This can be used as a wedge issue to get out the Christian vote. They give up the Gay Republicans, which is a very small vote anyway. Down to Andrew Sullivan at the moment.:>)
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washingtonpost.com
Gay Marriage Looms as Issue
GOP Push for Amendment Is Dilemma for Bush
By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 25, 2003; Page A01
Republican lawmakers and conservative activists are making plans to turn gay marriage into a major issue in next year's elections, with some Christian groups saying that banning same-sex unions is a higher immediate priority for them than restricting abortion.
Party strategists said the issue could be a bonanza for mobilizing conservatives to fund campaigns and turn out to vote, particularly in the South. Conservative groups said they plan to challenge candidates to sign a pledge in support of a constitutional amendment precluding gay marriage, then use the results -- along with votes Republicans hope to force in the House and Senate -- as a wedge against Democrats.
Watching the Episcopal Church roiled over whether openly gay bishops should be confirmed, politicians in both parties are beginning to see gay marriage as a potentially key issue for candidates in a 50-50 nation.
"It's becoming a bigger issue by the day," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative group with many friends in the White House. "It's going to have a big impact on this election cycle. And we're going to help it become a front-burner issue at the state and national level, if it doesn't become one on its own."
Some worried administration officials said gay marriage may turn into an issue on which President Bush's reelection interests diverge from those of his party's activists and congressional candidates. Democrats contend -- and some officials close to Bush said they fear -- that the issue could hamper efforts to portray the president as a compassionate or tolerant conservative, a crucial part of his appeal to suburban women and swing voters.
The most conservative members of the Republican party have expressed dismay about Bush's reticence on the issue so far, fearing a rerun of his low-decibel approach to abortion during his campaigns.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is considering a case that could lead to a ruling this fall calling for the legislature to set up a system for same-sex unions such as that in Vermont or Canada.
If Massachusetts recognizes such unions, a blizzard of lawsuits could be expected to force other states to recognize the Massachusetts ceremonies. The Defense of Marriage Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages. But some leading Republican lawmakers say they worry the federal law could be struck down as unconstitutional, and the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the act in September. GOP sources said the purpose was to build a case for additional "safeguards."
Recent polls have shown that a majority of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, and activists on both sides predicted that the prospective Massachusetts ruling could reignite the nation's culture wars at an intensity not seen since the Clinton administration.
A coalition of conservative groups plans designated the week of Oct. 12 to 18 as "Marriage Protection Week," to call attention to their drive for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which says marriage in the United States "shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman."
Focus on the Family, the group led by James Dobson, has begun raising money and excitement about the issue with a mailing warning that "the institution of marriage is about to descend into a state of turmoil unlike any other in human history." He asks for a contribution for a costly battle that "could very well be a turning point in our nation's history."
Another powerful conservative lobbying organization, Concerned Women for America, is circulating talking points called "Why Homosexual 'Marriage' Is Wrong," saying it "is as wrong as giving a man a license to marry his mother or daughter or sister."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) endorsed the amendment this summer after a landmark gay-rights ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Texas's ban on sodomy. Bush has stopped short of an endorsement but signaled his support for conservatives, disclosing that administration lawyers are studying ways to codify marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Administration officials, in private conversations, sounded skittish about the issue and said there is no chance Bush will take any further position on the issue before the Massachusetts ruling. After that, the president will have to make a high-stakes legal and political decision about how aggressive a response he will support.
A House Republican aide said congressional leaders would likely push for a constitutional amendment next year, "if there is a confluence of court rulings and a groundswell of public opinion."
"Some conservatives who usually are reluctant to support constitutional amendments wouldn't stand in the way of the will of the House if courts are distorting the essence and purpose of marriage," the strategist said. "In an election year, it would be good to get folks on the record. Democrats who usually would be tempted to vote against us might join us out of fear of looking extreme."
A GOP strategist said gay marriage is viewed in the party as a valuable "opportunistic issue" -- that is, one the party can play up in key races and ignore in others.
Many Democrats plan to avoid the issue when possible. An ABC News poll in September found that 55 percent of adults surveyed think same-sex marriages should be illegal, and 37 percent think they should be legal. The poll also found that 51 percent of adults opposed legally recognized civil unions, which would give gay couples the same legal rights as married people in areas such as health insurance, inheritance, pensions and hospital visitations.
Geoffrey Garin, a Democratic pollster, has been conducting focus groups on the subject for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay political organization, and said he finds that middle-of-the-road voters "would prefer to talk about almost any other subject." He said the issue could boomerang on Bush's efforts to come across as moderate.
"Even when they agree on the substance, voters often become uncomfortable with politicians who raise the subject," Garin said. "While Americans certainly don't embrace the idea of gay marriage, they're uncomfortable with identifying themselves with policies that smack of discrimination and unfairness."
Elizabeth Birch, the Human Rights Campaign's executive director, said her group's strategy is to educate people about the differences between the religious ceremony and the legal protections of a marriage certificate.
Several Democratic presidential candidates have tried to navigate that terrain by opposing a constitutional amendment but endorsing civil unions. Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), former Vermont governor Howard Dean and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark all support the concept of civil unions, according to their campaigns.
Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) and John Edwards (N.C.) oppose gay marriage and think the issue of civil unions should be left to the states. The only supporters of gay marriage are Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio), Al Sharpton and former senator Carol Moseley Braun (Ill.).
Gephardt's daughter, Chrissy, who is gay, has been a highly visible supporter of her father's campaign and goes further than he does, supporting gay marriage. Gephardt said at a Human Rights Campaign candidates' forum in July that civil unions are attainable, and suggested that approval of gay marriage is not. "We haven't passed a lot of things that we need to pass," he said. "We've got a ways to go here."
Bush has been restrained in his comments on the issue. After the Supreme Court's sodomy ruling in June, Bush said about an amendment, "I don't know if it's necessary yet. Let's let the lawyers look at the full ramifications of the recent Supreme Court hearing. What I do support is the notion that marriage is between a man and a woman."
Asked again at a news conference at the end of July, Bush did not condemn homosexuality, saying he is "mindful that we're all sinners."
"On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage," he said. "I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman. And I think we ought to codify that one way or the other. And we've got lawyers looking at the best way to do that."
Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, connected the dots of Bush's remarks at a breakfast for reporters in September. Pointing to "a lot of energy out there, a lot of concern about gay marriage," Gillespie said he would not be surprised if the issue is addressed in the party's platform next summer.
Gillespie noted that he is a committed Catholic. "I accept people for who they are -- and love them," he said. "That doesn't mean I have to agree or turn my back on the tenets of my faith when it comes to homosexuality."
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