Wayne Besen, the head of "Truth Wins Out," takes a look at the idea of supporting GLBT-friendly politicians from both parties. He concludes that it is time to stop that and focus on getting democrats elected.
Here are some of his key points:
".....in my estimation, the Republican Party's hostility towards gay people is not something that can easily be fixed. The entire party will have to collapse and remake itself into an entity that does not exploit fear and prejudice before GLBT people can return."
"While most Republicans are not anti-gay, the party is still the undeniable home for most haters and homophobes."
"When Republicans finally leave the thrall of Neo Puritan preachers, the GLBT community can again responsibly resume bipartisanship."
These are all excellent points which I agree with. The level of support given to GLBT issues by the Democratic Party is certainly open to debate, but the efforts of the Republicans to legislate bigotry and write it into the U. S. Constitution is not.
Anyone who is a supporter of GLBT equality needs to strongly consider voting for any QUALIFIED Democratic candidate when they go to the polls in November. If the Republicans retain control of Congress, they could be successful in ramming through their amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage and chip away at other rights GLBT people currently have.
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I don't believe the road to success for Gay Rights leads to the Democratic Party. I don't think it leads to any political party. We've got to get beyond this secular, partisan thinking and realize that our fight will not be won or lost at the ballot box. It will be won or lost in the pulpit.
ReplyDeleteI understand stuffed animal's argument, but we are stuck with the political process that we have. As a secular person, my only influence is through the ballot box and I clearly won't be voting Republican. The Democratic party is my only hope for change.
ReplyDeletePaul.
pdcook.blogspot.com
You've got to change your thinking. This is only a political fight on the surface. At its core, this is a religious fight. Anything LGBT citizens gain vial the political process can be reversed by Religious Right initiatives. Remember that at one time, the death penalty was illegal in this country. It became legal again due to conservative activism, and fundamentalist religion, with it's "eye for an eye" credo, was a large factor in that reversal. You can't trust the Democratic Party, because it's leadership is bent on wooing away Republican voters. The way they're trying to do that is by moving to the political Right and shunning issues like marriage equality.
ReplyDeleteStuffed Animal,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that the ultimate path to insuring rights for GLBT people is to change their hearts--that's where the only lasting victory will come from. However, until that happens, I strongly recommend you vote against Republicans because basic civil rights you have now are at risk as long as that party is in power.
I predict Americans of all persuasions will continue to lose basic rights until the current crop of Republicans is out of power, and I don't know how long that will be. Yet I cannot pledge blanket support for Democratic candidates. In my part of the country (midwest), some of them are just as bad as the radical Republicans. Most of my votes will undoubtedly be Democratic, though.
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