Libertarians to Gays: We Want You

Battered gay voter syndrome? In the wake of the failure to advance “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal in the U.S. Senate this week, the Libertarian Party pleaded with gay voters to stop running back to Democrats “like abused spouses who keep returning to their aggressors.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, “Libertarian Party Chairman Mark Hinkle issued a statement Thursday pointing to the continued ban on gays serving openly in the military and a federal law that lets states not recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

“‘President Obama and the Democrats had almost a year of complete control of the federal government,’ said Hinkle. ‘They could have repealed ‘don’t ask don’t tell.’ They could have gotten rid of the Defense of Marriage Act. But they didn’t do either.’ He added that ‘the Libertarian Party wants to break this self-destructive behavior’ by gay voters who continue to support the Democrats.”

The Libertarian appeal raises the question of whether Republicans, who yesterday released a “Pledge to America” complete with support for “traditional marriage,” stand to benefit the most if gay voters jump ship to a third party.