Good points, Ted.
Although I remain optimistic, the weakened state of the economy (part genuine, part contrived by the media) will play a much bigger issue this year. I am not sure that social issues will resonate as much as they often have in the past. They certainly did not need to, and absent this court decision, almost certainly would not have played much of a role this fall.
But we really do have to hand it to the left. All they had to do is wait. With President Obama in the White House, and a solid Democratic majority in both houses of congress, the liberal totalitarians in the judicial community, scattered around the country, could have then really taken the goves off and pushed a wide range of issues on the leftist social/cultural agenda. They could have just rammed 'em down the public's throat; enough elected officials, up to and including the president, would be like Governor Terminator is today and say something like, "Well, of course I am personally opposed to this or that (or personally support this or that) ... but well, you know, the judges have made their decision and we will just have to comply, there is nothing else we can do ..."
In the old con games this is what was known as "cooling the mark". It happens when someone who was in on the con all along remains behind, still "befriending" the guy who was taken, and sympathizes and expresses outrage along with him (perhaps even claiming loss himself), while convincing him that it is pointless to try to do anything about it. The mark reluctantly accepts what appears to be the inevitable, and the con is completed.
But the point of any good con is: timing is everything! The left just couldn't wait until after the election. Perhaps they have become so arrogant, so confident of victory at long last, that they believe continued caution, or continuing to bother with misleading the public as to their intentions, is no longer even necessary.
This may turn out to be an error in judgement on their part. If so, it will not be the first time. We shall see.
MWL