Amanda Terkel aterkel@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting
First Posted: 08-25-10 10:42 PM | Updated: 08-25-10 11:11 PM
In an interview with the Huffington Post on Wednesday night, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman -- who announced earlier Wednesday that he is gay and intends to join the fight for marriage equality in California -- said he wishes he had come out while he was the face of a historically anti-gay Republican Party platform.
Mehlman acknowledged regret that he remained closeted when he led the RNC between 2005 and 2007. This was a time when, as The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder noted, it was "stepping up its anti-gay activities."
"The reason I wish that I had been in a different place then, as I am now, is I know the personal benefit of being comfortable with, and at peace with, an important part of your life," Mehlman said.
Until you get there, it's much harder. I'm very glad to be there.
The former chairman argued that he tried hard to "expand the party and build the party," but said he wished he had done more for gay rights. Still, he said:
[You] can't look back, you've got to look forward.
The GOP movement away form Opposing gay marriage started when right wing attorney Ted Olson opposed California's Proposition 8. Dick Cheney, who has a lesbian daughter, and Ann Coulter also jumped on the 'it's OK to be Gay' band wagon. Now a former RNC chairman comes out.
We suspect the evangelicals aren't happy about this policy cahnge. It will ruin the evangelical gay conversion therapy business.
source: Huffington Post
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First Posted: 08-25-10 10:42 PM | Updated: 08-25-10 11:11 PM
Mehlman acknowledged regret that he remained closeted when he led the RNC between 2005 and 2007. This was a time when, as The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder noted, it was "stepping up its anti-gay activities."
"The reason I wish that I had been in a different place then, as I am now, is I know the personal benefit of being comfortable with, and at peace with, an important part of your life," Mehlman said.
Until you get there, it's much harder. I'm very glad to be there.
The former chairman argued that he tried hard to "expand the party and build the party," but said he wished he had done more for gay rights. Still, he said:
[You] can't look back, you've got to look forward.
The GOP movement away form Opposing gay marriage started when right wing attorney Ted Olson opposed California's Proposition 8. Dick Cheney, who has a lesbian daughter, and Ann Coulter also jumped on the 'it's OK to be Gay' band wagon. Now a former RNC chairman comes out.
We suspect the evangelicals aren't happy about this policy cahnge. It will ruin the evangelical gay conversion therapy business.
source: Huffington Post
Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/IGiu
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://rightardia.blogspot.com
2 comments:
The Republicans are so funny, when the economy is good you say let’s all celebrate “Cinco de Mayo, my brothers” but when the economy is down “it’s all your fault, you damn immigrant”. When most Americans (with Latin America roots) go to the polls this November we will remember that the GOP has gone on a nationwide rant in proposing and passing several anti-immigration legislation (that continue to fail in our US Courts) and have continue to blame the immigrant for the flat economy or worse. We will remember who stands with us and who stands against us, so trying to stop it now is somewhat funny, but go ahead, you will not change our minds. Plus the more radical of the GOP are now attacking our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, in a misguided attempt to garner some much needed votes, they really are fools, and leading the GOP towards obscurity because they are no longer a party of ideas, just of empty suits. Your hate made you do it, in November; you will reap what you have sown. I wonder what Abraham Lincoln would say about todays GOP, he unlike the current GOP was a man of ideas.
The GOP may win another election or two, but the handwriting is on the wall for the party. It is probably hoping to swing the election toward it by another one or two points by 'going gay."
The GOP will end up a regional party with permanent minority status before 2020.
Most of the views of the GOP haven't changed much since the 19th century. One winger even told me the that's because the Tea Baggers represent the ideas of the Founders. the really important Founders like Jefferson, Madison, Adams and Franklin weren't conservative. Texas is even trying to write Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence out of the history books!
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