Surprise: No Popular Uproar Over Marriage.

The Sunday Washington Post ran a big story, "Foes Confounded by Limited Outcry Against Gay Marriage," saying the marriage issue isn't catching on for the right:

Evangelical leaders had predicted that a chorus of righteous anger would rise up out of churches from coast to coast and overwhelm Congress with letters, e-mails and phone calls in support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But that has not happened.

Then, Monday's Wall Street Journal had a big story (only online for subscribers) titled: "Christian Coalition Working for a Revival: Gay-Marriage Issue Seen as a Lightning Rod for Fresh Energy, New Conservative Troops." But the Journal story is more about hard-core activists being up in arms and organizing themselves ("Some 30 new diretors have been appointed to coalition chapters") than about the grassroots troops marching in the streets or phoning/writing Congress.

While abortion -- seen as saving the innocent unborn from slaughter -- galvanized the conservative church-going, work-a-day types to protest, same-sex marriage hasn't, and I think will not. The activist leadership of the religious right still doesn't get this, since their homophobic fanaticism is such a big part of their psychological makeup. But it's not translating to the masses who may personally oppose gay marriage but don't see any need to pass a constitutional amendment telling the liberals over in Massachusetts what their state can or can't do.

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