‘Decline in Moral Values’ Likely to be Big Topic in 2016 Debate

Last week’s Supreme Court decision all but ended the debate about the legality of gay marriage in America. Yet there is ample reason to think it has arrived at the beginning of another trend: a rise in the importance some voters attach to cultural issues in the 2016 presidential campaign. […] Read more »

Obama’s approval rating grows following memorable week

Could Barack Obama’s great week mark a turning point in his poll numbers? After months of stagnant approval ratings, a new CNN/ORC poll finds that for the first time in more than two years, 50% of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling the presidency. CONT. Jennifer Agiesta, CNN […] Read more »

Why Gun Control and Abortion Are Different From Gay Marriage

The legalization of same-sex marriage is a potent example of a dominant theme in American history: Over time, civil rights expand, and discrimination ebbs. … As a result, it’s fair to divide the major issues in American political life into two broad categories. In one category are the rights-based issues […] Read more »

Will marriage turn gay people into Republicans? Not anytime soon.

With sweeping and definitive language in Obergefell v. Hodges, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the right to marry must be extended to same-sex couples. … Now, as political scientist Kenneth Sherrill once aptly put it, the status of gays has changed “from outlaws to inlaws.” To […] Read more »