Dick Cheney "takes a position that places him at a more progressive tilt than President Obama" regarding same-sex marriage, according to Sam Stein at the left-liberal Huffington Post. Cheney supports allowing states to let gay couples wed, which Obama opposes, although Obama supports civil unions. As Stein observes:
Cheney has made similar arguments in support of gay marriage in the past, including during the run-up to the 2004 election. But his current comments come at a moment when the Republican Party and conservative movement is increasingly split on the issue. Bush recount lawyer Ted Olsen and John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt have both argued in favor of gay marriage. The religious right, as expected, remains opposed.
Those who think the Republican Party is hopeless are wrong, but repeated declarations by LGBT Democratic operatives that we MUST support, and only support, their party is a strategy bent on ensuring that the GOP remains the hand-maiden of the religious right, while assuring Obama that he need do only the most minimal in order to maintain the unconditional support of national LGBT fundraising fronts (since he is, after all, busy with far more important tasks such as nationalizing the economy, spending us into generational mega-debt and regulating how we sit at our desks).
And counting... Per the Washington Examiner, by one report, 218 gay service members have been discharged under the "don't ask, don't tell" (lie and hide) policy since Obama and the overwhelmingly Democratic Congress took office. But if they end the ban, what would they promise LGBT activists - again - in 2010...and 2012?
Furthermore. A revealing comment from reader "SStocky":
Every time I'm solicited for Equality Florida I ask for information on what they're doing with Republicans who control the state government - who have they met with lately, what potential allies are they grooming, who's their contact in the governor's office? No answers are forthcoming and, of course, my wallet stays closed. Let's face it, no major civil rights legislation has ever passed without significant bipartisan support, yet the professional gay activists would have us believe putting all our eggs in the Democratic-liberal, left basket is the path to victory.
When will the community wake up and see they're being taken? When will serious efforts be made to reach out to all reasonable people of both parties and independents rather than continually playing the insider Democrat game? I hope it will be in my lifetime, but I'm not holding my breath.
When both parties were unwelcoming, we had a more or less bipartisan movement. Since the Democrats learned to use inclusive rhetoric and toss in a few (very few) bones, "LGBT" fundraising has been taken over by Democratic operatives whose allegiance is to serving their party. Like this reader, I'm not overly optimistic that things will change soon.
11 Comments for “Good Party, Bad Party?”
posted by Pat on
I really do appreciate Cheney’s support. And Cheney’s position may be to allow states to let gay couples marry. That may also be Obama’s position, since he was against Prop. 8. The problem that I have with both Obama and Cheney is they haven’t done much with that support yet. Sure, Cheney did say something about “freedom means freedom for everybody.” And Cheney was very influential in the Bush Administration. That didn’t translate to same sex marriage, as Bush twice tried to get FMA passed.
Anyway, I really appreciate Cheney’s support here, and hope that it now has some influence in the Republican Party, and the nation as a whole.
posted by William on
Obama said very clearly when interviewed in Saddleback that marriage is between a man and a woman, which was used in ads by the Prop 8 campaign, when he could have gone with the “It’s a matter best left to the states”. He’s given no indication that he supports equality in any further states. In opposing Prop 8, he was simply taking a classicly conservative position, in the legal stare decisis sense, that it would not be beneficial to disrupt the current state of affairs.
posted by Bobby on
Chenney is a great man, a real American hero who’s not afraid of being politically incorrect no matter who hates it. Unlike Obama and his band of clowns, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep this country safe, even if it means waterboarding (which was only used 3 times).
Here’s the latest Obamination, the de-facto president of GM is a 31 year old who hasn’t even finished law school. That’s the guy Obama appointed, hey, I’m 34, why not appoint me as a SCOTUS judge? I’m already judgemental, and maybe Perez Hilton can get a gig as press secretary. Seriously, if some 31 year old who’s not even a lawyer, has no experience in the car industry and has never managed anything can run GM then I guess anyone can do anything in the Obama administration.
posted by SStocky on
My quick survey of the sites of gay “rights” and gay media organizations shows that the Cheney story is being ignored or when is rarely mentioned, it’s done so skeptically. HRC has stories lauding Hillary Clinton and every utterance from the White House (in spite of their backtracking and foot dragging on gay issues), but almost total silence on Cheney. This is just another — albeit most grievous — example of how clueless and hopelessly partisan they are. Every time I’m solicited for Equality Florida I ask for information on what they’re doing with Republicans who control the state government — who have they met with lately, what potential allies are they grooming, who’s their contact in the governor’s office? No answers are forthcoming and, of course, my wallet stays closed. Let’s face it, no major civil rights legislation has ever passed without significant bipartisan support, but yet the professional gay activists would have us believe putting all our eggs in the Democratic-liberal, left basket is the path to victory. When will the community wake up and see they’re being taken? When will serious efforts be made to reach out to all reasonable people of both parties and independents rather than continually playing the insider Democrat game? I hope it will be in my lifetime, but I’m not holding my breath.
posted by george on
Oh, yes the republicans are so… what? Rush Limbaugh will kick his ass, if he didnt do it already.
My prediction Republicans are going to become a small KKK Nazi party, and Democrats are going to split in two, whit that nasty “center” which is really right, and left…
Still long way to go.
posted by Bobby on
“Oh, yes the republicans are so… what? Rush Limbaugh will kick his ass, if he didnt do it already.”
—Do you even bother to listen to Rush Limbaugh or are you just speculating?
I’m a Limbaugh fun, his main issues are:
1. Political correctness gone amock
2. The advanced of economic socialism
He doesn’t care about abortion or gay rights because those issues don’t affect most people. But what Obama is doing will affect most people and that’s why Rush fights so hard against the sovietization of America.
posted by Jorge on
I do not think it is the Republican party we should be placing our hopes in–it is Republicans as people. I’m sure Cheney is an overall good character, but even he acknowledged that the gay marriage issue is one that is a part of his family. You change people’s minds by making it personal to them. Changing the Republican party itself should be the goal of Republicans. But how the public deals with politicians on the gay issue should be single-minded and nonpartisan.
posted by BobN on
Cheney does not support SSM. He supports our “getting a shot at it” at the state level. Notice that he did not say we should win.
For eight years, he and Dubya coordinated a GOP/religious right effort to pass 30 state constitutional amendments. Cheney never once opposed any of that and took a direct hand in moving it along as part of the GOP “generational change”.
Look at exactly what he said. There’s no support there.
posted by Jorge on
That’s ridiculous. Cheney expressed his disagreement with President Bush on that in the middle of the 2004 campaign.
posted by BobN on
Jorge, go back and read exactly what he said. It’s remarkably similar to his statement two days ago.
Cheney opposed Bush’s push for a FEDERAL constitutional amendment. He has never said what he thinks of the state ones, though he clearly advocates that states vote on the issue. At a minimum, this means he supports restrictions on SSM and CUs if voters feel that way.
posted by Jorge on
If you’re gonna go around making mountains out of molehills, I really don’t understand why you’re not genuflecting over Cheney’s statement that people should be free to enter into the kinds of relationships they want, not to mention his public acknowledgement that he has a gay daughter in the same breath.