If you've been following recent coverage on GamePolitics concerning video game legislation, you have probably noticed a preponderance of Democrats either sponsoring such bills or slamming video game violence in public statements.

That's no coincidence.

An op-ed piece written for the Arizona Republic by a strategist for a Washington D.C. think tank points to a concerted Democratic strategy targeting the so-called evils of modern culture, including video game sex and violence. The author, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, a Senior Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, counsels Democrats to reach out to married parents on the issue of cultural influences upon children. Dafoe Whitehead points to research showing that Democratic candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 were soundly beaten by George W. Bush among married voters with children. Kerry, in fact, trailed Bush by 19% in the married parent demographic.

On the national level then, it's not surprising that a likely 2008 presidential contender such as Hillary Clinton has taken early steps to seize the moral high ground on the issue. Around the country, much of the high profile video game legislation is also being pushed by Democrats.

In North Carolina, State Senator Julia Boseman is sponsoring SB2, which limits sales of violent or obscene games to minors. In Illinois and Michigan, Democratic Governors Rod Blagojevich and Jennifer Granholm, respectively, have been stumping for similar legislation. In California, the driving force has been Assembly Speaker Leland Yee, while in Washington State, Representative Mary Lou Dickerson has sponsored a pair of bills to restrict video game sales to minors EDITOR'S NOTE: Dickerson's bills are very poorly constructed. Democrats have also been behind video game bills in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

What does all of this mean?

Democrats, still reeling from a poorly run 2004 presidential campaign, are trying to pick themselves up off the mat and reconnect with the electorate. Not that Republicans are any better. The party that cynically used the gay marriage issue to get a right wing ideologue reelected President in 2004 is starting to catch on to the idea that there are votes to be had in the video game issue. In Michigan, for example, Republicans have jumped on the legislative bandwagon, lest their Democratic rivals gain the upper hand. In the end, it's politics as usual, the cynical manipulation of an issue in pursuit of power.

Steel yourself gamers. Your favorite hobby is about to become a political football.