"The term "culture wars" dates back to a 1991 book by academic James Davison Hunter who argued that cultural issues touching on family and religious values, feminism, gay rights, race, guns, and abortion had redefined American politics." Serious conflicts surrounded the issues Going forward these issues changed politics and the nation.

Conservatives liked the culture wars approach, thinking that political debate around these issues would help their causes. This approach played an important role in political games during the early part of the Clinton administration and his subsequent impeachment. Yet these issues have lately been conspicuous by their absence. Looking back on Barack Obama's historic victory in 2008, culture wars issues not only had a very low profile in the campaign, but...