I’m impressed, frankly, with the unflinching outspokenness of Meghan McCain (John’s daughter) in her quest to restore sanity, and a future, to the Republican Party. No idea whether she’ll have any success — at least for the foreseeable future — but her willingness to stand straight up to her own party’s not-minimal thuggery is impressive.
Today, McCain is out and out calling for the GOP to “Go Gay” by embracing same sex marriage (she still calls it “gay marriage,” but that’s because she’s still a Republican), and begins her case by pointing out that it was the GOP deity himself, Ronald Reagan, as Governor of CA in 1978, who fended off a ballot proposition which would have outlawed gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools.
“Reagan’s argument centered around the idea that parents already had all the rights they needed to protect their children and that the government did not need to interfere,” McCain notes, pointing to an actual conservative doctrine which the GOP has all but abandoned in their bigoted, unConstitutional demands for Big Government intervention into the private lives of homosexual Americans.
I’m digging fairly deeply into the details of what could be a tremendously important story to come (unrelated to this issue), so for the moment I’ll just leave you with a few of the money quotes from her essay at The Daily Beast today:
…
Lest we forget, our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, grants the same rights to everyone in this country—“All men are created equal.†If you think certain rights should not apply to certain people, then you are saying those people are not equal. People may always have a difference of opinion on certain lifestyles, but championing a position that wants to treat people unequally isn’t just un-Republican. At its fundamental core, it’s un-American.
She finishes with the incredibly overly optimistic notion: “I believe the Republican Party has, at this moment, the opportunity to come forward and play an instrumental role in securing gay rights.” Nonetheless, she deserves credit and kudos for having the courage to say it. It’s a pity it’ll likely fall on so many deaf, crazy, tea-bagging ears.
Discuss.
But what will happen to all of their elected officials’ marriages?
I saw an interview she gave (possibly Larry King?), and she actually was fairly impressive if you give her a bit of credit for being so young.
I’d consider a republican comeback feasible if she were the party’s focus of endearment instead of Palin. M. McCain understands the issues and role of government far better than Palin will ever understand them.
Poor Meghan.. she wants the right-wing to become open minded centrists!
Uh, isn’t that centrist democrats? .. oh, wait, some of them don’t support equal rights for all citizens, either.
the right-wing is wrong, and even those in the party can’t seem to accept that reality. Meghan is clearly not a Republican, but has to keep that “identifier” because we’re brainwashed in this country to think that such things matter.. that if you “change your mind”, you were clearly “wrong”, and that is somehow a “bad thing” in America.
Arrogance and Ignorance.. The only things America is still #1 in.
Meghan McCain could become one of the most influential people of her generation. I doubt that she will be a Republican very long because of forces beyond anyone’s control. Using the Darman standard, she is a liberal, however her liberalism is 20 or 30 years out of date, so she is a conservative. She likely is the face of conservative youth, and she has no party except the Democrats. It is going to be interesting as the tectonic plates of politics continue their shift.
Been over to HuffPo lately?
ComedyWATCH: Sexually Charged Conservative Campaign Names
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html
NSFW VIDEO: Lesbian YouTube Video Embraced By Virginia GOP
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/lesbian-youtube-video-emb_n_186723.html
seems the GOP is imploding, waiting for bill’os head to explode.
Savanster @ 3 –
I had considered asking, in the original article, why it is — other than family loyalty — that Meghan remains a Repub. Then I noticed in her essay a mention of being “pro-life” along with pro-“gay marriage”, so I’d assume that’s why she believes she needs to stay in the Repub party, even though nothing keeps a pro-lifer from being a Dem.
