This is fascinating, and it's also something we noticed a while ago. While congressional Republicans are still generally terrible on gay issues, they're also growing increasingly nervous about talking about them in public. From Politico:
Just a few years ago, House Republicans were trying to etch their opposition of gay marriage into the Constitution. Now? They're almost silent. It's been one of the swiftest shifts in ideology and strategy for Republicans, as they've come nearly full circle on same-sex politics. What was once a front-and-center issue for rank-and-file Republicans -- the subject of many hotly worded House and Senate floor speeches -- is virtually a dead issue, as Republicans in Congress don't care to have gay marriage litigated in the Capitol. Even more than that, Republican leadership has evolved, too. It has quietly worked behind the scenes to kill amendments that reaffirm opposition to same-sex unions, several sources told POLITICO.At the same time, Democrats are slowly waking up to the fact that gay rights are a winner for them, helping turn out gay voters, gay money, and convince indies that Dems are nice people.
