Are President Bush and Karl Rove at risk of alienating many who would otherwise be in the forefront of the next generation of Republicans? Could be, judging from this column in the Yale Daily News by the head of that university's undergraduate Republicans. In "Gay Marriage Fits Republican Values," Al Jiwa writes:
I am firmly committed to the foreign policy of President Bush, believe strongly in the private sphere, and often prioritize the rights of states above federal jurisdiction. ...
The Republican Party stands for individual liberty and limited government; in calling for a constitutional amendment for the express reason of denying the validity of gay unions, we are contradicting these core principles, violating the dignity of our fellow citizens, and perpetuating lines of discrimination. ...
If marriage is a critical element of building a strong family unit (as many Republicans would contend), should we also not give every incentive possible to those who would make excellent parents? Instead, however, we discriminate against those who are more than capable of establishing long, stable relationships solely on the basis of their sexual orientation.
Yes, Yale is an elite liberal university and even its Republican
activists could well be to the left of the party's core. Still, the
GOP can't limit itself to the religious right and hard social
conservatives if it hopes to remain the dominant party of the next
generation.