A Republican Left Turn?

Yep, the GOP is turning left alright, if the establishment push for homosexual marriage is an indication.

But see Thomas Edsall, at the New York Times. I like this part:

Robert Y. Shapiro, a political scientist at Columbia who has studied left-right divisions and polarization, is actually optimistic about prospects for conservatism. In an e-mail, he wrote:

The right has been weakened on gay rights and now gay marriage, and it looks like immigration. Also interestingly there are fissures on defense spending since defense cuts have been accepted by some conservatives in the sequester as a needed part of budget cutting and holding the Democrats’ feet to the fire on that. But conservatism may not weaken by much since it looks like it can and has regrouped on economic and social welfare spending, taxes, and the budget deficit. Economic and anti-regulation conservatism has hardly weakened.

And on the cultural/values issues, abortion is as strong a rallying issue as ever (public opinion has not shifted left on this, even among younger cohorts in contrast to other issues), and they are just more cautious regarding what they say about contraception. Conservatives would look as much as ever for opportunities on prayer in schools and support for religious group endeavors. Conservatives have held together on guns even after recent events. And with regard to racial and racial justice issues, watch the Supreme Court on voting rights and affirmative action. Conservatives have not been weakened any further on these issues.

Okay, but homosexual marriage is like a Waterloo or something. It just really destroys a key plank of what it means to be a conservative, if not a Republican.

But RTWT.