Quietly, the Republican Party is embracing gays

Hopefully this will shift the party's stance on marriage in time.

 

I guess I just will never trust Republicans. I mean, don't forget the primaries. So much anti-gay hate from people who were leaders in the party. Here are some of the quotes I found disgusting:

“It isn’t that some gay will get some rights. It’s that everyone else in our state will lose rights. For instance, parents will lose the right to protect and direct the upbringing of their children. Because our K-12 public school system, of which ninety per cent of all youth are in the public school system, they will be required to learn that homosexuality is normal, equal and perhaps you should try it. And that will occur immediately, that all schools will begin teaching homosexuality.” ~ Michelle Bachmann - 2003


“You can say I’m a hater. But I would argue I’m a lover. I’m a lover of traditional families and of the right of children to have a mother and father. I would argue that the future of America hangs in the balance, because the future of the family hangs in the balance. Isn’t that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?” ~ Rick Santorum - 2012


“I think marriage should be protected at the federal level also [...] I used to believe that it could be just handled by the states, but there’s a movement going on to basically take the teeth out of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, and that could cause an unraveling, so we do need some protection at the federal level because of that, and so yes, I would support legislation that would say that it’s between a man and a woman." ~ Herman Cain - 2012


“I believe that marriage is between a man and woman. It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just fundamentally goes against everything we know.” ~ Newt Gingrich - 2012


"Marriage is not an evolving paradigm, as the court said, but it is a fundamental and universal social institution that bears a real and substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of all the people of Massachusetts. We need an amendment that restores and protects our societal definition of marriage, [and] blocks judges from changing that definition ..... at this point, the only way to reestablish the status quo ..... is to preserve the definition of marriage in the federal Constitution before courts redefine it out of existence." ~ Mitt Romney - 2004

Most of these quotes are from the most recent primary campaign... and these people are the party leaders. What I think is that Republicans looked at the polls, saw overwhelming support of gay marriage and decided they could try one of two things. A). a disinformation campaign like they've done in the past against gays to drive those numbers down and get people scared of gays once again or B). not mention it at all or very little. So far, the Romney campaign has gone with B.

What happened in North Carolina is not a microcosm of the Republican party, that is the norm. I don't trust beltway news organizations like McClatchy or the Washington Post because they've been used in the past for propaganda by both sides. It's not news or journalism if you're just relaying what a politician says.

 

I have to laugh at a few statements:

Michelle Bachmann

Lol yes cause clearly schools will say, hey give a shot as sucking dick boys!

Newt Gingrich:

Really? Then I guess Canada, 7 States, Belgium, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Iceland and Norway are not part of recorded history anymore. Damn.

Mitt Romney:

Yeah it is, get with the times. -_- Oh wait, forgot who I'm talking about lol

 

it is a continuation of a start, but if only they had the testacles (or in the case of female republicans, the vaginal fortitude) to do it open, loud, and proud, instead of hushing it like cowards, and trying to slide under the radar.

 

Democrats use to be the same though. It wasn't that long ago and you couldn't be democrat or republican and openly gay. Some democrats still pander to the anti-gay crowd in some areas even. Point being, change takes time. If we're going to punish the Republican party for being anti-gay even after they have changed then we should do that to the democrats as well.

 

but the democrats began there change before it was a majority popularity issue.

Republicans, for the most part, are only changing now that a majority of americans support it.

It is a definable and quantifiable difference between the evolution on the issue of one party to the others.

 

Some Democrats began supporting it before it became a more popular opinion. Just like there had always been activists against slavery. I would bet that the only democrats who came out in strong support of gay rights were running in super liberal districts where opinions on gay rights were not representative of the majority of the country. There certaintly haven't been many national candidates that fit the bill of "fighting against majority oppression" in the sense that they went against the majority opinion of their constituents (ex. What do you know Obama only came out in support when he was forced to by Biden and the polls showed that indepedents are in favor).

Personally I don't like all the obvious hate and generalizing thats done on this site about an entire party and the millions of people who vote for them. When ever something like this article gets posted all of the replies are just about attacking the party and are completely negative. Why not be positive about these clearly good and important political developments?

 

but a majority of democrats supported it before it was considered publicly popular. thats the point.

it is invalid to compare the democratic evolution on this issue with the republican evolution, because they are dramaticly different.

The democrats did it when it was a risky, unpopular move overall.

republicans are doing it now because it is risk and unpopular to be anti-gay now that public opinion is shifting in favor of lgbt people.

That is like saying that the person who has spent the last forty years giving 25 bucks a month out of their paycheck to funding cancer research is equal to the person who today decided to make a 5 dollars one time donation to cancer research.

yes, it is nice that they are chipping in, but don't say it is the same.

 

When did this dramatic risky support of gay rights come about? I was always under the impression that Democratic polticians began supporting it because their powers bases happened to be in liberal cities, so it wasn't risky at all, their consitituents already supported it for the most part.

---------- Post added 26th May 2012 at 02:19 AM ----------

Also no one said its the same, you are just putting words in my mouth.

 

your assuming that your the only person I am talking too P

 

This ^^^Thank you.

Listen, to all of you people on here that think all these Democratic politicians rushing to your side because you think they like you need to put your crack pipe down.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the Democrats (not all mind you, but a good portion of them) look and pander to the gays the same way they do the blacks..and they hate doing it because they view both as a pain in the ass and people who are never satisfied...and I know that because I've heard them say it behind closed doors first hand.

There are some true believers in the cause in public office for sure..but that's not the majority of them.

 

So to disagree with you means a person is a crackhead?

 

Why that's EXACTLY what I meant by my entire post :rolle:

 

Bottom line? We win big when both parties are fighting over our money and vote. The more pro-gay Republican's that win and hold onto power, the better our chances of getting everything we want and then some.

Politicians shouldn't be the only ones making calculated political decisions. I certainly do when it comes to my money and vote. I remember both my friends and my enemies. The friends get rewarded, and the enemies get punished. This is why Obama is getting my vote, time, and money.

If Republican's want my time, money, and vote - then it isn't hard to earn it.

 

There are some pro-gay republican groups in some states. The main one I can think of is Iowa Republicans For Freedom. They made me belive in my state again.(sadly not my policical party, I'm liberal/independent)