The Politics Of Supporting Gay Marriage

I’ve made the point over and over again that gay marriage is an issue that Republicans should be leading on.  At its most basic, and perhaps only legitimate, issue, the conversation is one of individual Liberty.  That is the ability of one person to consciously and willingly decide who to live with, form a relationship with and enter into financial contracts with.

Any other considerations aside, this is a basic human dignity issue.

But this IS politics.  And if we wanna be able to advance the case for Liberty and Libertarian based policy, we need to win elections.  We need to support more like-minded folks and generate momentum and a movement.  In other words, we need to generate good will that translates into votes.  And by alienating a group of people who might otherwise be loyal conservatives, you fail in that mission.

But when you acknowledge that all people, regardless of personal persuasion, are entitled to Liberty, you can expect political support to follow and even be embraced:

ALBANY — Gay rights advocates from Wall Street to Hollywood poured donations into the coffers of four little-known Republican state senators after the lawmakers provided the decisive votes for same-sex marriage in New York last June, according to new campaign finance filings released on Tuesday.

The support for the four senators, whose votes broke ranks with their party, is seen by gay rights leaders as symbolically important for their movement nationally, because in many states same-sex marriage could become law only with support from Republicans, as well as conservative Democrats. Maryland, New Jersey and Washington State are expected to consider same-sex marriage legislation this year.

Now, to be sure, it’s possible that this money is flowing not because of some new found love for all things Republican, but it does show that when a group is no longer isolated and disqualified, that group at their supporters will be more willing to listen and support your cause.  And in some cases, it may even jar them from their core issue:

Michael McKeon, a 48-year-old California insurance executive who describes his political stance as “just to the left of being far left,” said he had never supported a Republican in his life before hearing Mr. Grisanti’s speech on the Senate floor during the same-sex marriage debate.

“His speech was absolutely compelling, moving,” Mr. McKeon said by telephone from Los Angeles, where he has lived for 30 years after growing up in Lewiston, N.Y. After the same-sex-marriage bill passed, Mr. McKeon returned to Lewiston to marry his partner; while in the state, he met Mr. Grisanti, shook his hand and handed one of his aides a check for $200.

“If Mr. Grisanti were running for president, I’d vote for him, even though he’s Republican” said Mr. McKeon, a volunteer activist for gay rights. “He stood up for us.”

I’ve always thought many of the people who claim that they are Democrats aren’t really buying into the far left ideology that mainstream Democrats espouse.  Rather, they have an issue or a cause that puts them at odds with Republicans.  Remove that cause or disagreement and you might find you have a natural ally.  An otherwise fiscal conservative is passionate about water/air pollution.  She may never resonate with Republicans.  Same conservative has a passion for welfare programs, again, she may never resonate with Republicans.  But an otherwise conservative individual who happens to be gay finds that he cannot support a party that won’t acknowledge him as an individual.

This one is easy and it’s a win/win.  Support Liberty AND get more voters.

9 responses to “The Politics Of Supporting Gay Marriage

  1. There are some things that I believe to be right; there are others that I feel are wrong. I realize that many of these right verses wrong issues are just my opinions, but still, in my mind, they are valid. In my mind, same-sex marriage is wrong; it is just not the type of normal behavior that a community should encourage or support. In the same line of thought, I believe that abortion is wrong. The Republican Party could lighten-up a bit on both of these issues. Let’s be honest about this. Does it really matter if two adults of the same sex marry? Does it really matter if we kill a child before being born? On both of these issues, the Republican Party has made an attempt to take the moral high ground. If they acquiesce on either issue, then they might as well give in on both.

    • In my mind, same-sex marriage is wrong; it is just not the type of normal behavior that a community should encourage or support.

      Hi Henry.

      First, I don’t wanna diminish your sense of right or wrong.

      In my mind, there are two ways and manners in which I categorize things to be “wrong”. Both deal with Liberty.

      1. I think it’s wrong to take the name of the Lord in vain. I think it’s wrong to cheat on your girlfriend/wife and I think it’s wrong to be friends with a Green Bay Packer fan. None of those things are things that I think restrict Liberty of others and therefore should not be legislated.

