In yesterday's The Fix, Chris Cillizza poses the question: "Is Gay Marriage Still An Issue?"

Hey, let me take this one, Chris: Yes.

But let's back up a bit and see why Cillizza labors over whether or not one of the biggest issues the states are grappling with today is simply a sneaky non-issue in disguise!:

Twin decisions in Iowa and Vermont legalizing gay marriage over the past five days have reinvigorated the debate over same sex unions and raised questions about whether the issue continues to have the same political potency for Republicans as it did as recently as four years ago.

As recently as four years ago? Proposition 8, the legislation that overturned gay marriage in one of the biggest, gayest states in the union, was passed four months ago, dude. But continue:

By and large, however, Republican national leaders—-particularly those running for president—have condemned the recent decisions. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said the "definition of marriage should be left to the people and not to activist courts" while former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) called the decision "outrageously wrong" and said it revealed "judicial arrogance."

Conversations with a handful of high level Republican party strategists, however, produced a far more mixed view of gay marriage as a campaign issue.

Let's pick one of the anonymous GOP sources from the handful who suggests that gay marriage ain't no big thing:

Another Republican consultant said that the issue is a complicated one for GOP candidates in the context of a political campaign. "It's sort of a no-win," said the source. "You often need to be on one side of the issue to win the primary, then you're in trouble for the general."

Who is this consultant, and who is he consulting? No major party candidate—Democrat or Republican—has ever openly supported gay marriage in the primary or the general election. Barack Obama, socialist Democrat/Antichrist, supported civil unions but not gay marriage.

Thankfully, after a long discussion of whether or not this issue is an issue, Cillizza comes around: The issue is, in fact, an issue.

What seems clear is that as gay marriage becomes more prevalent in the country, the issue will almost certainly continue to animate the bases of the two parties—Democrats in support, Republicans in opposition.

Photo by nerdcoregirl.

IF SHE DID RUN, HE WOULD CRUSH HER, a new poll finds [PDF]. "A new national [Public Policy Polling] poll finds that nominating Palin could be a death wish for the party, with Barack Obama leading Palin 55-35 in a hypothetical contest. The key reason Palin would lose to Obama by so much is that even though she might be the top choice for a certain segment of voters within her party, there's also a number of Republicans who say they would vote for Obama if their party nominated Palin." [via ThunderPig].

ALASKANS STILL LOVE HER: Palin enjoys a high approval rating in her state:

Very positive 40.5
Somewhat positive 20.8 percent
Somewhat negative 12.5 percent
Very negative 20.2 percent
Don't know/Didn't answer 6 percent

Her staff still sucks, though.

WHY IS GRETA V.S. SARAH PALIN'S OFFICIAL JOURNO? Greta Van Susteren has bombarded the populace with interviews with Palins big and small. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza knows why: Her husband, John Coale, is a friend of the governor:

Coale, a well-known Washington lawyer and the husband of Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren, drew national media attention when he endorsed Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid in protest of the way in which Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who he backed in the primary, was treated. Coale, in an interview with the Fix, described himself simply as a “friend” of the Alaska governor but acknowledged that he suggested she start a leadership PAC and helped her navigate through some of the questions surrounding her family that lingered after the campaign. Others familiar with Palin’s political team insist that Coale has far more power than he is letting on—essentially helping to run Sarah PAC. Coale demurred on that front, noting only that he talks to Palin regularly and that she is a “fascinating person” who is “definitely not what the right thinks or the left thinks.”

GRETA ON WHY SHE'S A NEUTRAL PALIN REPORTER:

[youtube:v=8PF17zpUBIM&]

[via ThinkProgress]

PALIN HEADLINE OF THE DAY, from Politico's Ben Smith: "Palin Clashes With Feds on Wolves"

MADONNA is to Hillary Clinton as Britney Spears is to Sarah Palin: “Britney is not Madonna,” writes  Spears tour reviewer Jed Gottlieb. “She just ain’t. Madonna is Hillary Clinton. She’s whip smart and survives, even thrives by adapting. And Lord knows she wants it more than anyone. Britney is Sarah Palin. Baby drama headlines. Podunk back story and a massive industry machine behind her. She’s a manufactured star aimed at the lowest common denominator.”

Photo by Kurisu