GOP Names Focus Officer to Debate Committee

Jim Burroway

April 4th, 2011

Tom Minnery, director of Focus On the Family’s CitizenLink has been selected to serve on the GOP’s committee to determine what role the Republican National Committee will play in primary Presidential debates. Says Minnery:

They wanted someone who represents social conservatives, who is not a member of the (Republican National) Committee,” he said, “and that’s why they asked me.

“The party wants the candidate forums to be driven by party activists and grassroots representatives, and less by the national media that televise these events. The idea is that the party ought to be able to have some say over who poses questions to the candidates running for the party’s nomination for president.”

Kinda explains the GOP’s sudden shift back toward social issues, doesn’t it?

Lindoro Almaviva

April 4th, 2011

The RNC will always try to use Social Issues to bring the wedge (as exemplified in their attacks of Obama on Social issues, yet again). Apparently they have not understood that way too many people find the extreme far right and their antics distasteful.

At one point or another all those appeals to “the base” will render way too many Republican politicians unelectable.

At least seems the younger ones are seeing the writing on the wall.

Stephen

April 5th, 2011

They have nothing else to run on.

TampaZeke

April 5th, 2011

What do you mean, “…sudden shift BACK to social issues”?

Please show me one second of one day since 1980 that they WEREN’T focused on social issues.

Timothy Kincaid

April 5th, 2011

Zeke,

In the last election the party deliberately refused to run on social issues, focusing instead on taxes, the economy, and other non-social priorities. It worked rather well.

But what is going on at the RNC?

It’s like they said, “hey, that focus on economic issues and downplaying social issues got us votes… so now let’s do the opposite.”

Kate

April 5th, 2011

Voters are getting pissed that the GOP has NOT made any real progress with economic issues, but continued to play partisan politics to the point where nothing is getting done. Even their own supporters are losing steam. So switching back to scare politics is a sad but proven method to galvanize people who prefer emotion as a basis for decision making, because logic makes their heads hurt. I can only hope that the polls showing that a majority of Americans support marriage equality and other equality issues will translate to those people getting their complacent asses out of their chairs and voting to counteract the march to the polls that the wingnuts will orchestrate.

Seriously. IS there a way to make lack of equality sound as scary as the “loss of all things wholesome and American” that the haters promise will happen if anti-gay legislation is repealed? (when they aren’t threatening us with a Christian hell of fire and brimstone)

This makes me sad.

Timothy Kincaid

April 5th, 2011

Kate

Seriously. IS there a way to make lack of equality sound as scary as the “loss of all things wholesome and American” that the haters promise will happen if anti-gay legislation is repealed?

Yes, there is. And, seriously, it is already happening.

Have you noticed that NOM now has only two messages anymore?

1) I’m not a bigot. I’m really not. They’re calling me a bigot. See, they said I’m a bigot but I’m not. Mom, make the gays stop calling me a bigot!

2) And the black preachers all agree with me. So marriage is not a civil rights issue. It’s not. Look, here’s a black preacher to tell you. It’s not civil rights! It’s not!

Those both speak to the same thing. NOM knows (and fears) that when people get comfortable enough with an idea to actually look at it, “you can’t be treated like me because of who you are” sounds an awful lot like bias, animus, discrimination, and (though I don’t use the word much) bigotry.

They also know (and fear) that the young’ens already are past this issue and, furthermore, see it as shameful on the part of their parents.

And no one wants to be thought of as a bigot. Especially by their kids.

And let me just say that when you’re at a cocktail party in Los Angeles or New York, it may still be somewhat acceptable to be in favor of civil unions rather than marriage (though a bit suspect). But no one wants to be the guy saying, “well, they are sinners and its a choice.”

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