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McCain Guru to Urge GOP to Back Gay Marriage
April 17, 2009 8:13 AM
ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:
Former top McCain adviser Steve Schmidt is planning to use a Friday speech to the Log Cabin Republicans to urge the GOP to drop its opposition to same-sex marriage.
"I'm confident American public opinion will continue to move on the question toward majority support, and sooner or later the Republican Party will catch up to it," Schmidt plans to say according to excerpts provided to ABC News.
Schmidt's push for Republicans to endorse same-sex marriage comes as his party is grappling with a string of gay rights victories in Iowa, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
Schmidt's former boss, Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), continues to oppose same-sex marriage while also opposing a federal constitutional amendment prohibiting it.
McCain's daughter, however, has become an outspoken advocate of same-sex marriage recently and is slated to address the Log Cabin Republicans on Saturday evening.
The topic of her address is: "Losing the Next Generation: How can the Republican Party Attract More Young Voters?"
In his Friday noontime speech, Schmidt is planning to argue that same-sex marriage is in step with principles that conservatives hold dear.
"There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage," Schmidt plans to say. "I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one's liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage."
"It cannot be argued that marriage between people of the same sex is un American or threatens the rights of others," he will say.
"On the contrary," he will say, "it seems to me that denying two consenting adults of the same sex the right to form a lawful union that is protected and respected by the state denies them two of the most basic natural rights affirmed in the preamble of our Declaration of Independence -- liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, I believe, gives the argument of same sex marriage proponents its moral force."
While seeking to appeal to conservative principles, Schmidt is also planning to make an electoral case for same-sex marriage.
The former McCain adviser believes that Barack Obama's large margin of support over McCain among voters under 30 was due, in part, to younger Americans being comfortable with giving gay couples equal rights under the law.
"Some Republicans believe the period of self-examination within the party necessitated by the loss of our majority status is mostly a question of whether the party should become more moderate or conservative," Schmidt plans to say. "I think that's a false choice. We need to grow our coalition, but as I said, that's hard to do if we lose some votes while gaining others."
Prior to leading McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, Schmidt managed California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) 2006 re-election campaign.
He also served in the Bush White House where he played a leading role in the confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
He is currently a partner with Mercury Public Affairs in Sacramento, Calif. He first endorsed same-sex marriage in an interview last month with the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper.
Following Schmidt's address to the Log Cabin Republicans, he is planning to take questions from convention attendees. He will then hold a media availability.
The Log Cabin convention is taking place at the Westin City Center in Washington, D.C.
April 17, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (155)
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Posted by: matt | Apr 17, 2009 8:37:42 AM
Why doesn't this floater go away,on Leno he sounded like he's going to run again in 2012. He just doesn't get it, REAL Republicans don't want him and won't support him. And REAL Republicans hated Lil Bush. Real Republicans support Ron Paul.
Ex Republican
Posted by: RGeier | Apr 17, 2009 8:50:32 AM
The Repugs are dead.
Let the divisions continue.
The Greedy Old Pigs (GOP) are finished.
Posted by: Steve_NJ | Apr 17, 2009 8:56:04 AM
if you allow gay marriages to be granted, you are condoneing sodomy against children. Think about it. Your senses will catch up to all of you...
churches and gay right activist and judges need to think about the children first...
Posted by: rick | Apr 17, 2009 10:30:31 AM
Steve Schmidt has a great platform to bring more Republican victories. The gist of his platform is this: "Liberal Democrats are right and you are wrong". Steve Schmidt is going places. I can think of plenty of Republicans who can't wait to tell him where to go. :)
Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Apr 17, 2009 10:56:16 AM
he clearly knows what he is talking about since he did such a great job on mccain's campaign. get this guy out of here.
Posted by: k. | Apr 17, 2009 11:02:49 AM
Steve Schmidt has a great platform to bring more Republican victories. The gist of his platform is this: "Liberal Democrats are right and you are wrong". Steve Schmidt is going places. I can think of plenty of Republicans who can't wait to tell him where to go. :)
Posted by: Sean O'Brien - at last a republican who has figured out what is wrong with their party. They are wrong and Democrats are right!
