Although the economy is weakly on the mend, a conscious shift of focus to social issues will help President Obama’s re-election because social conservatives in the GOP are on the wrong side of public opinion. The final rule issued by HHS on preventive health care for women, including contraception, is an obvious example where public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of women’s reproductive rights. Same-sex marriage, while a more fraught issue, has as many supporters as opponents in polling (see below). Overall, it’s advantage Obama.