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LGBT News President George H.W. Bush is an official witness at a same-sex wedding

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by AwesomGaytheist, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. AwesomGaytheist

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    America's 41st President and the last Republican President to lose his re-election bid, George H.W. Bush, and his wife Barbara, were official witnesses to a same-sex wedding in his warm-months hometown of Kennebunkport, Maine.

    He's the fourth Bush to come out in support of same-sex marriage-his wife Barbara Bush (Who also looks like the Quaker Oatmeal guy), daughter-in-law and First Lady Laura, and Bush 43's daughter, Barbara-have all publicly announced their support for same-sex marriage. Bush 41 is the 4th of the 5 living Presidents to publicly announce their support for gay marriage. He joins our current President, Barack Obama, as well as Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

    On an unrelated note, Daddy Bush has been known in his post-Presidency to make fashion statements with his socks, as you can see in the article picture.

    George H.W. Bush is witness at same-sex marriage in Maine
     
  2. Rakkaus

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    I've always had a begrudging respect for George H.W. Bush (Sr.), a respect I never had for his son George W. Bush nor for any of the current Republican nutjobs out there.

    Bush 41 was at his core a moderate New England Republican, he didn't care about the divisive social issues Evangelical Christians were obsessed with, he didn't agree with Reagan's extreme laissez-faire neoliberalism in economic policy (Bush described Reagan's supply-side policies as "voodoo economics"). Unfortunately by the 1980s Bush Sr. found himself in a party already dominated by extremists on all of these issues. And that ultimately led to the unraveling of Bush's presidency, a decline in Republican power and prestige, and the beginning of a new era of Democratic dominance beginning in 1992.

    It wouldn't surprise me if Bush 41 was a supporter of same-sex marriage all along. As a congressman, he was known to be quite socially liberal, in fact he was nicknamed "Rubbers" because of his strong activism advocating for federal funding of contraception and family-planning services. The Republican Party just doesn't allow dissenting views on such issues anymore, unfortunately.
     
  3. blueberrymuffin

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    Yeah, he was one of those now non-existent moderate repubs, not exactly like his born again nitwit son. I give him more respect on this than Clinton, who of course pushed and signed the so-called DOMA into law. And of course actually going to a wedding and doing this is more than just words.
     
  4. AwesomGaytheist

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    Democratic dominance only lasted two election cycles, Rakkaus. Democrats lost both the House and Senate in 1994 because of Bill Clinton's unpopularity and didn't win it back until 2006. This was when the South completely switched parties and permanently stopped voting Democratic. This came 30 years after Lyndon Johnson said he had signed the South over to the GOP when the Democrats passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    I think the Tea Party both saved and drowned the Republican Party in the end. When Hillary finally declares for President, the polls right now have her carrying Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and incredibly, Texas. Hillary could potentially win more than 400 electoral votes in 2016, and while Democrats won't win the House in 2014, they make make enough gains that it's possible to win back the House in 2016.

    If the election were held today, Hillary would defeat a generic Republican 434-104, the biggest landslide since Bush 41 won 426 when he trounced Mike Dukakis in 1988.

    The polls right now show Republicans with a net gain of 2 seats in the Senate, which would give Democrats a 51-47-2 majority, the same as after the 2010 election, but the two independents caucus with the Democrats. Those two seats are Democrats in red states, right now we're looking at Mark Pryor not being reelected in Arkansas and the retiring Senator from Montana Max Baucus might be replaced by a Republican, though popular former Democratic governor Brian Schweitzer does have a fighting chance. Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu seems safe for re-election, and her brother might win the governor's race in Louisiana in 2015. Democrat Tim Johnson from South Dakota is in big trouble.

    Republicans need 5 seats to win the Senate, but that's not going to happen. Democrats will pick up at least one seat, as when one of New Jersey's Democratic Senators died shortly after the 2012 election, Chris Christie appointed a Republican to fill his seat. He's not running for a full term, and the GOP candidate for that seat is dead in the water. Cory Booker's headed to the Senate.

    Democrats on the other hand will be able to keep several retiring seats so Republicans probably won't win the Senate. Here in Michigan, Congressman Gary Peters is clobbering his opponent, former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who I can tell you from experience is a f***ing idiot, and in Minnesota, SNL alum Al Franken will have an easier time getting re-elected than he did getting elected.

    I think Democrats are going to make their biggest gains in the statehouses. Democrat Terry McAulliffe is leading by 6 points against his Tea Party, mentally ill Republican opponent Ken Cuccinnelli in Virginia, Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett is already down 10 points to a generic Democrat 14 months before the election, Rick Scott in Florida's approval rating is somewhere in the 30's, and Maine governor and part-time pervert Paul LePage is nearly underwater. The only hope Democrats have of keeping Illinois' chief executive is if incumbent Pat Quinn gets primaried, as he has a 27% approval rating, and he has absolutely zero chance of being reelected. In Rhode Island, deeply unpopular Democratic governor Lincoln Chafee is taking 60% of the vote in the polls.

