On the Monday MSNBC broadcast of “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough challenged media outlets and observers who say the Republican Party will soon broadly support gay marriage, arguing that they fundamentally misunderstand political realities in several conservative areas of the country.
“I wonder how many of these people who support it from Washington or New York, or from state capitals across the country, have ever campaigned in western Iowa, have ever campaigned in South Carolina in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, have ever campaigned across north Florida. … What candidate can win in western Iowa, can win in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, can win in north Florida if they come out and support gay marriage nationally and support immigration reform?”
Scarborough did admit at the end of the segment that some Republicans are softening their tune on gay marriage, but maintained that they will not suddenly abandon their opposition to the practice. “This rush to marriage equality among the electorate is — at least among the Republican base — a mirage. It’s a lot of wishful thinking from people in Manhattan. … I think there has been, over the past month or two, sort of this tidal wave coming from national media saying things are changing overnight. They don’t change overnight.”
But instead of recognizing a consensus issue when they see it, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is trying to do the Left’s job: sow division in the party by retreating on key planks in the GOP platform. If the RNC wants to replicate the states’ success, it needs to reflect the states’ values. The GOP establishment wants to relegate social conservatives to minority status in the national party, when we’re the majority in most states. And they wonder why their candidates are losing elections!
When leaders like Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema so much as raise questions about the harms of homosexuality, the RNC throws them under the bus faster than you can say “political correctness.” Agema, a staunch Michigan conservative, is taking fire from his own party for a Facebook post that detailed the harms of homosexuality. And while people may not agree with everything in his column, they should agree on his freedom to call for a discussion. But under this new “inclusive” and “welcoming” RNC, simply raising awareness on certain social issues is off-limits. A group of GOP officials is calling on Agema to resign–including state party chairman Bobby Schostak, who claimed that statistics about the consequences of homosexual behavior, consequences which even the left acknowledge, are a form of hate.
The homosexual movement is built, not on facts or research, but on mythology. Unfortunately, these myths have come to be widely accepted in society—particularly in schools, universities and the media. Homosexual attractions may be involuntary, engaging in homosexual relations is clearly voluntary. FRC’s “Top 10 Myths about Homosexuality” highlights a summary of recent data, which all point to the high rates of physical and mental illness associated with homosexuality.
Several of these hazards are echoed by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, which makes a point of posting the risks so that people can discuss them with their doctors. According to the website, Gays are at an increased risk of HIV, an increased risk of sexually transmitted infection such as STD, Chlamydia, Human Papilloma Virus, and herpes; are much more likely to suffer from bulimia or anorexia nervosa; are more likely to abuse drugs; have an increased risk for depression and anxiety; and are at high risk of developing testicular, prostate, colon or anal cancer.
To his credit, Dave Agema isn’t backing down. He insists that we shouldn’t cut off debate about a lifestyle with direct public policy implications. Anyone who’s read about the growing crisis of sexually transmitted infections in America understands that all forms of promiscuity–homosexual and otherwise–are having a major impact on public health. We can’t reverse those trends by burying our head in the sand and throwing money at the epidemic. Ignoring the deeper issues only perpetuates the problem and does a disservice to taxpayers who are literally paying the price for America’s sexual liberalism.
While the RNC is busy self-censoring, the Republicans’ position on marriage isn’t what voters are complaining about. According to a new Gallup survey, only 3% of Republicans criticized the party’s platform on social issues.
A far greater number–14%–thinks the GOP’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t stand up for its positions. A fact that conservatives like Dave Agema can certainly attest to.
Source: Tony Perkins, FRC
