. >> ruy teixeira, what are your thoughts? taking the analysis you have done and applying to the debate today with the backdrop of healthcare, what is your sense? >> ruy teixeira: my analysis is more about sort of the long-term shift in the terrain than about sort of what strategy should be pursued in congress tomorrow, which is above my pay grade, but i think i am largely sim pathetic to what frank is saying. i think the basis is there for moving forward on this issue. i think that while there is ambivalent middle, i think that ambivalent middle is interested in a pragmatic solution to this problem and again if it is framed right and pursued in a way that kind of speaks to people's concerns, but emphasizes the pragmatic problem-solving ability of it, this kind of legislation, i think it will be possible to make progress. one thing that is important for the republicans and this will split their party, it is really in their interest to take this issue off the table and a long-term demographic stand to continue to be on the shor

then, ruy teixeira, also needs no introduction. he is a senior fellow at the center for american products -- center for american progress and a visiting fellow at brookings. he has published many books, analyzed american politics, and he has made frequent media appearances. we have a rock star panel. we will do it oprah winfrey style. we will get into a debate and discussion and then open it up for questions. thank you very much for being here. >> the term "culture wars" goes back to 1991 was popularized by a book called " the culture wars." the author's argument was now and going forward, politics in the united states would be polarized between warring cultural camps are run issues like guns, abortion, gays, race and gender issues, and so on. that would be the fulcrum of politics as politics developed in the 1990's. this did not turn out to be such a crazy idea as things developed. culture wars were very important in the early problems of the clinton administration in 1994. it was a huge part of the impeachment which undercut prog

and then ruy teixeira is a senior fellow at the century foundation as well as a fellow at the new politicsng fellow at boklyn. anti-is published manyooks, analyzing american politics. he is widely quoted in his area of expertise ands made frequent aearances. we have a rock star panelnd we will do it oberstar so we would get into a bit of a debate and discussion and open it up for you want to ask questions. thank you all very much for being here. ru you can take it away. >> thanks angie. the term culture wars as applied to u.s. politics goes back to 1991 when it was fauquier lies by the acadec james davison hunter in a book called culture wars in this argument now and going forward, that's politics in the united states would be polarized between waring cultural cancer arou issues like guns, abortion, race and gender issues and so oand that would be the fulcrum of politics as politics developed in the 1990's. th didn't turn out to be such a crazy idea as things develop. we know culture wars were very impoant in the early problems of the clinton administration in '94. we know of course ere is

. -- ruy teixeira. we have a rock star panel. we will ask some questions, get into a bit of debate and discussion, and then we will open it up to you for questions. take it away. >> thank you, andy. the term cultural wars as applied to u.s. politics goes back to 1991 when it was popularized. the argument was that, no and going forward, politics in the united states would be polarized between warring cultural camps around issues like guns, abortion, gays, gender issues and so on. that would be the fulcrum of politics. this did not turn out to be such a crazy idea as things developed. as we know, cultural wars were very important in the early clinton administration. it was a huge part of the impeachment in the late 1990's. it figured in george w. bush's a victory in 2000 and 2004. it was by and large quite present and quite a focus of debate about our politics. we wondered if we ever would get out of it. things have changed since 2004. if you look at the elections of 2006 and particularly 2008, we have the historic victory of barac