Daily Kos blogger DHinMI has interesting thoughts on social conservatism in America.

Just look at the record. Since the early 1990’s the Supreme Court has upheld both Roe v Wade and the use of affirmative action in college admissions, and it struck down state sodomy laws. More children attend day care than ever. More women work out of the home than ever, and most of them prefer to work out of the home even if it’s not necessary for maintaining their standard of living. "Will and Grace" is mainstream, and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is on network television. The social conservatives’ crusade against the teaching of evolution has had little success [NOTE: Georgia decided to keep using the word "evolution" in its curriculum – CKB]. And, like Kos, knowing that gay and lesbian couples are running down to the San Francisco City Hall to get married hasn’t filled me or presumably anyone else with an unquenchable desire to run down to the local courthouse and file for divorce.

He’s right. In fact, I wonder how alive the social conservative movement ever really was. I live in rural North Carolina — a place lousy with conservative Republicans — and even here, the number of Gary Bauer-like social conservatives I meet are few in number. I see more of them on television panel shows than I do in everyday life. They get a lot of media attention — witness the brou-ha-ha over Judge Moore’s Ten Commandments — but they’re nothing more than a very loud minority. The GOP is right to largely ignore this faction.