No Culture War Over Women in Combat and That's a Problem

     At lest for the GOP. It's remarkable how little blowback there's been over Leon Panetta's big news that he's rescinding the ban on women in combat.

     "The Pentagon’s decision to allow women to serve in combat didn’t find many takers for a culture war fight."

     "Instead, much like the response to President Barack Obama’s ending of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and endorsement of gay marriage, the only voiced complaints came from a few scattered corners. Most of the president’s political opponents — even old culture warriors themselves — either endorsed the decision or carefully avoided saying anything publicly against it."

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/no-culture-war-over-pentagon-shift-86652.html#ixzz2IuYCc498 

     John McCain and Kelly Ayotte are totally ok with it: 

     "On record in favor of the change: Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). Even the lone voices of skepticism about the policy – like Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — did so on procedural grounds rather than questioning whether women are capable of performing in combat.

     “I’ve seen firsthand servicemen and women working together in a range of dangerous operations to achieve our military objectives – and today’s announcement reflects the increasing role that female service members play in securing our country,” said Ayotte, otherwise a consistent critic of Obama’s foreign and defense policy.

      This is a very good thing, no doubt, that we rightly should celebrate.

      “The whole situation has changed, the whole role of women has changed in our society,” said Eleanor Smeal, the president of Feminist Majority and a former president of the National Organization for Women. “I think it’s marvelous that there is no controversy around it.”

     However, it also underscores a problem for the GOP. Time was this would have led to a Fatwa with loud demands for Panetta's firing and maybe even Obama's impeachment. Now it barely gets any notice. Yet as Krugman suggests, this is trouble for the GOP:

    "Republicans pine for the glory days of Ronald Reagan — but that was a different country, a county with a lot more raw racism, a country in which only a minority of Americans found interracial marriage acceptable. And yes, that had a lot to do with GOP political strength."

    "And I don’t think the right has a clue how to operate in the better nation we’ve become."

    http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/01/krugman-on-better-nation-weve-become.html

    It's amazing how cultural issues no longer work for the GOP. This is a real problem as what else do they have? Obama's great speech on Monday led to a lot of talk that Obama had officially ended the Reagan Revolution. I think that's right.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/24/the-morning-plum-obama-as-the-anti-reagan/

    Yet, in truth it didn't start with Reagan, but with Nixon. His election in 1968 effectively begun it. His whole strategy-dubbed the "Southern Strategy"-was that for Republicans to win they have to neutralize the Economic Issue which they can't win so they can fight on the terrain that they can win on: the Social Issue.

    Now, however, it's the Social Issue they don't want to be pulled into a debate over, no matter what.

    "The new Pentagon policy comes after an election in which Obama and Democrats crushed Republicans among women voters, with even larger margins among young women. And while some Republicans privately grumble that Obama is pushing the change with his mind only on creating a legacy, they’re loathe to say so out loud, with the memories fresh of the tanked candidacies of Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana."

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/no-culture-war-over-pentagon-shift-86652.html#ixzz2IudnpU7d

    In the election, the GOP treated any mention of social issues by the Democrats as basically dirty pool-the election was about the economy and only the economy, supposedly. In that sense we had effectively come full circle. Romney was running as Bill Clinton: it's the economy stupid!

    What this lost sight of is what Nixon knew all too well: economics is the GOP's weak suit. If social issues now work against them rather than for them, what's left?