Great post Hydralique. Quite a few voters had one "defining issue" in the last election, whether it was Iraq, or the economy etc. For me the issue was (and still is) support for same-sex marriage. I think it easily separates the men from the boys, and separates visionary and courageous leaders from backward, hypocritical, cowardly followers. The worst examples of this second group in last year's election were Sarah Palin and Ron Paul, although Obama's hypocrisy and disingenuity on this issue were also exposed.
At least Obama, unlike our last president, is not actively pushing for a federal constitutional amendment to bash gay people. So at least in that respect we're making progress. Whether we like it or not, most African-Americans are really, REALLY freaked out by homosexuality, and President Obama isn't immune to his cultural conditioning. But there's no doubt that 20 or 30 or 50 years from now, people like Gavin Newsom will be remembered as visionary heroes, while people like George W. Bush will be seen as embarrassing half-wits.