Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain has previously insisted he supports California’s Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
Then, last week, conservative group Protect Marriage said that McCain backed their unholy mission: passing an amendment again restricting nuptials to one man, one woman. McCain’s camp didn’t reply to those allegations, but the homo-politicos over at Log Cabin Republicans dug into the candidate and confirmed the flip-flop.
Let the political expediency begin!
From wonder woman Kerry Eleveld:
A statement released Tuesday by the Log Cabin Republicans read: “Late last week, the group pushing California’s anti-marriage constitutional amendment released an email from a McCain staffer saying the Senator backed the amendment. We now have confirmation that this represents the Senator’s view.”
LCR president Patrick Sammon noted in the release that supporting the amendment is inconsistent with McCain’s belief in federalism. “Unfortunately, his position on this amendment hurts gay and lesbian families. We obviously disagree with Senator McCain on this issue and do not believe he should have interjected himself into this state issue,” Sammon said in the release. “Backing California’s ban sends the wrong signal to the independents who will decide this election because it creates the impression that he’s pandering to social conservative leaders.”
McCain’s about face should come as no surprise. The Republican supported an amendment blocking gay marriage in his home state of California. Also, he’s been kissing conservative ass in an effort to shore up support among traditionally right-leaning religious types.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
While McCain’s no doubt hoping this subtle shift will seduce voters, as George W. Bush once did, two recent developments threaten a nostalgic master plan.
First and foremost, there’s Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee who’s hoping to steal away Evangelical and other formerly faithful conservative voters. Then, of course, there’s the trouble within the increasingly fractured Evangelical movement, particularly among the youth, a staple of Obama’s campaign:
…McCain’s candidacy has tamped down [Evangelical] enthusiasm, exposing fractures that make a rallying of the troops in the pews unlikely.
…
Young evangelicals reflect their pastors’ diffidence. As conservative as their parents in most respects–and more conservative in opposing abortion–many young evangelicals are fatigued by the culture war (and have greater worries about $4 gas). They say they don’t want to be Republican just because that’s what’s expected. Only 40 percent of evangelicals 18 to 29 identify as Republican, down from 55 percent in 2001, according to the Pew Research Center. This slide correlates to the recent broadening of the evangelical agenda to encompass social-justice and global-poverty issues, as well as to Bush’s low popularity ratings. Alan Jacobs, 49, an English professor at Wheaton College in Illinois, says the younger evangelicals he teaches tell him, “I have a very deep and instinctive attachment to the pro-life movement, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to vote for someone who holds the views that Obama has, but I don’t see how I can vote for John McCain. So I’m kind of stuck.”
Unless McCain and his team want to blow gay marriage into a national issue – a tactic that has previously worked and has lost some of its steam – then the Senator’s switcheroo may not mean much in the long run. Except for the gays who support his candidacy. Hopefully they’re starting to learn that McCain’s “straight talk express” derailed ages ago.
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Kevin Foster
I’ve learned to wait 20 minutes if I don’t like McCain’s position on something; it’s sure to change.
Sean
“The Republican supported an amendment blocking gay marriage in his home state of California.”
You mean Arizona, of course. Don’t call us California; we don’t like our big brother. :p
CHURCHILL-Y
“he’s been kissing conservative ass in an effort to shore up support among traditionally right-leaning religious types.” like Obama.
The differences between them sadly are becoming smaller and smaller with each passing week.
emb
Queerty, if you posted an article about pretty little puppies Some People would find a way, somehow, to work in some bitchery about Obama.
This post, for instance, is about how mccain is a waffling, untrustworthy, flipflopping panderer who will stop at nothing to continue stuffing a wacko rightwing ideology down America’s collective throat. He said gay marriage was a “state issue”, but seems to reject decisions made by state bodies (like the California Supreme Court) in favor of the preferences of well-funded out-of-state religious wackos.
Could we just leave it at that? There are more than enough opportunities to dump on Obama. Focus, people.
abracadaver
Insightful, Churchill. I find it almost hilarious that LGBT Americans (actually, most Americans in general) continue to fall for and reinforce the party-line mentality. Obviously our community isn’t as hip and smart as it likes to think, as it clearly hasn’t figured out yet that the puppet on the left hand and the puppet on the right hand are still worked by THE SAME HANDS.
mark
“our community isn’t as hip and smart as it likes to think, as it clearly hasn’t figured out yet that the puppet on the left hand and the puppet on the right hand are still worked by THE SAME HANDS.”
