WASHINGTON — A Republican senator’s endorsement of gay marriage is the latest sign of soul-searching in a party struggling to adapt in a society whose demographics — and views on emotional issues — are changing fast.
Gay marriage still divides the party, with the conservative wing strongly opposed. But an increasing number of Republicans, now including Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, are reversing course. Many others simply downplay the subject.
Comments
Portman changed his views when it suited his own psychological needs as a parent to a gay child. I suppose he could have gone the other way and rejected his son based in his conservative principles, but he did not. For that, I applaud him. However, I don't find his epiphany all that positive. I read he will not try to influence his fellow GOPrs to follow suit. Why not?
I wonder if Gov Portman's son had instead been denied health insurance due to a pre-existing condition he would suddenly develope the "courage" to support meaningful health care reform? Soul-searching? BS. Political Leadership is the capability and empathy to support everyone, not just members of your own family.
Agreed. Can anyone step up to the plate with empathy and understanding before being thrown into a family "situation"? It proves that guys like Portman and Cheney normally operate from a position based on fear and shallow thinking. And these are what we call leaders? It seems to me that politics, like business, is filled with people always striving to gain the power to be a leader by position, rather than honing the skills to be a true leader.
That said, it's better than Portman turning his son away.
Portman encapsulates everything that's wrong with the Conservative caucus-- a lack of empathy for others. Unless it concerns their own personal situation then they could care less.
Well said bumpy. I wonder how many people got lost when the Republicans took a wrong turn and went haywire? A relative of mine talks about his experience as a Republican in the "old days." He said John Boehner is an alien.
Yes, indeed, CrankyMass. Ronald Reagan couldn't win a single GOP primary here in the 21st century.
More power to Senator Portman. He must really love his family, so he gets my support.
Let me get this straight, ( pun intended ). Senator Rob Portman is 57 years old. He has been happily married for 26 years and has 3 nice children. One of his sons reveals to him two years ago that he is gay. He waits until nearly six months after the 2012 election to "announce" his support for gay marriage. During the past election he and his Republican Party used their opposition to gay marriage as a wedge issue. A prominent wedge issue. The courageous thing to do for his son, at the least, would have been to recognize his epiphany last October. Oh, that's right, he's from Ohio. And he was on Mitt, The Constitutional Anti-gay Marriage Ammendment Guy, Romney's short list for vice-president. President Obama, at the urging and dragging of his VP Joe Biden, came out in support of gay marriage in the spring of 2012, well before the election. The Republicans pounced on that for all the political hay it was worth, in a very negative, oppositional manner. Where was Senator Portman then? Also, he decided this turn around because of HIS son. At his age he certainly knows of other families who have gay sons and lesbian daughters. Yet he pretty much told them to go pound sand for years, along with his fellow Republicans. He did this wielding tremendous political clout. He is a power player. I'm glad for his son and for his family but his decision should have come with an apology to those friends of his who also have a gay son or a lesbian daughter and to whom he denied the same deference he's giving to his son's future happiness. Politicians should take note, there is a Lincoln Memorial, there are no anti-slavery memorials. There are memorials for women suffragettes, not for the anti-suffragettes.
There is no such thing as a gay marriage. Marriages are not gay. I am a white male. If I marry a woman who is also white, is that a white marriage? No. For the same reason, if I were in a same-sex relationship, and I wanted to marry my partner, it is not a gay marriage. It is not proper to define a marriage by the race or the sexual orientation of the persons involved.