    You've now been updated on the 2014 and 2016 elections. And this could all change again tomorrow.

    ---------- Post added 25th Sep 2013 at 09:42 PM ----------

    Clinton didn't push DOMA. Republicans knew the 1996 election was in the shitter for them, and so desperate for something to use against Clinton, they sent him DOMA, expecting he'd veto the bill and they'd crucify him over it come November. Republicans were kicking themselves when he quietly signed the bill in the middle of the night after getting back to the White House while on the campaign trail.
     
  5. Mike92

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    I like George H.W. Bush a lot. Classy guy.
     
  6. Argentwing

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    Despite being confined to a wheelchair, he's a stand-up guy. One of the last politicians we could be proud of.
     
  7. Rakkaus

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    Oh I was referring primarily to American politics at the national level; in particular, presidential elections, since those are the only truly federal elections we have. George H.W. Bush's presidency marked the end of an era of Republican dominance from 1968 through 1988, and ushered in the modern era of Democratic dominance that began with Bush's defeat in 1992.

    Bush's victory in 1988 made it the last election in which the GOP was the clear majority party, with broad national appeal. It was the last time that the Republican Party was truly competitive nationally, in every region of the country, not only in the South, Great Plains, and Mountain West, but also even in the Northeast and West Coast and Upper Midwest, carrying states like California, Vermont, and Illinois. (Not-so) coincidentally, 1988 was the last time that the Republicans held a stranglehold over America's moderate suburban voters, who liked tax cuts and 'law & order', but were not at all interested in waging 'culture wars' against abortion and gay marriage and putting Evangelical Christianity into our schools and government.

    In 1992, 18 states that had been won for the GOP by either Bush in 1988 or Reagan in 1984, flipped to the Democrats and never looked back. These include big prizes like New York, California, Illinois, Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts. All of these are now super-solid blue states today.

    Since 1992, the Democrats have won the popular vote in 5 out of the past six elections. The only time the GOP has won was when George W. Bush used his power of incumbency to squeak out a 2-point win in 2004, even though his incumbency was illegitimate to begin with since he lost the popular vote in 2000.

    Democrats today also have major advantages on the electoral college map. The math just doesn't work for Republicans. So I definitely think 1992 marked a turning point where we transititioned from a Republican-majority era (1968-1988) to a Democratic-majority era (1992-).
     
  8. LILuke

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    Wow I am amazed. I have never been the biggest fan of George H.W. Bush, but this is pretty amazing. My hat is off to our former Commander in Chief, a true act of class!
     
  9. MtnFr3sh

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    Thank god... :slight_smile:
     
  10. BryanM

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    Glad to have another big public figure on our side for this. I obviously never lived during Bush 41's presidency, so I can't really say anything good/bad about his presidency. I heard a month back he also shaved his head because one of his secret service agent's sons had leukemia. He sounds like a nice guy.
     
  11. Aussie792

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    I'm so glad that a figure the conservatives tend to like has done such a good thing. Although I will disagree on quite a lot of what he's done, he's still a man I respect very much. I remember when George Bush II was re-elected, my parents both commented on how much more they liked his father.
     
  12. blueberrymuffin

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    Why would they be kicking themselves, when it allowed them to shit on legally married gay couples for several years (MA 2006-2013)? Clinton did publicly oppose same sex marriage at the time, he did sign it rather than veto, and he's never actually apologized. Presidents are supposed to be leaders, and he failed to uphold the constitution as well when he signed that. Made me sick when he was given a GLAAD award. 83 congressmen had the courage to vote No against so-called DOMA. They deserve it more.

    Anyway, i'm not usually in the least into politics, but that Hillary stuff is interesting i must admit. I have this impression of her being such a polarizing figure, yet you are saying she could win southern states. Well, 3 years is eternity in politics, so we'll see.
     
  13. Beware Of You

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    Its a shame that his son was such a bigot.

    Still a republican who I may respect? Really?
     
  14. LILuke

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    I know, it feels wrong to say doesn't it?
     
  15. AwesomGaytheist

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    I answered that, why they were kicking themselves, was because the only reason for sending him the bill was in hopes that Clinton would veto the bill and they would then have something to use against him in November because they already knew the '96 election was a lost cause.

    Clinton later admitted DOMA was a mistake, and he was the second President to support gay marriage. Jimmy Carter was the first, if I remember correctly.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/u...ense-of-marriage-act.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0