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Contrary1

(12,629 posts)
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 02:35 PM Jan 2014

3 Gay Republicans Trying to Make Election History

I guess my only question is how did they ever become Republican? This one will be interesting to watch. These men will most likely lose...but for the wrong reason.

"Dan Innis' husband persuaded him to run for the U.S. House.

It didn't matter that Innis, a former business school dean, faced an aggressive Democratic incumbent, GOP colleagues who oppose his right to marry, and history — no Republican ever has been openly gay when first elected to Congress.

"He said, 'You've got to do this,'" recalls Innis, running in the 1st Congressional District, which covers most of eastern New Hampshire. "He said, 'You need to take this opportunity and see if you can make a difference.'"

Innis plays down his sexuality as a campaign issue, but acknowledges the historic undertones. He is among three openly gay Republicans nationwide expected to run in this year's midterm elections. None has an easy path to Washington.

Each ultimately must unseat a Democratic incumbent, overcome brushes with hate and confront passionate divisions within the GOP about the way they live their lives. The Republican Party is trying to soften its tone on divisive social issues, but many religious conservatives see homosexuality as immoral..."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/gay-republicans-make-election-history-21588754

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LuvNewcastle

(16,820 posts)
1. I just can't seem to dig up any respect for gay Republicans.
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 03:02 PM
Jan 2014

I remember the Reagan years too well, how people were dropping like flies and Ronnie wouldn't even say the word "AIDS" in public until well into his second term.

I've known a good many gay Republicans, and all of them seem to love Reagan's legacy. They have another thing in common: they're all loaded and all they think about is how to protect their money and keeping the government from raising their taxes. You can talk to them all day long about social issues and the religious right, but they still think there are too many lazy people sponging off the government who want to take their money. Besides, in the final analysis, they have nothing to fear from conservatives because they know that their money will protect them. That's the kind of gay people they have in the GOP, and I think they can go to hell.

Orsino

(37,428 posts)
9. Anything I could say about the hypocrisy, hate and callousness required to be a gay Republican...
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 07:42 PM
Jan 2014

...seems to apply equally well to being any other sort of Republican.

LeftishBrit

(41,192 posts)
6. There are some openly gay Tory MPs in the UK, by the way
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 05:26 PM
Jan 2014

But I doubt that gay Republicans would get very far. In fact, for a gay person (or woman, or non-white person, or working-class person) to vote for a right-wing party is rather like a turkey voting for a Christmas party!

DemocraticWing

(1,290 posts)
8. Corporate Pride.
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 06:52 PM
Jan 2014

The linkage of the business class and the gay rights movement is going to lead to more cases of this in the future, sadly. There are plenty of LGBT Democrats, even decent people I know in my personal life, who know absolutely nothing about economic issues. They're willing to sell out the working class in exchange for equality, when in reality we don't have to do it. The unions were supporting us when Republicans and plenty of Democrats wouldn't touch us. The oppressed always have common cause, and I fear we're forgetting our history and losing our identification with the people on the Left who were with us long before the mainstream.

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