Death of a Narrative

Liberals have won a series of victories on social issues. Most Americans aren’t thrilled about it.

Liberals’ have won a string of victories on gay marriage and health care reform this year, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds a large majority of Americans are unhappy with where the nation is headed on social issues. Sixty three percent of people say they are uncomfortable with the country’s overall direction on social issues these days; four in 10 feel "strongly" uncomfortable about the nation’s changes.

The downbeat results in the aftermath of a series of landmark Supreme Court rulings earlier this summer runs parallel to how people see the nation’s overall direction — 65 percent say it’s on the wrong track in the survey… Americans who see themselves on the losing side of these high-profile debates are, not surprisingly, most negative about the nation’s direction on social issues.

Among those who oppose the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the federal health care law, 80 percent are uncomfortable with the nation’s direction on social issues. A similar 79 percent who oppose the Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all states say they are uncomfortable, as are 76 percent who oppose efforts to ban Confederate flag displays on government property.