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 lobbyNovember 2nd, 2012
GOP Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has been identified as a rising star in national politics, is making robocalls on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage to voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state, where marriage equality is on the ballot (Minnesota, which is considering a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, prohibits robocalls.) And in a sign that marriage is still seen as a wedge issue, those calls are also going out to the swing states of Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Also making calls for NOM are former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Focus on the Family co-founder James Dobson.
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tim
November 2nd, 2012
Minnesota’s ban on robocalls hasn’t stopped the HRC from cold calling me twice today. Yet another reason not to send a dime to that organization.
Hunter
November 3rd, 2012
My solution is that I don’t answer the phone. If I happen to be home and it’s family or friends leaving a message, I’ll pick up, but otherwise, not no way, not no how.
elaygee
November 3rd, 2012
HRC makes LIVE calls which are NOT illegal. If you’s answer the phone just once and they heard your litany of woes, I’m sure they’ll stop calling your cheap ass
Lucrece
November 3rd, 2012
I live in Florida, soI geta front seat to the disdain these Cuban Republicans with their special refugee programs that no other refugees get cause among other Hispanics. Cryingcommunism everywhere while cashing in on Medicare scams and smugly enjoying state programs for Cuban refugees.
Then they cry that there’s some Jewish mafia as that CNN anchor did, when the only mafia I see is the Cuban dominated media in South Florida.
tristram
November 3rd, 2012
This is a strong indication of where he expects the Republican Party to be in four years (or eight) when he runs for President.
Robert
November 3rd, 2012
Tristram, He is indeed the Republican to worry about in the next Presidential Election.
Lucrece,
Unfortunately the rest of the Country doesn’t understand the difference between the Cuban’s and the rest of the hispanic/latino comunity…He is a dangerous oponent in my view.
Here’s hoping to a scandal in his future.
Snowman
November 4th, 2012
I live in Michigan, but I’ve heard about how things are down there and I know Marco Rubio is heavily supported by the Tea Bagger wingnuts.
I wouldn’t vote for the guy if someone offered me a million bucks to do it.
Ryan
November 4th, 2012
Rubio’s going to have a problem if he wants the nomination in 2016; many far-righters believe that you must be born of American citizens to be considered “naturally born” (this is a new belief they invented four years ago that nobody even considered until then) and Rubio’s parents are Mexican.
Robert
November 4th, 2012
Ryan,
Marco Rubio is NOT mexican. He is CUBAN, as are his parents. I know it might seem inconsequential, but as Lucrece points out above, it does actually make a difference in how Republican’s look at him. Cubans have a tendency to be more conservative and support Republican candidates more frequently than the Mexican-American contingent.
Also, he was born here in the USA, but neither parent was a citizen of the country at his birth (they became citizens in 1975, he was born in 1971, so he techniclly is not a natural born us citizen, as neither of his parents were citizens at the time of his birth).
TampaZeke
November 5th, 2012
I seem to remember Log Cabin and GOP and a certain Box Turtle Bulletin blogger making the case that THIS was going to be the year that Republicans stopped using LGBT people’s lives as a political football.
TampaZeke
November 5th, 2012
*GOProud*
TampaZeke
November 5th, 2012
Ryan, Republicans only believe that when it pertains to a Democrat, just like they “believe” in one man/one woman marriage and a host of “family values” positions but ONLY for Democrats.
Ryan
November 5th, 2012
Test.
Ryan
November 5th, 2012
Sorry about the above post test. I couldn’t post yesterday all of a sudden. I though
Timothy Kincaid
November 5th, 2012
Zeke,
Perhaps you should seek medical attention regarding your memory problems. Because no blogger here has suggested that Republicans (a rather broad group of people) would in 2012 stop using gay issues politically. Not even close.
(Of course, I’m jesting. But seriously, knock it off with the cheap shots. They’re beneath you.)
Yes, some Republicans will work against us for quite some time to come. And, for that matter, some Democrats (far fewer) also play in gay baiting. And they won’t stop in 2012 either.
However, I think the take-away point is that in 2012, general acceptance and even support for our community has advanced to the point where gay baiting is no longer part of the national campaign. Yes, it’s in the GOP platform. Yes it’s right there below the surface. But it’s not part of the campaign.
In 2004, Dubya attached his campaign to the anti gay movement. They were seen as an asset to him. But in 2012, the anti-gays are no longer the power they were. Now it is they who need prominent help, not the other way around.
As for Rubio, this was a stupid move. I suspect it will come back to haunt him.
