The Day After. The Republicans have now taken back control of the Senate and expanded their House majority. For those of us who tend to be socially libertarian and fiscally conservative, it's always a mixed bag. But there is no doubt that the movement for gay equality must be pursued through both major parties, and that the arch partisanship of so many gay groups, both local and national, who seem more interested in being part of an increasingly anachronistic Grand Coalition of the Liberal-Left than in securing equal treatment for gays and lesbians, is more suspect than ever.
Here's a "day after" statement
from the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force:
Democrats have traditionally been very supportive on GLBT issues -- the projected Republican Senate and House majority leaves GLBT constituents in jeopardy of seeing more anti-GLBT legislation introduced. "The projected outcomes in this election now allows the party of the 'compassionate conservative' to show how truly compassionate they are," said [NGLTF leader Lorri] Jean. "NGLTF calls on both House and Senate Republicans to work toward eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
Well, you can't suddenly call on Republicans to work with you after demonizing them year after year. More to the point, given a conservative majority, the idea that anti-discrimination law should remain the single top priority is short-sighted.
Conservatism in America is very much a mixture of the intolerant religious right (actually very much a minority in comparison to mainstream conservatives), pro-growth forces that oppose excessive taxation and business over-regulation, proponents of a strong national defense, and -- more generally -- those who speak and understand the language of freedom from government interference and who traditionally favor a right to be left alone. That's why the Log Cabin Republicans and the Republican Unity Coalition are correct that working within the GOP, despite its failure to support gay equality, is far wiser than refusing to challenge anti-gay religious conservatives on their own complex political turf.
There are good conservatives and bad conservatives, and building
a dialogue with those who understand the goal of "equality before
the law" will be key to the continued advancement of our
liberty.
--Stephen H. Miller