If I *had* to be a Democratic strategist, this is THE issue I would use to get back into the mainstream. The Republicans are leaving the door open here (no pun intended).
Lucky for us it is a really hard, if not impossible, sell to the hard core left.
If I *had* to be a Democratic strategist, this is THE issue I would use to get back into the mainstream. If I had to be a Democratic strategist, I'd exploit this as a wedge issue to split the Republicans apart, while resting comfortably in the knowledge that very few Dems are threatened by the issue, no matter which way it breaks.
I might even hire a few people to stir things up on conservative websites and talk radio stations. But that's just me.