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View From the Hill



It's been a conservative kind of week here in gay D.C. with GOProud, a new gay conservative group, launching on to the national stage and Log Cabin Republicans hosting its national convention, which will wrap up on Saturday with an appearance by Meghan McCain -- yes, daughter of the senator -- who has practically burst on to the marriage-equality scene in the last month.

In case you haven't really been following Republicans -- who, admittedly, have seemed a little lackluster these days on the Hill -- Ms. McCain is an exception. In fact, here's a dose of straight talk from her Daily Beast blog post this week, "Memo to the GOP: Go Gay":

"Recently, I seemed to have rocked a few individuals within my party by saying that I am a pro-life, pro-gay-marriage Republican. So if anyone is still confused, let me spell it out for you. I believe life begins at conception and I believe that people who fall in love should have the option to get married."

Well, thank you, Ms. McCain, for revealing that the two positions are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, have little to do with each other. Although polling suggests that a growing number of millennials agree, the current leaders of the GOP haven't quite gotten the memo yet. But one person who did is McCain's former chief campaign strategist, Steve Schmidt, who made a pro-marriage equality pronouncement shortly after Ms. McCain's revelation.

So ponder this: What do you get when two high-profile, under-40 Republicans come out for same-sex marriage in the space of a month? While it may fall short of a conservative revolution, I dare say it's the first salvo in a battle for the soul of the party. In fact, even as early 2012 hopefuls Palin, Huckabee, and Romney jockey for socially conservative positions, others like Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. from the very red state of Utah are staking out moderate positions on gay issues. Huntsman delivered a Valentine shocker when he announced his support for civil unions even though about 70% of his state disagrees with him. No, it's not marriage, but it sure is a proactive, affirmative statement for a Republican in the early stages of plotting his path to the White House, and it sure is exactly the same position President Obama holds.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Brad Bailey
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 1:38:00 AM
    Hometown: Fayetteville, Arkansas

    Comment:

    I have only two words to describe GOProud members and Log Cabin Republicans: Stockholm syndrome! It doesn't matter if you are staunchly conservative in every other aspect. If you are openly gay, you will ALWAYS be on the outside looking in. "Christian values" are about all the Reps have left to hold onto, and they're holding on to them with a death grip. One of those "values" happens to be the belief that homosexuality is sinful. And if you think that finding a gay "gene" will change their minds, think again. I've visited Christian conservative blogs, and NOTHING is going to change these people's minds. Fifty or sixty generations worth of biblically-inspired homophobia will not suddenly vanish because someone proves that homosexuality has a biological causation. Were that to happen, the official view would be something like this: "God has given you this sinful nature so that you might rise above it and receive His full grace."

  • Name: Mario
    Date posted: 4/20/2009 6:48:00 PM
    Hometown: Portland, Oregon

    Comment:

    The GOP are as homophobic as it gets and if Gay conservatives want to brainwash themselves into believing that the religious right gives a damn about them then they can go ahead and waste their lives selling out. I wouldnt vote for a republican if you paid me. Ive seen the damage republicans do to the world and Id rather not go to hell for supporting the most evil and corrupt political party on the planet.

  • Name: Stephen
    Date posted: 4/19/2009 3:00:00 PM
    Hometown: Huntsville

    Comment:

    "I know a number of gay Republicans and their ongoing struggle revolves around a question of whether they should be gay first or conservative first." ....they can only CHOOSE to be one of those things. If its that much of a struggle maybe they should try being STRAIGHT oh yeah, they cant! I don't know, maybe I'm just naive but i don't mind paying higher taxes and government spending it on THE COMMON GOOD like roads and infer structure, health care, and schools. I tend to believe that those things will benefit society which is why I'm a Liberal it has very little to do with my orientation. Of course I'm black so i could just be looking for a hand out.

  • Name: Nathan
    Date posted: 4/17/2009 5:48:00 PM
    Hometown: Lake Worth

    Comment:

    If it was just about gay rights, I would not have voted for Obama (I wouldn't have voted McCain either). I actually happen to be liberal. The GOP should hold their heads down in shame for their foreign and environmental policies. I guess if I was otherwise conservative, I would have voted McCain in spite of his views on gay rights. Most Democrats, including Obama, don't go far enough on gay rights. They think they can throw us scraps and we will lap it up.



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