Ben In Oakland
November 5th, 2012
Couldn’t they get Snow and collins to maek the calls in Maine?
I saw rubio on Jon stewart and kinda liked him, politics aside. But then he does this to rmeind me hwat his politics actually are.
TampaZeke
November 5th, 2012
I wish I knew how to research past posts and comments Timothy. Anyone who knows how to do the research PLEASE refresh Timothy’s selective memory. I think it was in a post about how LCR and/or GOProud was predicting that the GOP would avoid anti-gay campaigning this year.
Timothy Kincaid
November 5th, 2012
Zeke,
I’ll make you a deal:
If you find where I said that “THIS was going to be the year that Republicans stopped using LGBT people’s lives as a political football”, I will readily apologize.
But if I didn’t, then please stop seeing me as some cartoon evil villain who is spending every moment crafting some nefarious scheme to hurt the Democrats.
I’m not anti-Democrat. Yes, really. Believe it or not.
cowboy
November 6th, 2012
@Ryan,
There might be other problems for Rubio’s political future other than the controversy about being naturally born in the USA.
Lots of things can change in four years. The Supreme Court will have rulings/opinions about gay civil rights. DOMA will be declared unconstitutional. More States will enable gay civil marriages. A much larger younger generation will not take kindly to someone who has this kind of connection with a bigoted hate group.
Those who fought against gay civil rights might be ridiculed so much that it will be a liability in the 2016 political arena. This will come back to haunt Rubio.
Or I just love to fantasize while I await the tallies today.
Robert
November 6th, 2012
Tampa Zeke, there are posts regarding LCR and the Platform. It’s from a month or more ago, and in every single post Timothy does indeed decry the anti-gay language used in the GOP Platform. He, at least in all the posts on the Platform, did not claim that the republican’s wouldn’t use anti-gay social attacks. If there were conversations longer ago, I am not sure. But I went over the last two months or so, and I can find nothing to back your assertions up. BUT, that isn’t to say that something might not have been declared longer ago than that. And the only ability to search, that I could find, was to simply keep clicking on the Older Posts link at the bottom of the page. I’m not sure why Timothy wouldn’t tell you if there WAS a search function. But if he knows, maybe he will share it with you. (I went to Jim’s article about the LCR Platform and there was a link to every story discussing the issue in Jims posting, hasd something like five links or so.).
Priya Lynn
November 6th, 2012
Guys, there’s a search function in the upper left corner of the BTB home page. You can select to search the web or BTB, it should already be clicked to BTB.
Robert
November 6th, 2012
Thanks Priya Lynn,
It will save me time so I don’t have to scroll through every page for the last few months. I never noticed it, but I’m still (slightly) new around here.
Apreciated.
tristram
November 6th, 2012
@cowboy – we will find out if Rubio is as smart as many Republicans say he is. As I opined above in this thread, he appears to be trying to establish his credentials to run for President in 2016 or 2020 – so he thinks the base of the GOP will still be strongly anti-equality at that time.
Depending on what happens today, he could be correct. If Romney wins, it is very likely that the Senate will go Republican. That changes all the dynamics, including the balance of power on the Supreme Court. Under those circumstances it’s hard to imagine the Court finding any part of DOMA unconstitutional. Unless there were a clear countervailing force – say victories for equality in at least two of today’s referendums – the Court is not going to buck the Executive and Legislative branches.
If Romney wins and the Senate goes GOP, there will be an immediate barrage of anti-gay executive actions and legislation. Since Romney will not be able to effect even a fraction of the changes he promised for “Day 1” or “the first 100 days”, he will gladly use the social issues to keep the GOP base off his back.
Robert
November 6th, 2012
@tristram,
Well If your last post is correct, I certainly hope the Supremes decide to hear the DOMA case later this month. I think they will strike it down if they review it, too many lower courts hav aggreed it is Unconstitutional. Yes, it is a tough court to put it in front of, but I think after Lawerence V Texas, it would go our way.
But I don’t think Rmoney is going to win, and I think we will hold the Senate and gain about 5 in the House.
tristram
November 6th, 2012
@Robert – in the worst-case scenario (Romney, GOP Senate and 3 or 4 referendum losses), the Supreme Court would go into lock-down on gay issues. They would find a way to defer the pending cases, or hear them and decide against equality. This Court is not going to lead on these issues. In fact, if Romney appointees succeed any two of justices Ginsburg, Breyer and Kennedy over the next four years, Lawrence v. Texas will be back play.
tristram
November 6th, 2012
“. . .back in play.”
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