Abracadaver,
Four things to say to you,
Thomas
Scalia
Roberts
Scalito
If you think pigs in the Reich Wing are the same as those on the Left…you don’t know sh*t.
Tom
Well said Mark. I love the pigs in the Reich Wing line. Unfortunately, people who don’t see the differences between the right and the left (God, I hate labels) more than likely don’t know who the four names are you identified.
Here’s a hint Abracadaver, they are not four of the seven dwarfs.
Beej the Pink Sheep
Love him or hate him, Obama is the key to our equality. The future President will stock the future Supreme Court. I am a registered Republican who will be voting for Obama.
mark
How about gay republicans being ignored as gays, by LGBTs, as they are ignored as republicans by the GOP?
maybe they’ll take the hint….nobody wants your sorry a$$es.
RyanInSacto
I am so thankful that CHURCHILL-Y was here to bring up Obama. CHURCHILL-Y, haven’t you figured out a way to work in your Obama-is-awful-and-doesn’t-care-about-the-gayz into the post about Jake Gyllenhaal yet? Is everything OK? Try something like this:
“Jake Gyllenhaal wants to hire a female assistant but BARRY HUSSEIN OBAMA HATES TEH GAYZ LOL OMG LOL.”
See how easy that was?
blake
RyanInSacto,
How right you are! Church-Nazi’s fake disappointment in Obama is hilarious considering the volumes of anti Obama hate he’s spewed, and the racist justifications Church-Nazi provides for his views. You’ve made it clear, Church-Nazi, in your posts that you have strong anti-black biases, even providing links to a white supremacist website to justify your beliefs.
Church-Nazi, your intellectual dishonesty here just continues to demonstrate your lack of integrity and moral authority. You will twist any situation to slam Obama.
Here’s a posting on McCain and his continued anti-gay ways. All you, Church-Nazi, can do is to spin it against Obama.
The U.S. Supreme court is up for grabs. The five conservatives, 4 ultraconservatives, Thomas
Scalia, Roberts, Alito, and one moderate Republican, Kennedy, overturned Brown, the decision that ended segregation in schools.
McCain has promised to appoint conservative justices who will strike down Roe v. Wade. The conservatives on the court today voted against ending the sodomy laws. If a case goes in front of them to kill that decision, they will throw out Lawrence.
Church-Nazi, you always avoid discussing McCain’s documented anti-gay history and his support of anti-gay forces.
Puddy Katz
My understanding is that he said he supports the right of Californians to vote on the amendment which is not exactly the same as supporting the amendment.
Or did I read that wrong?
Weazel words and not exactly the “straight talk express” but I think not as bad as the gay press is making it out to be.
I oppose such amendments, would work in any state I was in to make sure one did not get on the ballot, but once one was on the ballot I would support people’s rights to vote on it. That’s called democracy!
If the Supreme Court declared such ballot measures unconstitutional that would be best, but that is unlikely to happen. So until then we have to play by the rules and defeat these things at the ballot box, but I can’t imagine anyone would argue that people don’t have the right to place and vote on (at least presently) constitutional ballot measures.
abracadaver
The first three names that Mark offers (and Tom posits covertly that I won’t know) are U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The fourth (Scalito) is an unknown entity to me. I’m going to assume that Mark means “Alito,” another Justice.
Guess spelling and/or fact checking isn’t an LGBT strong suit, either. But vitriol and spleen-venting in place of informed opinion certainly is.
abracadaver
I’m not sure where Blake is getting his information on the Supreme Court. No decisions have been handed down since June 26, 2008. No conservatives “voted” yesterday (7/1/08) against ending sodomy laws (the Supreme Court votes as a body, not as a body politic). Since the original decision in Lawrence v. Texas was upheld 6-3 and not 5-4, it is extremely unlikely that enough votes exist (even today) to overturn Lawrence.
My question is how many here simply believed his rhetoric without a fact-check?
Never underestimate the power of uninformed people in electronic cafes, regardless of their party.
mark
Abrabcadaver,
“Guess spelling and/or fact checking isn’t an LGBT strong suit, either. But vitriol and spleen-venting in place of informed opinion certainly is.”
yeah ya got me, Scalito was a misspell…you are dumber f*cktard than I first gave you credit for.
As for vitriol….back off B*TCH before I scauld you.