With all of the chaotic media nastiness that is being doled out from the Obama camp, it’s important that some campaign managers stop behaving like three year-olds having temper tantrums in a sandbox and that they stop slinging the mud. They all need to settle down and focus on the issues at hand. The major issues driving this year’s very important election are concerned with national security, the restoration of our economy, ending the war in Iraq, bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice; numerous immigration problems; restoring jobs and productivity to the United States and to take care of the needs of our country and its citizens first. Of course, the major issue for members of the LGBT community is that of upholding equal rights in regard to marriage; an issue that is very important to us, but it is, unfortunately, regarded as a back-burner issue among the front runners of this year’s Presidential election. Like it or not… that’s the way it is… for now.
Although Obama’s campaign spins a tale of Senator McCain and Governor Sarah Palin being against Gay Marriage, he fails to publicize the fact that neither he nor Joe Biden support Gay Marriage as well. Obama says; in a round about way, that he supports Domestic Partnerships, but fails to recognize the fact that John McCain supports Domestic Partnerships and that John McCain has stood behind the LGBT Community in various ways. Obama’s web of deceit spinners try to make the Republicans out as the bad guys in regard to the issue of Gay Marriage by stirring up controversy, but again, they fail to reveal the facts that it was six Republicans , including John McCain, who recognized the Constitution as an historic document that is applicable to all U.S. Citizens, and who stopped a Constitutional ban on Gay Marriage on a national level. It was 3 moderate Republicans who upheld the issue of gay marriage in the state Supreme Court.
So in order to set the records straight, so to speak, let’s take a look at Senator McCain’s record on LGBT issues that have been posted on Log Cabin’s National website, where you can read the article in its entirety.
Senator McCain’s Record on Gay Issues
On issues of concern to Log Cabin, Sen. McCain has a mixed record. But, on the most important issue the LGBT community has faced in the last decade, the federal marriage amendment, McCain stood with us and was on the right side of history. He consistently voted against the anti-family Federal Marriage Amendment. He voted against the proposal in both 2004 and 2006, saying the matter should be left to the states. He supported Arizona’s 2006 effort to ban marriage equality and roll back domestic partner benefits offered by some municipalities in the state. McCain opposes hate crime legislation and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). He supports continuation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, which prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly and honestly in the U.S. military.
Marriage in California
Like Sen. Obama and most Democratic lawmakers, Sen. McCain opposes marriage for gay and lesbian Americans. He has expressed support for allowing gay couples access to some benefits short of a civil marriage license. When the California Supreme Court affirmed the state legislature in May 2008 and paved the way for marriage equality in the Golden State, Sen. McCain issued a statement saying that the people of California should decide the issue.
Sen. McCain’s strongest California supporter, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), issued a statement immediately following the California Supreme Court’s ruling saying: “I respect the Court’s decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling. Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling.” Gov. Schwarzenegger is a strong ally to the LGBT community, having signed more pro-gay bills than any governor (Republican or Democrat) in American history. He has also since spoken favorably of marriage for gay couples in California.
On the Right Side of History: The Federal Marriage Amendment
Already, some in the LGBT community are dismissing Sen. McCain’s votes against the federal marriage amendment. But this is disingenuous, to say the least. It took enormous political courage for a Republican Senator from red-state Arizona to buck his own party leadership and President Bush on this hot-button issue. And it’s important to remember that Sen. McCain didn’t just vote “no” on the marriage amendment. He took to the floor of the U.S. Senate and delivered one of the most impassioned speeches against the anti-gay measure, calling it “antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans.” Following a recent report by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) heavily criticizing McCain’s record on gay and lesbian issues, a McCain campaign spokesperson said: “Sen. McCain is seeking support from all Americans this November, based on his vision for moving America forward and his long record of treating people with respect and dignity. He was proud to receive an endorsement from the Log Cabin Republicans in his 2004 re-election campaign, and we’re confident he’ll win strong support this fall.”Wide-Ranging AppealWhile we respect those who believe that only traditional “scorecard” LGBT issues such as hate crimes and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) should matter to gay people, we disagree. The vast majority of LGBT Americans are not one-issue voters. Like all Americans, gays and lesbians have wide-ranging concerns—from foreign policy to the environment to soaring gas prices to the size of the federal government and more. McCain’s positions on these and many issues will attract independents, including gays and lesbians. Sen. McCain supports taking an aggressive posture against totalitarian regimes—regimes that threaten, imprison, and kill gay and lesbian people. By contrast, Sen. Obama has received harsh criticism (and even some skepticism from his fellow Democrats) for indicating he would meet with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without conditions.
Additionally, Sen. McCain’s philosophy on other issues will attract gay and lesbian voters. He supports measures that will benefit gay and lesbian business people. His views on the proper role and scope of the federal government, as well as taxes and spending, energy and the environment may also have wide appeal. He also supports social security reform that may provide for private retirement accounts, which will directly benefit non-married LGBT Americans.
Sen. McCain is undoubtedly running a campaign to reach out to independent voters, including gay Americans. We believe he stands a significant chance of receiving more gay votes than George W. Bush did in 2004.
Taking the Republican Party Back to Its Core Principles
Sen. John McCain’s nomination is an historic one for many reasons. But most significant is the opportunity his candidacy provides for the Republican Party to return to its core, unifying principles—bread and butter issues that brought conservatives to power in the 1990s like limited government, accountability, and restrained spending.
The last eight years have seen the GOP in a deep struggle for the soul of the party—a fight between so-called social conservatives whose worldview largely ignores and excludes gay and lesbian Americans versus fair-minded Republicans who want to move the party back to the issues that Americans care about. Sen. McCain has won the GOP nomination with no help (and with outright hostility) from many social conservatives, including prominent anti-gay crusader Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family.” Dobson earlier proclaimed he would “never” vote for Sen. McCain.
A John McCain presidency has the potential to move the GOP back to its roots of limited government and resistance to intruding into the private lives of citizens. Despite differences on social issues such as gay rights, the GOP under John McCain’s leadership can return to an agenda that, in the words of Ronald Reagan, “appeals to your best hopes, not your worst fears.”
When the final chapter is written, that may do more for gay and lesbian rights than any single policy issue either party can advocate in the next four years.
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