Gay rights no longer hot button issue for GOP?

By Greg Sargent

This response from John Boehner's spokesman, Michael Steel, to the Obama administration's announcement on the Defense of Marriage Act is a telling one:

"While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the President will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation."

Obviously, the House GOP's drive to roll back reproductive rights also constitutes the stirring up of "a controversial that sharply divides the nation." But that aside, what's interesting here is that this statement is really quite muted and restrained -- it focuses solely on jobs and spending, with nothing about the gay marriage issue -- when you compare it to the zeal House Republicans have shown on abortion. As John Aravosis notes today, Boeher is "criticizing Obama on jobs rather than criticizing Obama for loving the homos."

It's another sign that while the culture wars have reasserted themselves with a vengeance in the GOP's anti-abortion push, gay rights issues have lost virtually all their potency and bite. As many have observed already, the generational divide within the GOP is asserting itself on gay rights in a way that it simply hasn't on abortion. It'll be very interesting to see if any real support emerges from GOP leaders for the scattered calls we'll be hearing among conservatives to defund the repeal of don't ask don't tell. My bet is there won't be any to speak of -- another sign that on this issue at least, things are moving in the right direction.