Chuck Todd on last nights primaries: "The culture war comes roaring back"

[Renew Deal]

*** The culture war comes roaring back: You know the economy must be improving when cultural and social issues come roaring back into the national spotlight. Just days after the unemployment rate decreased to 8.3%, we’ve seen a raging debate over funding to Planned Parenthood, a skirmish between the Obama administration and Catholic Church over contraception, and now the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that California’s Prop. 8 -- which outlawed gay marriage in the state -- is unconstitutional. As we’ve said before, the economy will likely remain the top story in November’s general election. But events overseas, as well as inside this country, can change the issue matrix in the blink of an eye. And the question has to be asked: If the debate between now and the spring is about social issues -- and not the economy -- how much does that hurt Romney? And help Santorum?

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10350879-first-thoughts-romney-gets-rejected

I think this is an interesting point. If people are less concerned about the economy, they are more concerned about other things.

[southernyankeebelle]

1. There will never be a President Santorum. Women will not elect him. We don't watch the Pope

in the white house and that he how he'll rule. Am catholic I sure don't want him in the white house.

[Icicle]

2. Dodge and Distract

The economy really IS getting better. Not as fast as many of us would like, but we are headed in the right direction.
Thus disproving Mitt's "he made it worse" bullhockey.
And people were pointing out that the Republican plan for economic recovery looked an awful lot like the same set of policies that led to the crash.

Social issues are all they have left.

[DCKit]

4. And social issues aren't going to help either (any) one of them.

Women and the men who love them are furious, the LGBT community is newly empowered, the working poor are sick of being shit upon and minorities (who are not so "minority" anymore) don't trust Republicans to do anything positive on their behalf. That's one hell of a voting block they've handed to the Dems.

The Republicans are their own worst enemies.

[TwilightGardener]

3. I got a robocall for the Ricky campaign. It was all about family values and Christianity

and sanctity of life and marriage--that was the entire message. No word on what he would do about the economy or jobs. I guess Chuck is right--at least regarding the GOP base.