The following caught my eye: It is today’s distillation by Anzalone Liszt Research drawn from recent national polls:

For first time in history, more Americans support gay marriage than oppose it: The General Social Survey shows that for the first time in history, more Americans support gay marriage (46%) than oppose it (40%). When GSS first asked the question in 1988, 73% of Americans opposed gay marriage. The shift has been particularly dramatic in recent years, as opposition stood at 56% in 2004.

Independents and public overall warming to a more active government: After favoring a less-active government for the past two years, the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a majority of the public now believes that government “should do more to solve problems,” with the survey finding a particularly pronounced shift among Independents.

Nearly two-thirds say war in Afghanistan not worth cost: An ABC News/Washington Post poll indicates that opposition to the war in Afghanistan has reached it’s highest level yet, with 64% of Americans saying it is not worth the cost and nearly three-quarters supporting withdrawal this summer.

Public believes both spending cuts and higher taxes needed to reduce deficit: Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll believe that best way to reduce the deficit is through both spending cuts and higher taxes.

President Obama extending his advantage over GOP on the economy and the deficit: Americans trust President Obama more than Congressional Republicans on the economy by a 12-point margin and on handling the deficit by 9 points according to the new ABC News/Washington Post poll. In January, he led by just 5 and 3 points, respectively.