Nobody in his right mind would think that Ted Cruz is a squish on gay issues. Needless to say, the GOP presidential race is crowded with people who fit that description. Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have been frantically trying to portray Cruz as soft on marriage equality in a feeble effort to stop Cruz’s momentum in the polls and in fundraising. (For the record, Cruz has been endorsed by the National Organization for Marriage, which should settle the question of his credentials.) Marco Rubio has added his own twist, trying to out-Cruz Cruz.
The ostensible reason for the attacks is a comment that Cruz made at a private event with supporters in New York. As reported by Politico, Cruz was asked at the event if fighting gay marriage was “a top-three priority” for him. Cruz’s reply was “no,” but with enough nuance that you shouldn’t get your hopes up.
“I would say defending the Constitution is a top priority,” Cruz said. “And that cuts across the whole spectrum — whether it’s defending [the] First Amendment, defending religious liberty.”
What Cruz’s comments boil down to is that fighting gay marriage is part of a broader anti-gay agenda and not a standalone issue, which is consistent with Cruz’s record of opposing all things gay (with the exception of gay money). It’s also consistent with how he’s spoken about marriage equality in the past.
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Politico breathlessly tried to spin the story “a potential vulnerability that Cruz’s opposition aims to exploit.” Following Politico’s helpful script, his opponents did just that. The PAC supporting Mike Huckabee ran an ad in Iowa, quoting from the audio file Politico posted. “Listen to Cruz raise money in New York City from liberals who don’t share our conservative Iowa values,”the ad’s narrator intones. (Apparently, Huckabee’s definition of a liberal is anyone who doesn’t contribute money to him.)
Rick Santorum suggested that Cruz is insufficiently homophobic because he has a “libertarian streak.” In a fine example of the typical Santorum logic, who has retired his sweater vests, said that Cruz’s inability to demand the courts bend to his will would eventually lead to polygamy.
Huckabee’s and Santorum’s temper tantrums are to be expected because Cruz has been vacuuming up all of their potential evangelical endorsements. Huckabee in particular is still irritated with Cruz for trying to crash the photo op when anti-marriage clerk Kim Davis was released from jail–not exactly the kind of move that would make liberal New Yorkers vote for Cruz.
Taking the record for hypocrisy, however, is Marco Rubio. In the weeks before Cruz’s remarks became public, Rubio had been ratcheting up the antigay rhetoric in a clear effort to pry some votes away from Cruz. In a single three-minute span on a Christian radio show, Rubio promised to undo President Obama’s executive order prohibiting LGBT discrimination, appoint judges that would rollback marriage equality and push hard for religious liberty exemptions. Just for giggles, he threw in a slam at transgender people, raising the specter of shared bathrooms.
What makes Rubio’s rhetoric hypocritical is that one of his biggest donors is also a leading Republican proponent for marriage equality. It would be interesting to know what line Rubio is handing Paul Singer, whose son is gay.
Of course, all of this just means that Cruz is leading the pack. Why bother attacking Santorum or Huckabee, when they are hovering around three percent in the Iowa polls–combined? With he first votes in the campaign just weeks away, candidates will be scrambling to distinguish themselves anyway they can. But if Cruz emerges victorious after Iowa, he will have a huge advantage over the others. And that might mean that Cruz could be the man that no one else can beat.
Bob Kellerman
REMEMBER, YOU CANNOT TELL WHAT SUCH WHORES REALLY BELIEVE — it’s all about getting donations and the nomination.
Caeleb Cristof
The entire Republican party wants to blame all of the problems of this country on the gay community, seems like the same speech another party leader gave before executing millions, if they want to help the people cut taxes on the working class and raise them on the rich, better yet let them live on minimum wage, see how they like it ,
Rick Caffey
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1EqualityUSA
He is so gross. Gays aren’t the only people he hates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8dIR_OWU8
Kieran
With the noticeable exception of NYC born and raised Donald Trump, all of the top polling GOP candidates are active and vocal homophobes who oppose civil rights for gays loudly and openly. So guess which candidate is being painted as the “bigot” by the lamestream news media?
Giancarlo85
@Kieran: LOL. Please stop the Trump brownnosing. He has been against same sex marriage for years and even against equality in the workplace. He is against discrimination protections. Your not telling the truth. Why do you keep going on with this? There are two pro equality candidates… They are running for the opposite party. Hillary and Sanders. None of the republicans are progay, including Trump.
Giancarlo85
@Kieran: By the way, Trump is a bigot. He insults ethnic minorities, he insults women, he insults people with disabilities… Shall I go on? He is not only a homophobe, but also a xenophobe and a douchebag. The words come from his mouth and not lamestream media lol.
onthemark
@Kieran: It’s not hard to “paint” Trump as a bigot. All they need to do is QUOTE him. Indeed it would be hard to “paint” Trump as anything else. You’d need a lot of paint.
But yes, if the unthinkable happens, and Cruz gets traction and becomes the frontrunner, the media will start quoting him much more than they have been doing. There are plenty of quotes there too!
Giancarlo85
The material of stupidity is endless from these republican candidates. One could write a book containing all their stupid quotes. Maybe an audiobook so nobody accuses anybody of lying or subscribing to lamestream media lol.
1EqualityUSA
mould-resistant paint seems prudent.
Mack
Don’t believe it. Not when his daddy has his ears bent. There is NOT a Republican running who is “soft” on gays. Given the chance they will do anything to reverse Same Sex Marriages.
Kevin J Desmond
Why does that asshole always look like he’s constipated ? Also why does he think he has a chance of ever being President when he was born in another country and who’s mother renouced her american citizenship and father is a nown criminal from yet another country ?
Desert Boy
Gay Republican and Fire Island business man loves Ted Cruz.
Skot Skotnicki
Die asshole.
1EqualityUSA
Peace, baby…
Marcus Troy
RAFAEL CRUZ is soft around the middle, soft in the bedroom and soft in the cerebellum.
Luis H. Lopez
Cruz is a low life antigay bigot homophobe revolting foul hypocrite pure evil.
Derek Perron
If he was hard for gay marriage that might be suspicious
Derek Perron
But really it doesn’t matter, we won. They lost.
Kangol
He’s like the other GOP primary candidates, including the closet cases, an anti-gay bigot. But let Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee make their stupid claims. They aren’t getting any closer the US Presidency than the plants in my garden!
Damon Robbins
I would be a Republican if it were not for their stance on gay rights and women’s health rights.
Giancarlo85
@Damon Robbins: How are they any good in any of their other policies? Their economic and foreign policy are totally disastrous.
1EqualityUSA
Damon Robbins, and the Supreme Court Justices they plant on the bench for lifetime appointments are a total disaster, decade after decade.
Giancarlo85
@1EqualityUSA: Well to be fair… Earl Warren was no mistake. No matter how much Eisenhower said it. Imagine that the last good Justice they appointed was over fifty years ago. Lol. And at that time it was a totally different party. Eisenhower said something along the lines about the military industrial complex seizing political power. Well he would be disgusted if he saw the republican party today. They are everything he warned against.
1EqualityUSA
The political system is tainting the judicial system. Perhaps it’s time to take this element out of political spheres. The justices have political pressure being placed on them. They should be above politics, for the health of their calling.
Bad Ass Biker
Who cares what Fuckabee and Skanktorum think? Neither of them have a chance to get anywhere near the GOP nomination.
scotshot
@Desert Boy: You’re referring to Ian Reisner who is now publicly shunned by many gay notables and his businesses have suffered.
GayEGO
Tedwina Cruisey is so nauseous.