Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyApril 28th, 2013
We first became aware of American Unity PAC when a handful of Wall Street financiers who support Republican candidates decided that it was time that marriage equality came to New York State. And it was to a large extent their influence which resulted in the Republican Senate Majority Leader to bring marriage to a vote with enough Republican votes for passage.
Having had success locally, they’ve now decided to export their efforts to other states and to be proactive in lobbying for the cause. (WaPo)
American Unity PAC was formed last year to lend financial support to Republicans who bucked the party’s longstanding opposition to gay marriage. Its founders are launching a new lobbying organization, American Unity Fund, and already have spent more than $250,000 in Minnesota, where the Legislature could vote on the issue as early as next week.
The group has spent $500,000 on lobbying since last month, including efforts in Rhode Island, Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia and Utah.
I am certain their influence played some role in the five Republican Rhode Island Senators voting for equality and, as the vote in each of these states needs Republican support for passage, I am extremely grateful for their support.
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Mark Cross
April 28th, 2013
Wow…Indiana?! West Virginia?! I’m grateful for the 10 states and DC, but so ready for more place names like these. Mississippi, do you feel the ground rumbling as a distant train approaches?
Mark Cross
April 28th, 2013
…and of course Utah for me, specifically when the LDS Church gets a “revelation” on the marriage equality issue, will be the big one. That revelation is about 20 or so years away, at most, when the current First Presidency and most of the current 12 Apostles will have passed on, and the new leadership realizes the world didn’t end when love was allowed. When not just the State of Utah, but the LDS Church allows same sex temple marriage, then my soul will be at rest.
Richard Rush
April 28th, 2013
I don’t expect to ever vote for a Republican again in my remaining lifetime. I don’t care how pro-gay they become, my husband and I have too many other reasons (which I won’t itemize here) for rejecting them. Those GOP billionaires walked into a match made in heaven when they discovered evangelical Christians several decades ago. The billionaires, while not necessarily bigots themselves, have nevertheless been eager to support any vicious anti-gay legislation or voter referendums if it produced more votes by evangelicals, the only group that the GOP money-crowd found to be gullible enough to vote against their own self-interest. Now that anti-gay campaigns are quickly becoming a no-win strategy, we are seeing some change. How convenient.
I always say the GOP = Greedy Ol’ Pricks
Jim Hlavac
April 29th, 2013
Funny, to quote the previous commentator, with a change: “I don’t expect to ever vote for a Democrat again in my remaining lifetime.”
In fact I never have. I have many reasons for not doing so. Mostly the way Democrats used to despise us too. And it was mostly Democratic run states that kept their sodomy statues until 2003. And it was Barry Goldwater, Mr. Republican who said in 1994: gay Americans deserve full constitutional rights; Mr. Liberal Clinton was signing in DOMA and DADT late at night.
Oh, I’m sorry, the nation is evolving — and if there’s on issue that is simply not political in any traditional sense it’s smooching. Gayness is neither a Left or Right wing anything. It is simply gayness.
So, you go vote for the Dems, and I’ll stick to the Republicans. You may be luckier that your side “evolved” a little faster — but, well, everyone will evolve sooner or later. We’ve been at it for 60 years, what’s a few more?
Lord_Byron
April 29th, 2013
@ Jim
I would normally not consider someone a troll, but either you are a troll or you do not know what you are talking about. I am pretty sure that Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi,North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Utah, and Idaho are not considered blue states. The only blue state that was invalidated by Lawrence V Texas was Michigan.
As Richard said this is the party that to get a majority of Republicans into power pushed for anti-marriage equality bills in key states in order to push the number of their supporters to come to vote.
Timothy Kincaid
April 29th, 2013
Byron,
Jim is not a troll. Jim has different values and priorities than you but he is as sincere in his beliefs as you are in yours.
You are correct that those states are – and have been for a while – red states. But for much of Jim’s life the states you mention were Democratically controlled states. It was not until the 80’s when the South went Republican.
Personally, I can’t bring myself to hold such party loyalty as to vote for a party rather than a candidate. I do try to measure the person on their positions and integrity and there are members of both the Republican and the Democratic Party which would never get my support along with those in both parties (and the Libertarian Party) which have earned it.
Michael Smith
April 29th, 2013
I wonder if the push by GOP backers is a pragmatic political move to try and get congress to make a decision before the Supreme Court does. If they can legislate it now, then they can always revisit it later. But if it’s a SCOTUS decision, then repealing it is much more difficult.
Ron
April 29th, 2013
The unattributed quote appears to come from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/27/republicans-gay-marriage_n_3169751.html
Timothy Kincaid
April 29th, 2013
Link to source now included.
Lord_Byron
April 29th, 2013
@Timothy
It is hard to tell on the internet when one is a troll and when is sincere on the internet. I also want to add that the south started turning red in the 1960s with the introduction of the southern strategy. Then the GOP embraced right-wing christians in the 1980s and then they embraced the anti-government, and often racist, tea party movement.
The party of lincoln has for the last 60 or so years used individuals fears and other biases in order to win elections. I am biased and more liberal and that is why I find it disgusting at the use of hatred to win elections.
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