This is the second or third poll released in the past few months to show a majority of Americans (52 percent) supporting marriage equality for same-sex couples:
The poll found growing sentiment for legal protections for same-sex couples, with 58 percent saying they should have the same government benefits as married heterosexuals and nearly as many backing federal recognition of gay marriage. Respondents overwhelmingly opposed a stronger federal hand in two other areas: enhancing presidential powers to bolster the economy and requiring people to buy health insurance, as this year's health care overhaul law does.
The poll shows the Obama administration is foundering in its attempt to make Americans more trusting of government, which is a fairly rational response to the administration's failure to lower the unemployment rate further than it has. I'd argue that the current unemployment rate indicates that government intervention wasn't aggressive enough, but it's easy to see why people would come to the opposite conclusion, especially given the fact that the Democrats have basically given up on trying to argue with Republicans on economics.
I suppose the flip side is that conservative traditionalists deploying "individual liberty" as an argument against Democratic policies now have to deal with the consequences of winning the argument. Hard to say you want the government out of your life and then argue that it should tell loving, consenting adults they're not allowed to marry.