I’d like to think that though she’s pro-life, she’s also pro-choice (particularly given her expressed beliefs in equality), but I don’t know. If so, I’m sure she’d be quite welcome in the Dem party.
my republican friends keep reminding me that the republican party is about less government in our personal lives. in this case ms. mccain can still be a repub in that she recognizes that these very issues are not, or should not be a governmental issue. that we, as a nation should get beyond this type of “boundary thinking”.
i still think that states should refuse the rhetoric of “marriage” in their licensing/ tax status & exchange it instead with “legal union”. this would truly be separation of church & state. let the “church” be in charge of “marriage” & the state be in charge of tax exemptions…
as 4 abortions, the only people who should decide on that matter are those who have a uterus. when a man can gestate a baby, then & only then can he have a voice in the matter. so, the “government”, in a purely republican mindset, cannot & should not have any power over a person’s body.
any repubs out there, please school me. am i wrong? anyone? anyone? Bueller?
I find it hillarious that there is an upcoming group of young people like Ms. McCain who identify as Republican and yet claim to stand for pretty much everything that would be called “liberal”. I think this shows a profound, growing level of ignorance in politics and that a large number of people label themselves based on some unrealistic ideal instead of reality. Kind of like how people say the country is right-leaning despite the majority supporting progressive ideas. Or how a President like Bush can get away with anything, and be a massive screw up and yet Obama is put under a microscope. Or how Bush can fail at everything he’s ever done and be perfect to run the country, but Obama’s qualifications are suspect.
Someone mentioned that Republicans are about small or less “government”? Really? What does Ms. McCain and all these “small government” people ahve to say about the increases in governmnet under REpublican rule? Or the shredding of the constitution? Or warrantless wiretapping? Or any of the other countless abuses done to American citizens under the guise of “protection from terrorism?”
Or Maybe all it takes to be a Republican is the belief there should be less taxes? Well, then maybe the Republicans shouldn’t constantly be crippling the country with massive amounts of debt due to their cutting taxes and uncontrollable spending.
Republicans don’t make government smaller, they just make it worse so that it justifies the Straw Boogey Man they created in the first place.
Sorry, but it doesn’t add up. If all it takes to be Republican is some BS about smaller government and lower taxes, while completely agreeing with the countless every day progressive issues that affect peoples lives on a daily basis…then people are screwed. This is the same ignorance that got us intot he 8 years of Bush mess we are currently in.
At the core, the Republican Party is about “control, religion, and money”. period. This crap about “small government” is a lie told to win hearts and minds (of idiots who can’t remember history from one week to the next).. this “pro-life” lie needs to be properly re-framed to what it actually is, “anti-choice”. Pro-war is not pro-life, anti-welfare is not pro-life, anti-healthcare is not pro-life..
Most “rich” people are Republicans. Most zealots are Republicans. Most decent people, poor people, compassionate people, open minded people… those tend to be your Democrats.
So let’s not pretend that either party is about anything the party claims, the names have implications, but in today’s politics, none of that matters (they are all corporate shills these days, 99% of all our representatives are multi-millionaires.. hello? you listening?)
Meghan sounds to be a fairly sane person, and her only reason to be a “Republican” is social stigma and cognitive dissonance. By all rights, no sane person should be a Dem or Rep in the current system. Trillions to the banks that got us here, signed by both parties, should be all the proof we need.
I’m a Democrat that has a firm belief that if he gestated fetus is at the point of viability(that means that if it somehow escapes the uterus and makes it to the outside world)abortion is equivalent to waiting for the child to be born and then thrown in the trash or thrown up against the nearest wall to see if it sticks. In other words JACKI, I equate it to murder.
Did you hear, it’s happening, again…5th U.S. state to consider passing Gay Marriage Law.
Serves you christo-fascists right, this is what you have wrough with your Prop H8!
NY state governor introduces gay marriage bill
Reuters – ‎45 minutes ago‎
By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Gov. David Paterson on Thursday introduced a bill to allow gay marriage in the state, likening the effort to civil rights struggles and brushing aside objections from religious leaders.
New York governor to push same-sex marriage bill CNN
Gov. Paterson introduces legislation to legalize gay marriage in … New York Daily News
Newsday – NECN – WNYC – The Associated Press
all 1,130 news articles »
http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&topic=h&ncl=1332824925&cf=all&scoring=n