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It was 10 years ago that George W. Bush won a second term while campaigning on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

It was two years ago that the media said Barack Obama was taking a huge gamble by throwing his political weight behind same-sex marriage.

Now, with gay marriage legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, you barely hear Republicans talking about it. While many nominally oppose it, they have effectively conceded the issue.

Does this mean cultural issues are now working to the Democrats advantage? A New York Times piece says yes, but I think that somewhat overstates the case.

There is no question that demographic shifts in America have transformed the political landscape. Younger voters who are coming of age barely understand the fuss about same-sex marriage.

But other social issues are definitely working against the Demsnot to mention that foreign policy has flared up in importance during the ISIS crisis and the mess in Ukraine, and President Obama is getting low marks for handling national security.

The Times piece, by the savvy Jonathan Martin, flatly declares that Democrats are now on the offensive in the culture wars.

Democrats see social issues as potent for the same reasons Republicans once did, using them as a tool to both stoke concerns among moderate voters, especially women, and motivate their base.

But when it comes to womenand the Democrats have been pushing the War on Women argument for some timeabortion remains a divisive issue. More states have been adopting restrictions on the procedure. A Gallup poll found that 47 percent of those surveyed call themselves pro-choice and 46 percent pro-lifea far cry from 1996, when 56 percent said they were pro-choice and 33 percent pro-life.

On issues like gun control, drugs, the environment, race and even national security, this demographic shift has substantially weakened the rights ability to portray Democrats as out of the social mainstream, the Times says.

More:

KURTZ: Have Dems won the culture war? Not so fast