John McCain
isn’t perfect on gay issues. But New Republic
editor Jamie Kirchick thinks gay voters should
approach the Arizona senator with an open mind.
Sen. John McCain
aggravates more people in Washington than perhaps any
other politician. Championing reform for campaign finance
and immigration alongside Russ Feingold and Ted
Kennedy has long made McCain a thorn in the side of
conservatives. His steadfast support for the Iraq war
alienates liberals who admire McCain for the reasons
conservatives despise him. And McCain has disappointed
gays.
But while McCain
has racked up an unimpressive voting record in Congress
-- he supports “don’t ask, don’t
tell” and DOMA, and opposes adding sexual
orientation to the federal hate-crimes bill and ENDA -- what
distinguishes him from many of his Republican colleagues is
that he has also taken some courageous stands.
McCain was one of
the very few outspoken Republican opponents of the
Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate, calling the
proposed ban “un-Republican.” This was a
crucial initiative for the religious right, endorsed
by President Bush and used as a wedge issue in the 2004
presidential campaign. McCain spent far more political
capital in standing against this divisive amendment
than Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or, for that
matter, any Democrat. The Human Rights Campaign
praised his “ironclad opposition to undermining the
Constitution” and said that “all
senators should follow Senator McCain’s
example.”
McCain’s
opposition to the FMA is emblematic of his tempestuous
relationship with the religious right. After the bruising
2000 Republican presidential primary in South
Carolina, McCain labeled the reverends Jerry Falwell
and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance” and
“corrupting influences on religion and
politics.” Sure, McCain spoke at Falwell’s
Liberty University in 2006, but he didn’t pander. At
the end of the day, McCain loathes the religious
right, and the feeling is mutual. A notoriously
stubborn man, he will probably not feel the need to appease
the antigay wing of his party, especially considering how
outspoken its members have been in their denunciation
of him. Evangelical leader James Dobson has already
said he will not support McCain.
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