Today's ruling in favor of gay marriage, in the largest county in the
first (?) caucus state, could have a national ripple effect on the
presidential campaign. Will the hot-button issue move to the national
front burner again? On the Democratic side, only long shot candidate
Dennis Kucinich supports gay marriage. The other contenders support
civil unions. But the ruling may increase pressure on the front
runners to support true equality, and complicate the balancing act of
attracting progressives to win a nomination without alienating general
election swing voters. It would be interesting to see how a stance of
persuasive leadership, ahead of public opinion, would play coming from
a top tier candidate. Larry Craig's sad, self-hateful story is the
polar opposite of the committed, lifelong relationships of the six
Iowa couples who were plaintiffs in this case.