Will Gay Marriage Return as Main GOP Issue?

[freesqueeze]

On last week’s McLaughlin Group Monica Crowley, right-wing radio noise maker, got quite excited when she noted that “65% of Americans are against gay marriage.” She rubbed her hands together at the thought that this presidential election, like the last one, could be diverted into the ditch of “don’t you just hate gay people?” politics.

News of happy nuptials of gay people in California presents a dilemma. Could we just hold off on all that until after the election? No, that doesn’t seem feasible (the heart wants what the heart wants). There hasn’t been much noise so far from the moral arbiters in the GOP but I expect their indignant rage will magnify as the election nears. Their anger gains justification when politically useful.

I say let gay people marry (just as some heterosexuals do). Let them separate and divorce (just as some heterosexuals do). Let them get restraining orders on the ones they love most (just as some heterosexuals do). Let them bury their one-and-only in 27 separate holes in the back yard (just as some heterosexuals do). But can we do all this without losing focus during this election? Can we see the forest of Iraq, inflation, unemployment and growing poverty over the tree of a few legally conjoined homosexuals?



P - L - E - A - S - E ?

[liberal N proud]

1. Is it a wedge issue?

Yes and they will try to use it

Anything but the real issues.

[hopewell1985]

13. marrige

Mccain is already married to the Bush policies.

[bigscott]

2. some can see the forest for the trees

others want us to shut up until a certain point in time (we win the primaries, we win the election, we win the next election). It is always very convenient to blame the GLBT community when candidates lose elections. how many times have people said Kerry would have won Ohio if it were not for the marriage amendment on the ballot?

maybe if a candidate stood up for equal rights for all under the Constitution he or she would EARN enough votes from the millions who support equal rights for the GLBT community to make the right-wing douche bags irrelevant

please do the math - if 35% support gay marriage (and i guarantee a larger number supports equal rights for GLBT) then that means there are over 100 MILLION votes out there from people who support gay marriage

peace

[zanne]

3. This time around, people are worried too much about their own lives...

To put their noses into the lives of others.

[freesqueeze]

6. I would have thought that

in '04, when we had a massive failure in the White House who had not managed to create a singe job in 3 years. (I still have forgiven you Ohio).

[caledesi]

12. I agree! NT

[freesqueeze]

5. I agree completely

Except I do question your math.

Are you assuming that every American will vote in November?

"irrelevant right-wing douche bags"...has a nice ring to it.

[flamin lib]

4. There is absolutely nothing more frightening to the average Republican

than a Mexican gay couple storming across the border demanding an abortion.

[smoogatz]

7. I hope the Republicans make this their #1 issue.

If they do, given the laundry list of very REAL concerns Americans have at the moment (war, climate, inflation, real estate, recession, threats of shortage, government corruption and incompetence, government spying and other abuses of power, etc., etc., etc.), they'll look even more delusional and out of touch than they do now. And that's saying something.

[freesqueeze]

8. hmmm

"delusional and out of touch" beat John Kerry in '04.

"delusional and out of touch" appeals to a certain percentage of the electorate.

"delusional and out of touch" works in a way I can't fathom.

"delusional and out of touch" are the double-play combination on the White House softball team (The Chicken Hawks).


delusional and out of touch

[smoogatz]

11. John Kerry and Ken Blackwell

beat John Kerry, with a significant push from Diebold. And don't forget, Bush's popularity rating in the summer of '04 was just under 50%—the full magnitude of his idiocy and corruption had yet to dawn on large numbers of people who have since figured it out.

[zanne]

9. I agree.

Most people don't have the convenience of judging other people this time around.

[nevergiveup]

10. Gay marriage

doesn't seem like such a big deal after you have forked over $70.00 for a tank of gas. The attitude about gay marriage where I work has changed considerably since 2004. Most folks don't really care and in fact I personally know those who not long ago got all emotional about this issue but now say "let them get married". The middle of the road voters who will decide this election have bigger fish to fry this year.