      2. I think it’s wrong to assault someone, to take their property or defraud them. This IS restricting their personal Liberty and SHOULD be legislated.

      While I am Christian, I don’t have a personal problem with folks who are gay. And the fact that they want to or not want to marry doesn’t bother me in the least, in the same way that I don’t care if hetero couples wanna get married or not.

      Abortion is different in my mind. I think that at some point, the child has the right to Liberty and that needs to be addressed.

      Make sense?

      • You ended your comment with the question, “make sense?”
        Sorry, but no, not completely. I agree with your two ways of grouping things that are wrong as they relate to Liberty. I will even slightly, very slightly agree with you on the issue of gay folks getting married. I feel that it is wrong, but, hey, I am not going to worry about it. It is a low priority issue with me.

        In your mind, abortion takes Liberty away from a child. In my mind, I see it differently. I know that most people do not want to die, but I am not convinced that children WANT to be born. I do not see abortion as a Liberty issue for the unborn child. The unborn child has no idea how he or she is missing out. I simply see abortion as a moral issue. People need to be responsible for their actions. Do not conceive a child if you do not plan to raise and care for the child.

        The point of my original comment was that, (in my mind) both gay marriage and abortion are moral issues. Both are morally wrong, and I generally support politicians that work to restrict both activities.

        • I do not see abortion as a Liberty issue for the unborn child.

          Interesting take However, in my mind, if we do not extend Liberty to a living child, the whole case for restricting mother’s choice goes away.

          both gay marriage and abortion are moral issues. Both are morally wrong

          I appreciate your view, and I get it.

          I also see things as moral or ethical and yet would not support legislating them. I can imagine a whole host of things not accepted that I wouldn’t legislate:

          – Pre-maritial sex
          – Living together before marriage
          – Cheating on your spouse
          – Lying

          All things that folks could make the moral argument for but I wouldn’t be in favor of writing into law.

          • I am often puzzled by why we think the way we do. Why do I feel guilty about burning an old book while having no problems burning old newspapers??? Why do I consider mustard on a ham sandwich appealing, yet I am totally disgusted by catchup on a ham sandwich???

            Why does the gay marriage thing bug me? Am I wrong? Why isn’t it the same in my mind as a marriage between a man and woman? You mention four things that are considered by many to be morally wrong, yet they should not be legislated. They were pre-maritial sex, living together before marriage, cheating on your spouse
, and lying. There is one thing that all four of those immoral or unethical actions have in common. Nobody write books for children that claim those activities are acceptable, yet people do write books for young people that portray same sex couples as perfectly normal.

  2. You wrote: “I’ve always thought many of the people who claim that they are Democrats aren’t really buying into the far left ideology that mainstream Democrats espouse. Rather, they have an issue or a cause that puts them at odds with Republicans”

    The problem, as I see it, is that the GOP as it currently exists is a coalition of groups who feel they are under attack from homosexuals, immigrants, atheists, organized labor, welfare recipients, islamists, etc….

    If the GOP candidates weren’t talking about how high an electric fence to build along our border and how quickly to kick illegal immigrants out, there’s a number of latinos who might vote republican on fiscal issues and maybe social issues as well. But it is central to the party’s current dogma that immigration is destroying the country.

    • If the GOP candidates weren’t talking about how high an electric fence to build along our border and how quickly to kick illegal immigrants out, there’s a number of latinos who might vote republican on fiscal issues and maybe social issues as well.

      I couldn’t agree more!

      The only reason I support enforcing immigration law is because I think we should distinguish illegal individuals. I’ve always felt that coming to America should be as easy and as quick as getting a cell phone. Check to see if the individual is wanted for a crime, isn’t carrying a deadly contagious disease and isn’t on a terror watch list.

      If you pass those three things, come in!

      For fun, I ask my conservative friends to close their eyes and describe the qualities of a “good American.”

      – God fearing
      – Hard working
      – Loves their country
      – Loves their family

      I then say that describes almost every Mexican I’ve ever met.

  3. “Any other considerations aside, this is a basic human dignity issue.”
    Well said!

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