Former Bush staffer: GOP should be ‘outspoken’ advocate for gay marriage (Guess who?)

MSNBC's Morning Joe ^ | March 4, 2013 | Drew Katchen

[2ndDivisionVet]

Last Thursday, in a sign that the GOP is recalibrating its image after 2012, 100 prominent Republicans (many of whom are no longer serving in office) signed a friend-of-the-court brief seeking to overturn California’s Proposition 8, which effectively banned same-sex marriage in the state shortly after it became legal. The brief states the opinion that marriage is a constitutional right for gay couples—a position that goes beyond even President Obama’s stance on marriage equality.

One of the signers, former communications chief for George W. Bush and senior advisor for the McCain–Palin campaign Nicolle Wallace, joined Morning Joe Monday morning to share why she supports the GOP’s effort for marriage equality.

President Obama also filed a similar brief on Thursday, marking the first time a president has asked the Supreme Court to allow gay couples to marry. Obama stopped short of calling marriage equality a constitutional right....

[Varda]

Is that supposed to be sarcasm? Dick Cheney has promoted homosexual causes for many years.

[ilgipper]

We'd been seeing the polls move this way for years

Voting hasn't reflected that. Every time it has been on a ballot it has been defeated...and by a significant margin. Usually at least 60/40. Even California overwhelmingly voted that way, which opened the door to the massive 'H8' campaign that has pretty much led the push toward it since. When it was recast as 'Hate' or bigotry or whatever attack word one wants to use. Courts started getting more activist to provide headlines for that side, etc. It is boilerplate for the left for the past 40-50 years to browbeat the public toward their views. Global warming has seen the same tactics to demean the opposition and belittle them, at the same time using propaganda relentlessly across all news and entertainment. It is effective much of the time.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Every time it has been on a ballot it has been defeated...and by a significant margin.

Not in 2012; it carried in four states.

[highball]

"We'd been seeing the polls move this way for years"

Voting hasn't reflected that. Every time it has been on a ballot it has been defeated...and by a significant margin. Usually at least 60/40. Even California overwhelmingly voted that way, which opened the door to the massive 'H8' campaign...

Um, you're a few years behind the times, my FRiend.

California's original ban, in 2000, passed 61% to 39%. Prop 8, eight years later, passed 52% to 48%, a fairly steep drop. It looks like the trend has continued - it's now polling 61% for gay marriage. I don't know anyone who is seriously suggesting that Prop 8 would pass today.

And then there was last Election Day, where gay activists went 4-for-4 at the polls. A clean sweep.

We don't have to like the direction of public opinion trends, but we have to at least acknowledge reality. Hiding our heads in the sand is not a conservative attribute.

[cradle of freedom]

The Obama voters (low information) came out in large numbers in those blue states.