The “G” in GOP stands for Gay

Homosexuality dominates many areas of the Republican Party; this is why the GOP did not work very hard for a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage when they had the chance to do so. Now the Democrats are poised to win the House of Representatives and gain significant seats in the U.S. Senate. The opportunity for a Constitutional amendment to define marriage will not surface again because by the time the GOP regains enough seats in the Congress to make the ban a reality, the culture on same-sex marriage will have changed to the point of at least “tepid” acceptance.

The recent sex scandal involving Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was a surprise to many evangelical Christians but it could not have been a surprise to many leaders and back-room operatives in the Republican Party. Haggard was President of NAE since 2003 and participated in conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied the U.S. Congress on social issues and Supreme Court nominees. Like former GOP Congressman Mark Foley, who resigned after it was revealed he sent sexually explicit messages to underage male pages while serving in the House of Representatives, the conservative Haggard has opposed gay marriage. It is well known that leaders in the Republican Party knew of Foley’s sexual advances to teenagers but did nothing to stop the predatory attacks because the GOP leadership wanted Foley to continue voting with them.

Can you say “hypocrites?” Gay Republican Christian Conservative hypocrites? Let’s face it; the Republican Party leadership doesn’t care if members of Congress are gay or making sexual advances to teenagers so long as they vote for their economic and business interests. Yes, we Republicans will sacrifice our values for money. We’ll talk-the-talk on gay marriage but don’t ask us to walk-the-walk. Why? Well, every family in America has a member who is gay. It’s just the parents in evangelical families who don’t know it yet because their children are afraid of being disowned when they come out. The GOP leadership knows this is the case and is taking advantage of the ignorance of these evangelical parents who would not otherwise vote with their Republican economic or business interests but, instead, vote on social issues. Think any Republican members of Congress have paid for an abortion? Hmmmm. Shame on them.

In case you didn’t hear, the conservative Haggard resigned last week after the Overseer Board of New Life Church – an organization that represents over 30 million evangelical Christians – determined he “demonstrated immoral conduct.” Haggard is said to have engaged in sodomy and oral copulation with a Colorado male prostitute named Mike Jones. Haggard, 50, has admitted he paid Jones for a “massage” and did not use drugs he bought from Jones. He is married and has five children. To rousing applause at the church, Haggard’s wife has said she will remain with her husband. This reaction is quite a bit different from the reaction Hillary Clinton received for a similar decision. Is this more hypocrisy from Christian conservatives? You bet it is.

The homosexual sex scandals have disappointed Christian conservatives, whom President Bush and other Republicans are courting heavily for Tuesday's election. Many evangelicals are disappointed with the president and the Republican-controlled Congress over their failure to deliver any significant gains on social issues since taking over in 2001. The Republican Party controls the White House, both chambers of Congress, most of the Judicial System, most Governorships and most state legislatures. David Kup, a former leader for conservative Christian organizations who worked at the White House has said the Bush administration really doesn’t care about conservative social issues, including gay marriage. He claims officials deceived and privately ridiculed conservative Christian leaders and has written in his book “Tempting Faith” that Bush publicly preached compassionate conservatism but regarded the poor with indifference once the cameras stopped rolling.

It isn’t a surprise that the Republican leadership remains indifferent to issues important to social conservatives. The GOP has had six years of control to demonstrate they remain in line with evangelical Christians but they have done little or nothing during that time to (a) establish a marriage amendment to the Constitution, (b) curtail abortion, (c) fight stem-cell research, or (d) halt illegal immigration. Instead, they have spent most of their efforts and America’s tax dollars on the war in Iraq and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. This is why evangelical Christians will not be voting in Tuesday’s election, so that they can send a message to the Republican Party that their support should not be taken for granted.

Let’s get real. The Republican leadership will do nothing or little about the issue of gay marriage. Nor will they do anything to establish laws that deny gays from obtaining health services, job protections, or serving in the military (albeit silently). Here’s why:

1. The daughter of Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, Mary Cheney, is openly homosexual. She is a member of the “gay-friendly” Republican Unity Coalition and has said that sexual orientation should be a “non-issue for the Republican Party.” Since we all know President Bush takes his marching orders from Mary’s father, Dick, there will be no Constitutional amendment defining marriage.

2. The Log Cabin Republicans is a political machine that has become an increasingly influential organization within the GOP and is fighting for tolerance in the Party. As more and more openly gay couples become wealthy and financially influential, they have become more fiscally conservative. Their social and economic interests merge and they accept the Republican Party as a place where these interests need not conflict. This is certainly the case with the homosexual children in Republican families. And remember, every Republican family has a homosexual member. Every family.

3. Numerous Republican Party leaders have sought to tap the financial benefits of courting the gay vote. According to reports, gays contribute about 4 times more to candidates running for office than do evangelical Christians. Republican leaders who have courted the gay vote include Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA), John Danforth (MO), Senator Gordon Smith (OR), Michael Huffington (CA), Dennis Hastert (IL), Vice President Dick Cheney, and many others. The financial well being of homosexual households is probably one of the reasons many churches are also courting gay families.

4. It is now possible to be openly gay and get elected to office. The Victory Fund reported that over 40 openly gay candidates were elected to office nationwide two years ago. While the majority of these candidates are Democrats, many are Republicans. It is estimated that in addition to Mark Foley and Congressman Jim Kolbe, there are at least seven other gay Republican members of Congress who are keeping their sexual orientation private.

Will evangelical Christians stay at home on Election Day to send the Republican Party a message? Yes. But even if the Republicans loose both the House and the Senate this Tuesday, the GOP will continue to court the gay vote because they can’t afford not to financially, and because every family in America (including evangelical Christian families) has a member who is gay. Both the Democratic Party and Republican Party leaderships have come to know this fact and they don't want their gay child, sibling, uncle, or aunt discriminated against for simply loving another person of the same sex.