Francis Wilkinson, Columnist

The Return of Acid, Amnesty and Abortion

The terms of the culture war are familiar. The symbols have changed.

August 5, 2014 at 7:15 PM UTC

Francis Wilkinson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering US politics and policy. Previously, he was executive editor for the Week and a writer for Rolling Stone.

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"Acid, amnesty and abortion" are back. Or perhaps they never left. The phrase, which was used to tar the 1972 presidential candidacy of Democratic Senator George McGovern, implied softness on illegal drugs, indulgence of Vietnam draft dodgers and endorsement of women's sexual freedom. (It originated, unbeknownst to McGovern, in an off-the-record comment by the man who became his temporary running mate, Thomas Eagleton.)

Acid isn't much in the news anymore, but shifting public opinion on marijuana -- punctuated by its legalization in Colorado and Washington -- has staked out new terrain on drugs. Amnesty no longer refers to draft evaders but to undocumented immigrants seeking legal status, an issue that may be growing even more contentious than its Vietnam-era antecedent. And abortion? Still here. After 40 years as a political wedge used by all sides, it has gained new prominence in the conservative agenda.