Posted by: stu | Apr 17, 2009 11:19:23 AM
"if you allow gay marriages to be granted, you are condoneing sodomy against children. Think about it. Your senses will catch up to all of you..."
Huh?
Posted by: Silky | Apr 17, 2009 11:19:40 AM
This guy is not republican, he needs to switch parties----better still just go away
Posted by: countrygirl_74 | Apr 17, 2009 11:29:39 AM
sodomy is what accelerated the spread if aids. Homosexuals should be registered sex offenders.
Posted by: podredneck | Apr 17, 2009 11:34:33 AM
This is foolish advice. I think that there are still more people who oppose gay marriage than those that support it. I'm one of those who oppose it, and I'm not even a Republican.
Posted by: Tony | Apr 17, 2009 11:39:02 AM
YOU AND SODOM AND GOMORRAH
Posted by: ROD | Apr 17, 2009 11:39:37 AM
This guy is right. Marriage is a conservative institution with real rights and responsibilities. If you want to show you support such a conservative institution, you should recruit as many people into that lifestyle as possible. Converting liberal single gays into conservative married gay couples does a lot to dissipate the liberal single lifestyle gays currently have. Copnservative married gay couiples are more likely to support adoption over abortion and fiscal responsibility over Vegas-style banking.
Posted by: Waysie | Apr 17, 2009 12:51:29 PM
"sodomy is what accelerated the spread if aids. Homosexuals should be registered sex offenders."
Sodomy is hardly a homosexual-only practice. Look around you...many of your girlfriend's love it in the shooter.
Also, vaginal sex also accelerated the spread of AIDS.
Posted by: Silky | Apr 17, 2009 1:09:32 PM
No real ideology just doing whatever is necessary to get the most votes lol. I love it just become Democrats already, oh I forgot you still are anti-middleclass Americans.
Posted by: Hege321 | Apr 17, 2009 1:20:48 PM
??Rick... gay marriage = child sexual abuse?? Maybe you have US confused with Saudi Arabia, where marital child sexual rape (hetero) is common, as is execution of gays.
We have laws in most states here to protect children from early marriage & sexual abuse, laws that would not be overturned by GLBT adult marriage.
Take a deep breath & thank your deity that there is no gay in your town stalking you for illicit sex. The gay population is approx 10%. If you met 10+ people today, at work or in public, odds are you interacted with a gay person. Scary?
Posted by: pip | Apr 17, 2009 1:38:40 PM
"if you allow gay marriages to be granted, you are condoneing sodomy against children. Think about it. Your senses will catch up to all of you..."
If you accept that line of reasoning, you have to conclude that traditional marriage leads to heterosexual abuse of children.
Oh, yes, and did you know that extreme hard line pro-lifers promote the spread or Aids?
Think about it! They oppose the use of condoms, therefore they must be in favor of unprotected sex, therefore they promote the spread of Aids.
Posted by: IowaFarmBoy | Apr 17, 2009 1:44:20 PM
By the way, the second half of my preceding post was intended as satire.
Of course, many of the viewpoints people promote seriously on these blogs are just as ridiculous.
Posted by: IowaFarmBoy | Apr 17, 2009 1:46:55 PM
Maybe he can get the vatican to back abortion next. Then he can try to get the vegans to back eating meat. What a clueless fool.
Posted by: Bob | Apr 17, 2009 2:50:02 PM
Once again, a moot point.
There are gay people getting married every day, and not just in states that permit it. They are being married in most mainstream churches by clergy who have long ago resolved this issue in their own consciences.
Additionally, gay couples have been setting up right of survivorship deeds, powers of attorney, etc. to approximate rights accorded to heterosexual couples. Yes, there are some inequalities but nothing like what 60's era civil rights legislation was trying to address.
The real division concerning gay marriage is in the gay community itself. For all those gays who want to get married, I say, "Just Do It." If you're having trouble finding clergy do perform the ceremony or a lawyer to draw up papers, I'll help.
Posted by: catmustea | Apr 17, 2009 3:01:35 PM
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