing beside me today on Oberfall vs Hodges. I don't think you can say the same.

I'm glad you know where MLK, who has been dead for over 40 years, would be standing today.

It's also hilarious that you think that one of the greatest civil rights icons would be standing against civil rights. But I don't get the impression from any of your posts that you really have the slightest clue what you're talking about.

MLK was adamant in his opposition to gay rights.

I could put dozens of links up that talk about this but I want you to do the homework.

[YaBoyNY]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

It's not gonna be over. There's a very clear and constitutional way to overturn what the five activist judges have done. Congress strips all federal courts of marriage cases and restore the state's right to decide. Also under a GOP president impeach and remove all five justices who read gay marriage into the 14th Amendment.

Please explain in detail how any of that could ever actually happen.

There's a bill in congress right now that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction regarding marriage (something the courts wrongly usurped from the state's)  (marriage isn't in article 1 section 8 so it is a state's right )

A president can along with a majority of congress can remove a justice for the same things other federal officials can (See article 1 and 2 of the Constitution)

Also the Surpreme Court can reconsider a case. (Brown vs Bord of Education is the complete judicial reversal of all Plessy vs Furgeson) I believe this is how Roe v Wade and Oberfall vs Hodges will both be overturned

I'm sorry, but have you studied the supreme court? You can't just impeach judges for bad decisions-Judicial Independence is codified in the consititition.

You would have been one of the people threatening to hang Earl Warren in the 1960's wouldn't you?

Judges can be impeached. Even for decisions. No. Warren was actually in the right on the racial stuff. Remember, I would've stood with MLK in the 60's. He'd be standing beside me today on Oberfall vs Hodges. I don't think you can say the same.

I'm glad you know where MLK, who has been dead for over 40 years, would be standing today.

It's also hilarious that you think that one of the greatest civil rights icons would be standing against civil rights. But I don't get the impression from any of your posts that you really have the slightest clue what you're talking about.

MLK was adamant in his opposition to gay rights.

I could put dozens of links up that talk about this but I want you to do the homework.

As we all know, people's opinions cannot possibly change, right?

Also, your whole "I could put up dozens of links" shtick makes it seem like you don't really have any and you're trying desperately to take the responsibility for doing so off your shoulders.

You made the claim, so it's your job to provide the evidence.

[hopper]

I don't have sympathy for "social conservatives." (That description, social conservative, is used loosely. The Republican Party is not overall conservative. And, socially, they're out of touch.)

The best policies in advancing the people of the United States have been historically through liberal, not conservative, policies.

What makes some specific policies possibly conservative, in some respect, in addition to liberal, is because they end up in sync (even without the exact same reasoning). Any true conservative who was supportive of same-sex couples having legally recognized marriage, throughout the United States, looked to the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. (This escaped the four "conservative" U.S. Supreme Court justices which included the chief.) That actually bridged the gap between both true conservatism and liberalism.

Steve Schmidt and Meghan McCain went on record in the spring of 2009 with stating that the Republican Party, at a disadvantage in a new presidential realigning period (which began with the election of 2008), should jump ahead of the advantaged Democrats to pursue making same-sex marriages legal throughout the United States. Responses were predictable: the party agreed instead with Talking Points hacks like Fox News' Laura Ingraham. So, the Democrats got there first, including making it a part of their party's platform with the presidential election of 2012.

[/b]Never mind the question, "What is the future for social conservatives in U.S. presidential elections"! The question more than likely intended is, "What is the future for Republicans in U.S. presidential elections?" The answer is: win two or three of nine or ten election cycles which began in 2008. The silver lining will be: retain majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives for at least seven of the midterm election cycles during this Democratic presidential realigning period.

The Republicans were not going to support same-sex marriage in 2008. It would have upset their Evangelical Base in Southern States. Even David Axlerod said Obama was for SSM in 2008 but didn't want to admit to it.

[hopper]

I think that it'll shift to just being about abortion now since as of yesterday gay marriage is a decided issue, though a few holdouts like Hucksterbee and Pope Frothy will continue pushing for a constitutional amendment most will recognize that it's basically a done deal.

The new "Big Three" social issues will be abortion (that one won't end soon, even if there is a partial or full overturning of Roe- which I think is likely in the next 5-10 years), religious liberty, and drugs.

Religious liberty is just being anti-gay, which the GOP have almost nearly done from the 1970's onwards

And Democrats did until 2009.  This issue gained momentum at an alarmingly fast rate, and thankfully it's over.

More like 2012.