If Tea Party movement is racist, gay marriage movement is a hate campaign
As readers of this blog know, I wavered on voting “No” on Proposition 8 in the fall of 2008 in large measure because of the raft of nasty e-mails I received from opponents of the ballot measure. They spent more time attacking the initiative’s proponents (often in vicious terms) than they did promoting the benefits of state recognition of same-sex marriage.
Fortunately, about a week before the election, I saw a happily married lesbian couple who reminded me that the opposition to Prop 8 was not all based on hate. I voted, “No.” While I had wanted the haters to lose, I did not believe the traditional definition of marriage should be codified in the state constitution.
Now, if we were to borrow the Barney Frank standard, we would have to define the gay marriage movement by its fringe elements — and call it a hate movement as it includes many people who promote hatred of social conservatives and even rank-and-file Republicans, not to mention anyone who happens to believe marriage is defined by sexual difference. (And I don’t recall leaders of the movement “differentiating themselves” from the hateful rhetoric on the movement’s margins.)
We all know that’s not true, not all gay marriage advocates are haters; many gay marriage advocates believe extending the benefits of state recognition of this ancient institution to same-sex couples will be a boon not just for gay people, but also for society at large. And they make strong arguments in the most civil of language.
Simply put, you can’t define a movement by its fringe elements.
So, if Barney and his ideological confrères wish to tar the GOP and Tea Parties with labels which refer only to the most extreme of our fringe followers, then, fine, he’d better expect any cause he supports to be defined by its extremes.
10 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I don’t believe that about the TEA PARTY Movement it’s full of Libertarians and they want less government in people’s lives all people’s lives. TEA is for Taxed Enough Already I don’t see any issues but fiscal accountability and responsibility by those people we elected to serve our best interest. How has Barney Frank served Americans best interest by blocking regulation of Fannie and Freddie that touched off our financial crisis when the housing bubble burst. That’s not about Mr Frank’s orientation that’s about his ethics and morality. I don’t think he is stupid so it’s not because of incompetency. I think he would like all the criticism to be personal than he wouldn’t have to explain his poor performance as a public servant to us.
Captain Stimulus from D.C., shows up at Missoula,
Montana Tax Day – Tea Party.
Captain Stimulus: There is going to be 5 border stations built in
Montana, and they’re gonna get 77 Million dollars of the Stimulus fund. ”
Those border stations, they are very busy some of them get 2 or 3
vehicles a day…..
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2010/04/missoula-montana-tax-day-tea-party-15.html
Comment by keyboard jockey — April 16, 2010 @ 2:11 pm - April 16, 2010
P8 was voted on by a large portion of folks against gay marriage who only went to the polls to vote FOR 0bama.
The irony is a bit heavy there. The “fringe” was out voted by it’s “mainstream”, yet the fringe is mad at the opposing party’s members who were never likely to vote in favor, not it’s own party who had the majority in all other respects.
Comment by JP — April 16, 2010 @ 2:48 pm - April 16, 2010
Well it would be nice if we toned down hyperbolic statements about other people but then all political discussions would be boring.
Comment by darkeyedresolve — April 16, 2010 @ 3:07 pm - April 16, 2010
Cleverly put, darkeyed!
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — April 16, 2010 @ 3:14 pm - April 16, 2010
[...] to Attack Women More (video) GayPatriot: Left-wing Narrative At Odds With Tea Party Reality and If Tea Party movement is racist, gay marriage movement is a hate campaign JammieWearingFool: Hospitality Exec Plans to Crash Boston ‘Tea Party Express of [...]
Pingback by Bravo: Oregon “Crash The Tea Party” Teacher Jason Levin, Lying Leftwing Nutjob Who Wants Other Lefties to Wear Nazi Uniforms to Tea Parties, Under School District Investigation « Frugal Café Blog Zone — April 17, 2010 @ 6:27 am - April 17, 2010
There’s a title with a false analogy
Comment by Kevin — April 17, 2010 @ 10:08 am - April 17, 2010
Howso Kevin?
Comment by The_Livewire — April 17, 2010 @ 12:11 pm - April 17, 2010
It’s not about “if the Tea Party movement is racist,” because it’s not. Regardless of that, the gay marriage movement is one of hatred or at least one of anti-religion bigotry.
Comment by William — April 17, 2010 @ 7:59 pm - April 17, 2010
Rather than deny your Tea-Tard fringe and well uniformed membership perhaps you should understand that you are known by the company you keep.
Comment by ActiveCitizen54 — April 18, 2010 @ 6:30 pm - April 18, 2010
So ActiveCitizen, your juvenile insults aside, you’re admitting that the President is a terrorist (Bill Ayers) Communist (VanJones) and Truther (VanJones, again)? Thank you.
Comment by The_Livewire — April 19, 2010 @ 9:40 am - April 19, 2010