NEW YORK - Republicans endorsed an uncompromising position against gay unions Wednesday in a manifesto that contrasts with Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites)'s supportive comments about gay rights and the moderate face the party will show at next week’s national convention.
A panel made up largely of conservative delegates approved platform language that calls for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and opposes legal recognition of any sort for gay civil unions.
…Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, said during a campaign stop Tuesday that people should be free to have the relationships they want, and existing law may well be enough to uphold traditional marriage.
How will Cheney stand up to the pressure he is surely going to face when he meets with reporters or when he has his debate with Edwards? Will he keep his present position or change his tune? I am betting that when the rest of the Bush camp and those other screwed-up Republicans get done “speaking” privately with Cheney, Dick will change his position.
After all, many Republicans are religious nut cases who are more horrified by gay marriages than by the number of gun-related killings which take place each year on American streets.
Sorry to say this but soon it will become very apparent to Cheney that very,very few Republicans like a soft Dick and this will cause Cheney to become a hard-assed Dick once again.
The way he deferred to Bush’s direction on this immediately after making a short statement to the effect that “freedom means freedom for everyone” made me think 1 of 2 things were going on here:
Despite demostrating a callous, greedy, power-hungry and self-interested nature, the man really believes this and felt it was time to make his personal beliefs known, despite the position of his party.
He’s playing politics and attempting to soften his image.
His daughter is a lesbian. That’s your reason. No need to dig further for his motivations - it looks pretty simple to me.
Most conservatives (and most liberals) will make exceptions to their ideologies when it comes to issues that personally affect them. It’s only human. Take Bob Dole and the Disability Act, for example - he pushed through a liberal politically correct bill that increased government regulation and gave affirmative action to a minority group because he is himself a disabled person. Or Bill and Hillary sending Chelsea to a swank private school - lots of liberals take this conservative position in their own personal lives, because their kids are more important than their abstract ideological principles.
This is simply political pandering during the not-so-coincidental run up to the republican convention. In another blatant example, yesterday the White House appeared to reverse its position on global warming:
This is simply a way to appear to be addressing concerns of swing voters without commiting themselves to any action. CNN goes on to report tellingly:
[quote]In its report to Congress on the research, the administration said the studies did not “make any findings of fact that could serve as predicates for regulatory action.”
One environmental group said, however, the report put pressure on Bush to address the global warming issue when the president lays out his plans for a second term at the Republican convention next week in New York. “It will be interesting to see whether he plans to do something about global warming or just continue ignoring it for political reasons,” said Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust.[/quote]
I’m surprised that Cheyney picked (or was assigned) the gay issue, but it surely would also be to an attempt to soften his image as he is widely perceived to be a drag on the ticket. (Everyone know’s he promotes asexuality anyway, recently telling a democratic leader on the floor of the U.S. Senate to “Go fuck yourself”.)
All of this is mere show in the battle for swing voters, of which there are many, though I’ve never understood why. How you cannot have some basic core values that make clear cut choices very easy, very early in a campaign, especially this one, is beyond me.
Hey Closet Queen, what do you care, anyway?? You’re British, if I recall correctly. What do those poofters in the House of Lords say about gay marriage? What’s the Queen’s position on it? Has Britain legalized buggery yet?
Why are you so dramatically concerned about Cheney’s stand, when you’re living in Taiwan, are a Brit, and vehemently hate the U.S. anyway? Are you a closet U.S. immigration aspirant too??
[quote]That’s true, but not just of celebrities. It’s just human nature. Politicians, on the the hand, have to at least appear to be interested.
I doubt anyone will be taking about gay marriage at the RNC, protestors excepted.[/quote]
This doesn’t strike me as even remotely being dramatically concerned, but rather a thoughtful comment pertinent to the subject at hand.
MaPoSquid’s comments however are more reflective of a knee-jerk conservative who needs to go on an off-topic rant (and who can’t spell or punctuate, the word is ‘vehemently’ and one question mark will suffice.)
Just can’t stand it when they won’t take your bait and play the game with you, eh?
[quote=“MaPoSquid”]Then of course there were Closet Queen’s dramatic comments, which you somehow managed to miss:
[quote=“Closet Queen (allegedly)”]
After all, many Republicans are religious nut cases who are more horrified by gay marriages than by the number of gun-related killings which take place each year on American streets.
Sorry to say this but soon it will become very apparent to Cheney that very,very few Republicans like a soft Dick and this will cause Cheney to become a hard-assed Dick once again.[/quote][/quote]
Please show me where I said this, ever. The quote you have defamed me with is at the top of this thread and was written by Cableguy, not me.
Please edit your posts accordingly. I look forward to your full apology.
[quote=“Closet Queen”][quote=“MaPoSquid”]Then of course there were Closet Queen’s dramatic comments, which you somehow managed to miss:
[quote=“Closet Queen (allegedly)”]
After all, many Republicans are religious nut cases who are more horrified by gay marriages than by the number of gun-related killings which take place each year on American streets.
Sorry to say this but soon it will become very apparent to Cheney that very,very few Republicans like a soft Dick and this will cause Cheney to become a hard-assed Dick once again.[/quote][/quote]
Please show me where I said this, ever. The quote you have defamed me with is at the top of this thread and was written by Cableguy, not me.
Please edit your posts accordingly. I look forward to your full apology.[/quote]
Oops, my bad. Sorry about that, dude.
Thank you for the apology. But you have not edited the defamatory quotes above. I ask you again to please correct them.[/quote]
?? I took them out of my post before I posted the above.
Now they’re in YOUR post, where you quoted my erroneous attribution, and in the post where I quoted your quote of my erroneous attribution.
“Phoenix real estate entrepreneur and gay rights activist Charlie Harrison, who has been friendly with [conservative Republican icon, now-deceased ex-senator Barry] Goldwater since the senator began patronizing a restaurant Harrison owned 12 years ago, recalls a recent fund-raising dinner for Arizona gay men and lesbians at which Goldwater received one standing ovation after another. . . .‘Well, Charlie, I’m an honorary gay by now,’ Harrison says Goldwater told him.”