Following the gay marriage debate in New York, Stephen H. Miller observes:
What’s going on in the New York marriage struggle shows why winning over Republicans (even just a few!) matters greatly. But those who run our leading LGBT political lobbies still seems to be firmly committed to a one-party strategy. Their identity politics is all bound up in being Democrats.
Indeed.
(Emphasis added.)
With Steve’s words in mind, I was wondering how HRC’s leadership thinks they can influence members of the majority caucus (you know those who set the agenda, chair the committees) in the U.S. House of Representatives now that the group has endorsed Barack Obama for reelection before the first ballots have even been cast in the contest for the GOP nomination.
I mean, isn’t part of their work lobbying our federal legislators? And showing just how eager you are to back one party’s standard bearer is not likely to endear your organization to the opposing party’s leadership. Just sayin’, ya know?
“Dealing” with the gay left reminds me of “dealing” with my son when he was 13. The big difference is : my son grew up.
This is supposedly the LAST New Yorkers for Marriage Equality videos. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofDLFnH4WTY&feature=player_embedded
and then you have Ken Mehlman lobbying folk back on 6/6
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid769549532?bctid=979235285001
This is the exact same argument I make to my black friends/family when arguing about why I am Conservative/Republican. At the very least its just not good business to put all your eggs in one basket. If you have no stake in one political party, you have no sway or say when they swing into power.
The moment Republicans escape the stereotype of “racist” and “bigot,” the Democratic Party will never win another election in this country. Fact.
So the activists in the Gay Left don’t want the GOP to become more tolerant, or they will lose their monopoly on gay voters.
Hmm.. and I didn’t think the left liked monopolies. Oh well.
Mark, have you been talking to my libertarian-inclined nephew in college? He said almost the identical thing you did in your first ¶.
And your second ¶ is pretty much spot-on.
This is why some Republicans are reluctant to show support for gay rights. They know that no matter what they do they aren’t going to get the majority support from gay people.
And furthering Mark’s point, the irony is the Dems have lost more of their monopoly on the “Gay vote” than they are willing to admit if my own experiences are any indication. When he was elected, I had thought that Obama was at worst a misguided but well intentioned leftist. Since having the scales drop from my eyes in late 2009 and vocalizing this revelation, I could suddenly count on one hand and then two hands and now probably three or four hands, other of my gay friends who feel similarly to how I do about the Left but are less vocal about it…. and even that seems to be gradually changing. The Left establishment and their HRC/GLAAD lackeys have a rude awakening coming around the corner.
MV, and sometimes they won’t even get acknowledgment from gay groups of their support of DADT repeal or recognition of same-sex civil unions.
Bruce tweeted this link. . .good one
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/19490/netroots-nation-and-rightonline-sometimes-our-parties-get-in-the-way-of-problemsolving
MV is correct. I am well-acquainted with a Republican delegate I campaigned for in Maryland. She isn’t against gay marriage, but she knows there is zero political gain for her in supporting it; it will get her nothing from the gays and grief from her own base.
Republican New York State Senator Roy McDonald is one of the few Republicans who’s said he will vote to legalize gay marriage in New York.
Reacting to pressure from the Conservative Party, anti-gay marriage groups, and religious leaders, McDonald gave a statement to the press which included a remarkable quote.
From The New York Daily News:
“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters.
“You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing.
“I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”
Republican New York State Senator Roy McDonald is one of the few Republicans who’s said he will vote to legalize gay marriage in New York.
Reacting to pressure from the Conservative Party, anti-gay marriage groups, and religious leaders, McDonald gave a statement to the press which included a remarkable quote.
From The New York Daily News:
“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters.
“You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f@&k it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing.
“I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”
As a strong promoter of this very concept I think we should remember that 25-25 percent of gays already vote republican. It’s the republican party that’s done little to nothing to accept gays into the mainstream of the party openly. Bush had little to no blowback in 2000 when he had a gay man address the republican convention, but than veered hard to the right with the marriage amendment in 2004. Let’s not forget that almost every candidate has been on the AFA talk show with Bryan Fisher and called for the return of DADT. So you can blame this on gays voting vocally democrat but you can spread some of that blame on the republicans who go out of their way to act like gays aren’t fully vested members of the Republic deserving of equal rights.
lol 25-35%
sorry about the double post. . .filter probably didn’t like the four letter word in 12 but modified it in 13
I’m confused. Isn’t GoProud and the Log Cabin Republicans supposed to be the go-to group for influencing conservative/republican law-makers? Expecting a liberal HRC to pull that off is a bit like expecting the Easter Bunny to bring you Christmas gift.
Or to put it another way… if you’re dissatisfied with HRC’s track-record of successfully influencing conservative/republican law-makers, stop putting all of your eggs in one basket and create a conservative counter-part.
JohninNM, problem is is that HRC puts itself forward as being able to influence both parties. They don’t bill themselves as a left-wing group, but as a gay advocacy organization.
The Republican Party is having an internal battle with the Social Conservatives and the Social Libertarians within the party. The Social Conservatives have been more support of Republicans than gays ever have and they might be afraid to lose them especially for a group of people who more often than not only vote Democrat.