Cheney Comes Out for Gay Marriage
June 1, 2009It appears VP and aspiring national GOP leader, Dick Cheney, has sured up his support for gay marriage - atleast on the state level. Speaking at the National Press Club today, Cheney indicated his support for full marriage rights for gays as long as marriage is continued to be regulated state by state.
According to the AP, Cheney said “I think…freedom means freedom for everyone. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish.” He went on to ad that marriage has historically been regulated on the state level and that it should stay that way, letting individual states decide.
This statement brings to mind other prominent conservative leaders like Barry Goldwater and - some contend - even Ronald Reagan, whose philosophies of small federal government and states rights led them to support more liberal state level positions on issues like gay and abortion rights.
Could a truly conservative states rightist approach to controversial issues allow the GOP to side step calls to moderate its position on social issues? This author thinks Cheney has it right. Let’s take the social issues out of the national debate where we’re losing ground. The ultimate question is, would Cheney - whose own daughter is gay - support NH’s marriage bill and will he be giving a call to John Sununu?
gth
Jun 1, 2009
Gee! I wonder if having a gay daughter has anything to do with it?
Or maybe it’s just because Obama is against Gay Marriage….Shhhhhhh. don’t tell all the Obama worshipers over at BNH that their mesiah is against it. I don’t think they know.
Vis Unita Fortior
Jun 2, 2009
Having a gay daughter definitely has something to do with it. Personally knowing someone who is gay goes a long way to make people less susceptible to rumors like “gays are the child molesters and the people spreading HIV”, the sort of untruths you’ve been trying to spread through RedHampshire gth.
steve vaillancourt
Jun 2, 2009
Of course knowing someone who is gay (or having a gay child) helps in the thought process. It’s harder to discrimate against (hate, villigy, whatever word you choose) someone you know. Perhaps the even bigger news on this front is Ted Olson’s decision to join Boies to weight in legally on this issue. Olson is an uber conservative, remember the Bush v. Gore case. Wasn’t his wife the conservative writer who was killed in the Pa crash on 9/11. Republicans slowly but surely are coming aboard to where they should be, favoring eqaulity for all.
Steve V (Kathy the S’s and Queen Fergie’s least favorite gay marriage supporter)