Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer thinks that voters are disgusted about the obsessive focus on gay marriage to the detriment of other actual issues (Iraq, fuel prices, immigration, the economy, and healthcare are the top five).  And this disgust might lead to a bit of backlash at the polls. 

I caught this columnist tonight on McIntire's radio show as I was fleeing the suburbs of Cranberry to return to the sanity of the inner city.  It was like a reunion of cojoined twins listening to the Johns grapple for the banter-meister mantle.  Call me disloyal, but I think Baer might have taken it during that segment.  :-)

Anyway, Baer points out that true conservatives aren't consumed with homopersecution and resent being pigeonholed on cultural issues.

"It makes no sense on any level," says a national GOP consultant requesting anonymity to avoid drawing criticism from paying clients. "Republicans risk being defined as the socially conservative party, and only that, as opposed to the party conservative on the economy, conservative on national security, the things that allowed Republicans to dominate for so long."

Being defined by one aspect of your identity?  I can't imagine what that must be like!

Essentially, the homo-frenzy may turn out the tried and true Santorumites who see no problem with Ricky employing a spokesfag to spin his gay bashing rhetoric- if you can't marry 'em, lure 'em into traitorous high paid jobs and hope they don't notice?

However, Baer postulates that the broader constituent base may in fact resent this grandstanding enough to voice their displeasure at the polls.

I don't doubt some sincere people sincerely see gay marriage as threatening civilization. (Though same-sex marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for two years and as far as I know Boston hasn't turned into a pillar of salt.) But political leaders who push this - Bush, Sens. Frist and Santorum, legislative leaders in Harrisburg - insult and cheat their broader constituencies.

Paging a few Democrats ---   H. William DeWeese of Waynesburg; Vince Biancucci of Aliquippa; James Casorio of Irwin; Peter Daley of California; Anthony DeLuca of Penn Hills; R. Ted Harhai of Monessen; Nick Kotik of Robinson; Victor Lescovitz of Midway; David Levdansky of Forward; Joseph Markosek of Monroeville; John Pallone of New Kensington; Joseph Petrarca of Vandergrift; Thomas Petrone of Crafton Heights; Sean Ramaley of Conway; Harry Readshaw of Carrick; Larry Roberts of Hopwood; Ken Ruffing of West Mifflin; James Shaner of Lemont Furnace; Thomas Tangretti of Greensburg.