WASHINGTON – The dramatic Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage is forcing Republican leaders to cope, in bright daylight, with something they’d rather handle discreetly: the careful balance between placating their conservative base and reaching out to centrist voters crucial in presidential elections.
Top GOP leaders showed notable restraint this week, while conservative activists fulminated against the court’s decision, which requires the federal government to recognize same-sex marriage.
It’s a delicate political dance that establishment Republicans perform whenever divisive social issues gain new prominence. Republicans are unified and confident in their anti-tax, small-government principles. But nonfinancial issues cause more problems.
Republicans are struggling to keep pace with rapidly increasing public acceptance of gay rights. They’re also embroiled in intraparty debates over illegal immigration. And a third sensitive issue charged back into prominence this month when House Republicans voted to sharply restrict abortion rights. A similar bill triggered a midnight standoff this week in the Texas legislature.
All these issues pose major challenges to Republican leaders in Washington if not elsewhere. Conservative activists, who form the party’s backbone, care passionately about these matters, and they will give Republican candidates only so much leeway before rebelling. Many House Republicans, in particular, cater to such voters, hoping to avoid a GOP primary challenge from the right.