Culture war being reshaped
Conservatives lower expectationsJames Sterngold, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Los Angeles -- America is stumbling headlong into a new political season bitterly divided -- once again -- by the updated version of "culture wars" over such issues as same-sex unions, abortion, religion and depictions of sex and violence in popular culture.
President Bush, with his call Tuesday for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, threw himself into the front lines, standing alongside those who insist they can turn back the tide of change.
Yet in a subtle if critical way, the terms of engagement have changed sharply from the bitter clashes of a decade ago. Even many who embrace so- called traditional values admit that the culture wars have been kept alive only because, in many instances, conservatives have lowered their expectations significantly. Based on the standards of even five years ago, the war would seem to be over.
The terms of the cultural battles for the coming presidential election have shifted -- in many instances dramatically -- but the intensity has not. For all the cultural victories that Democrats and progressives believe they have won, there could still be a harsh reaction from mainstream voters, who tend to respond differently to these issues when they are in a voting booth than when they are on their couches holding a remote control.
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