The race for the 2008 presidential nominations is already well under way, and one of the contenders is the republican Governor of Massachussets, Mitt Romney. He has started his presidential campaign by lashing out against the state law that allows same-sex marriage. Saying that he is pandering to the far right wing of the party could sound cynical, but there is evidence to support that
This article in Bay Windows, a Boston LGBT newspaper, has some excerpts from an interview they had with Romney back in 1994, when he was competing for the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy. He's had quite the change in tune since then. Here's an excerpt:
I don’t just mean that each person can do what they want to do, I mean that our society should allow people to make their own choices and live by their own beliefs. People of integrity don’t force their beliefs on others, they make sure that others can live by different beliefs they may have. That’s the great thing about this country: it was founded to allow people to follow beliefs of their own conscience. I will work and have worked to fight discrimination and to assure each American equal opportunity. You’ll see that, for instance, in my relations in the workplace.
This recent column by Eleanor Clift in Newsweek discusses that strategy, starting out by stating:
There ought to be a prohibition against opportunistic politicians messing around in state laws to further their presidential ambitions.
Well, if I'm being cynical, at least I've got good company.
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Allow me to play Devil's Advocate (good movie too): How does this contradict his opposition to gay marriage? He stated in 94 that he didn't believe people should be discriminated against, that marriage is a state issue, and today says that gay marriage should be banned by his state. He doesn't view that as discrimination, which I obviously disagree with him on but that's besides the point.
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