Why were Republican legislative leaders in Arkansas and Indiana so blindsided by the backlash against their “religious-freedom” laws that critics view as a license to discriminate against gays? One reason may be that Republicans in many cases are now literally preaching to the choir: Republican partisans are much more likely […] Read more »
Gay Rights Will Continue to Split Republicans
Gay rights won’t fade as a political issue. The Republican base won’t let it. Prominent Republicans calculated that if the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was constitutionally protected, the issue would become settled law and disappear politically. This would be welcome, they reasoned, as the party was on the […] Read more »
Democrats are divided on ‘culture war’ issues, too
… Yes, Republicans are more divided than Democrats on basic support of same-sex marriage. … But Democrats are actually slightly more divided than Republicans on the religious freedom measures. In this Pew survey, Republicans split 68 percent to 28 percent in favor of allowing businesses to refuse services for same-sex […] Read more »
Parties Trade Places in Culture Wars Over Rights Measures
The uproar set off by legislation in Indiana and Arkansas that sponsors billed as religious freedom measures not only signaled a revival of the culture wars, but also threw into stark relief the expectations and tensions in the coalitions that now make up the two major political parties. The contrasting […] Read more »
Religion, Same-Sex Relationships and Politics in Indiana and Arkansas
The controversy over the state-based religious freedom laws in Indiana and Arkansas highlights the continuing impact of religion on social and policy issues in this country. The laws were an apparent outgrowth of the feelings of highly religious segments living in those states that they were being marginalized and that […] Read more »
Evangelicals Incensed by Business Push Against ‘Religious-Freedom’ Bills
The furor over “religious-freedom” laws has split the GOP coalition wide open, and many conservative evangelical leaders don’t like the way the party is handling it. … There have long been tensions between religious conservatives and the business wing of the Republican Party, often centering on how much emphasis the […] Read more »