Blogger Terrance Heath has a few things to say to the GOP: Blaming the Democrats and trying for re-branding won't work because you've just had 7.5 years in power (in spite of Dems supposedly in control in Congress) and what have you done with it? There is a basic issue: The "problems" the GOP wants to solve are not the issues that most Americans are facing. And the big issues before Americans are ones conservatism doesn't see as problems.
Portland, Oregon just elected Sam Adams as mayor by a hefty margin. It is newsworthy because Adams is gay. Alas, Portland is a beacon in decidedly conservative state.
Ellen DeGeneres has become quite the spokesperson for the gay community. She recently announced her engagement for a Calif. gay wedding. Today she brought John McCain onto her show, sat him down, and asked him why the federal government won't allow her to be married. He politely brushed her off by saying "We just have a disagreement… I wish you every happiness." Her comeback: "You'll walk me down the aisle?"
Video and commentary here.
Video and transcript here.
Pastor John Hagee is big stuff in conservative circles and McCain actively sought and basked in Hagee's endorsement. But Hagee has been pushing strange foreign policy ideas, such as the role Israel is to play in the End Times described in Revelation and how the USA can speed up the timetable. But Hagee went one step too far. He claimed that Jews were disobeying God for not relocating to Israel during the Zionist movement in the early part of the 20th century. Therefore God used Hitler to force Jews to Israel with the Holocaust as the price they paid for their disobedience. Hagee and McCain have now renounced each other.
While Portland is indeed a beacon in a conservative state, it should be noted that Western conservatism in the Pacific Northwest is not so quick to necessarily jump on the anti-gay marriage band wagon. One of the band members of Mudhoney once put it this way: "The northwest was founded by lumberjacks and lesbians." There's a libertarian acceptance for homosexuals here. With that in mind, many conservatives do not oppose gay marriage. I'd further posit that those who voted in Washington state for the DOMA are beginning to change their minds.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the status of voter initiatives to ban gay marriage in Oregon? Did one pass? Is there one about to be certified for the November election? I thought I heard something about this in articles about Portland's gay mayor, but can't find them now. If true, we have a gay mayor in a state that has or is trying to restrict gay relationships. And that portrays the state's liberal/conservative divide.
ReplyDeleteIn 2004 Oregon citizens passed a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Basically, a DOMA law. In 2007, the state legislature passed 2 laws that affected the GLBT community. The first was a domestic partnership bill. The second was a bill that prohibited discrimination in a variety of areas including housing and the work place.
ReplyDeleteOutside groups opposed those 2 bills, signed by the governor and taking effect January 2, 2008. They were rebuffed by the courts. This year, another group is attempting to get measures on the November ballot that would overturn these laws. The outcome of the signature gatherers is not yet certain. Basic Rights Oregon is gearing up for a fall battle.