Expanding the GOP Tent
3:13 PM
I had the pleasure yesterday of meeting Chip LaMarca, Chairman of the Broward County GOP. He came to speak with a group of gay Republicans, the Log Cabin Republicans. This was the second time I'd sat with the group, and both times they had a high ranking guest from the Broward GOP. Last time I went, it was Cindy Guerra, Vice-Chairman. To say that Cindy was impressive to me both as a gay man and a new Republican is to do her a disservice, yet in many ways I was almost more impressed by Chip.
He spoke to us briefly about his beliefs, his fights help us win back a majority, to keep loony factions from being considered the voice of the party, and that took only a few minutes. Then, he turned the conversation on us. He asked questions. He wanted to know how the Republican Party can be more inclusive, and what it can do to reach out to more GLBT voters. He listened intently, asked for our input, offered suggestions in return, and stayed long after the meeting to meet us all individually.
A surprising number of members of our local LCR chapter sit on the Broward Republican Executive Committee, know Republican leaders personally, including Chip and Cindy. Our Local LCR is visible and fully chartered by the Republican Party, not shoved in a back closet. And I'm proud to tell you that from speaking with Chip, Cindy, and our local Log Cabin members, I'm very excited about going to the BREC meeting in a few weeks to hear from the county GOP at large and get a sense of their tone. So far, I'm very optimistic that changing parties has been the right choice. There seems to be a lot of good work to be done here, sincerely.
After our discussion last night, it's only appropriate that I should find in my daily blogroll, the following two pieces of literature about the future of the GOP, young voters, and GLBT posturing. Remember when we discussed the article in Out Magazine about gays leaving Democrats at the altar? We may be starting to see movement in that direction.
Meghan McCain writes in the Daily Beast:
And, in the NextRight Blog, author Kristen Soltis discusses young voters and the issue of Gay Marriage:
He spoke to us briefly about his beliefs, his fights help us win back a majority, to keep loony factions from being considered the voice of the party, and that took only a few minutes. Then, he turned the conversation on us. He asked questions. He wanted to know how the Republican Party can be more inclusive, and what it can do to reach out to more GLBT voters. He listened intently, asked for our input, offered suggestions in return, and stayed long after the meeting to meet us all individually.
A surprising number of members of our local LCR chapter sit on the Broward Republican Executive Committee, know Republican leaders personally, including Chip and Cindy. Our Local LCR is visible and fully chartered by the Republican Party, not shoved in a back closet. And I'm proud to tell you that from speaking with Chip, Cindy, and our local Log Cabin members, I'm very excited about going to the BREC meeting in a few weeks to hear from the county GOP at large and get a sense of their tone. So far, I'm very optimistic that changing parties has been the right choice. There seems to be a lot of good work to be done here, sincerely.
After our discussion last night, it's only appropriate that I should find in my daily blogroll, the following two pieces of literature about the future of the GOP, young voters, and GLBT posturing. Remember when we discussed the article in Out Magazine about gays leaving Democrats at the altar? We may be starting to see movement in that direction.
Meghan McCain writes in the Daily Beast:
"Sometimes, gay Republicans are regarded in the same vein as “Jews for Hitler,” but my father garnered nearly 28 percent of the gay vote in the last election—up from the 20 percent President George W. Bush received in 2004—and there are nearly 20,000 declared members of the Log Cabin Republicans.
...discussing gay rights speaks positively for the millions of young and progressive Republicans waiting for our party to return to its roots. Personal freedoms are what makes this country the greatest country in the world. And just like the civil-rights and feminist movements before this, the movement toward gay equality and gay marriage is one I have absolute faith will triumph over prejudices. Moreover, I believe the Republican Party has, at this moment, the opportunity to come forward and play an instrumental role in securing gay rights. That's why I'm speaking at the Log Cabin convention and couldn't be prouder to be doing so. And yes, I'm still a Republican. Get used to it."
And, in the NextRight Blog, author Kristen Soltis discusses young voters and the issue of Gay Marriage:
"A Harvard Institute of Politics study in Spring of 2008 of 18-24 year olds also corroborated the findings that young voters are more tolerant concerning homosexuality; when asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement "homosexual relationships between consenting adults are morally wrong", 50% disagreed while 30% agreed and 20% neither agreed nor disagreed. To be sure, not all Democrats are supportive of gay marriage or homosexuality. Some 48% of those who identified as "strong Democrats" said that homosexual sex was "always wrong" as did 50.7% of Democrats overall. Furthermore, while support for gay marriage is more common among Democrats, 38.1% of Democrats do not believe that homosexuals should have the right to get married.
Yet regardless of how narrow or wide the chasm is between the two parties is on the issue, the differences between the beliefs of young voters and the beliefs of the older segments of the electorate - particularly the modern day Republican electorate - are significant.
Yet whether the Republican Party amends its actual policy stance on gay marriage or whether it simply makes efforts be more tolerant and inclusive of homosexuals generally, the Republican Party cannot ignore the vast differences in public opinion between young and old voters on the issue. This difference certainly presents a serious challenge to the party's long-term ability to swell its ranks among young voters."
Posted by Nick Stone
on 3:13 PM.
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