The Tension Between Conservatives and Progressives in Modern Politics

In modern politics, interest groups seem to be rationalists when they're winning and pluralists when they are on the defensive. Even on gay marriage, we've seen an astonishingly quick turnaround within a generation. If you think that your side controls the central government then you tend not to be supportive of federalism. It very often is the case that conservatives will in particular be sympathetic to the claims of churches and religious groups to be able to govern themselves.