GOP Moves Forward, with Pockets of Resistance

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Not your father’s GOP:

5 Comments for “GOP Moves Forward, with Pockets of Resistance”

  1. posted by Tom Scharbach on

    Brad Polumbo writes: “Most political analysts agree that gay marriage is increasingly a settled issue in the Republican Party. Republican US President Donald Trump made history as the first American president to enter office supportive of same-sex marriage rights.

    Brad’s wrong about that. And so are you when you say “GOP Moves Forward, with Pockets of Resistance”.

    Republicans have not moved forward on the issue, and opposition to same-sex marriage remains strong.

    The most recent Gallup polling (see “Conservative Support Grows for Marriage Equality”, by Stephen H. Miller on June 2, 2020) indicates that less than half of all Republicans believe that “same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid”, and that the percentage has not increased by a statistically significant margin since President Trump took office in 2017 (48% in 2017, 49% in 2020). In short, there has been no change in Republican “resistance” to legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

    In 2016, the Republican Party adopted a strongly anti-equality platform with this language:

    “Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman … We do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal.”

    amongst a number of other anti-equality planks.

    Two days ago the Republican National Committee readopted the 2016 Platform as the party’s 2020 Platform.

    Quite a number of Republicans seem to be upset about this, but for all the opposition noted in a Politco article on the action, a groundswell to change the 2020 Platform because of opposition to same-sex marriage isn’t evident. LCR is complaining, as befits them, but they are about the only Republicans complaining because of the anti-marriage plank.

    President Trump owns the Republican Party at this point. He, and he alone, can change the platform at this point. Let’s see if he does.

    • posted by Kosh III on

      “LCR is complaining, ” and being ignored as they are irrelevant.

    • posted by Tom Scharbach on

      LCR did it to themselves, failing to endorse the Greatest Republican President when he was a candidate in 2016:

      Mr. Trump is perhaps the most pro-LGBT presidential nominee in the history of the Republican Party. His unprecedented overtures to the “LGBTQ community”—a first for any major-party candidate in our nation’s history—are worthy of praise, and should serve as a clarion call to the GOP that the days of needing to toe an anti-LGBT line are now a thing of the past.

      But Log Cabin Republicans have long emphasized that we are not a single-issue organization, nor are our members single-issue voters. Even if we were, rhetoric alone regarding LGBT issues does not equate to doctrine. As Mr. Trump spoke positively about the LGBT community in the United States, he concurrently surrounded himself with senior advisors with a record of opposing LGBT equality, and committed himself to supporting legislation such as the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act” that Log Cabin Republicans opposes.

      Should Mr. Trump become our nation’s next President, Log Cabin Republicans welcomes the opportunity to work with his administration to ensure the advances in LGBT freedom we have fought for and secured will continue. Until and unless that happens, our trust would be misplaced.

      As to LCR’s observation that President Trump’s candidacy was “a clarion call to the GOP that the days of needing to toe an anti-LGBT line are now a thing of the past“, we can all see how that is turning out.

      Conservative Christians are one of two pillars (White Identity advocates like the other Stephen Miller are the other pillar) that dominate the Republican base. Neither supports equality. That’s not going to change any time soon.

      LCR is as relevant to Republican politics as the black guy who always seems to show up at Trump rallies. N doubt both think they are making a difference. If wishes were horses, maybe.

  2. posted by Tom Scharbach on

    Consider this: “Trump finalizes rollback of LGBTQ patient protections “, Politico, June 12, 2020. Yet another example of how the administration is “gay supportive”. Don’t hold your breath if you are looking forward to the President insisting on removing the anti-marriage platform plank.

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