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Politics&The Nation Gay marriage gains support
VanHollen confident Democrats won’t loseHouse
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010 Gay marriage gains support
GOP opposition cools as focus moves to economy
BY SANDHYA SOMASHEKHAR A growing number of Republi-
cans are breakingwith the party’s traditional stance to publicly state their support for same-sex marriage, a shift strategists say stems asmuch fromdemograph- ics as from the renewed focus on economics and the “tea party” movement. A solid majority of adults
younger than 30—about six in 10 — support the right of gay and lesbian couples to legally wed, according to a Washington Post poll in February. But even many older Ameri-
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Roxana Saberi: Two brave Bahais stand up to Iranian persecution A13 Joel K. Goldstein:Why Bidenwon’t bedumpedfrom the 2012 ticket A13
cans and self-identified social conservatives have changed their view on an issue that just six years ago galvanized voters in support of President George W. Bush’s reelection. GayRepublicanactivists credit
CORRECTIONS
l An Aug. 25 A-section article about Royce C. Lamberth, chief
U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, who issued the rul- ing that barred the Obama ad- ministration from funding em- bryonic stem cell research, incor- rectly identified Larry Klayman as the chairman of Judicial Watch.Klayman,whowas quoted describing Lamberth as an icono- clast, is the group’s former chair- man.
l An Aug. 22Metro article about an Arlington County lawsuit over
the proposed construction of high-occupancy toll lanes along interstates 95 and 395 incorrectly said that the suit was over HOT lanes being built along the Capi- tal Beltway.The article also incor- rectly referred to the Arlington County Board as the Board of Supervisors and referred to the Federal Highway Administration as the FHA. The FHA is the FederalHousing Administration; the highway agency is known as
theFHWA.
l An Aug. 15 Travel article about Pecs, Hungary, incorrectly said that the city is located between theMatra and Villany hills. It lies between the Mecsek and Villany hills. The article also described Pecs as Hungary’s sunniest city. That distinction, however, is gen- erally bestowed upon the city of Szeged, which purportedly gets about 80 hours more sunshine a year than Pecs.
l An Aug. 10 Health & Science article about several ideas for
accommodating the rising num- ber of seniors and meeting their health-care needs incorrectly de- scribed a senior-living communi- ty on the Stanford University campus as built by Hyatt. It was built by Classic Residence by Hyatt, which is separate from the hotel company. The article also incorrectly said that entrance fees start at $1 million; they start at $682,700.
The Washington Post is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can: E-mail:
corrections@washpost.com. Call: 202-334-6000, and ask to be connected to the desk involved — National, Foreign, Metro, Style, Sports, Business or any of the weekly sections. The ombudsman, who acts as the readers’ representative, can be reached by calling 202-334-7582 or e-mailing
ombudsman@washpost.com
the shift to the heightened atten- tion within the GOP base to jobs and the economy, and by a desire among strategists to expand the party’s appeal. “Our nation is at a crossroads,
and conservatives are trying to rally together to turn back the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda,” said Chris Barron, chairman of GO- Proud, a gay Republican group. “That’s why we’ve seen people like Glenn Beck saying, ‘Look, same-sex marriage isn’t hurting anybody.’ Because he sees a need to create a broad-based conserva- tivemovement.” Beck, a tea party favorite, re-
cently told fellow Fox talk show host Bill O’Reilly that gay mar- riage was not “a threat to the country” and that marriage is a religious, not a governmental, issue. A number of prominent Re-
publicans have been more out- spoken, stating that they support same-sex marriage rights. They include Meghan McCain, daugh- ter of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.); “The View” commentator Eliza- beth Hasselbeck; former first lady Laura Bush and former vice president Dick Cheney. Ted Olson, solicitor general
under Bush, was part of the legal teamthat successfully challenged Proposition 8, California’s voter- approved ban on same-sex mar- riage. And this week, former Re- publican operativeKenMehlman disclosed that he is gay and that he will be raising money to sup-
ADAM LAU/ASSOCIATED PRESS
AmberHeard, left, andNadia Sutton rally with other supporters of gay marriage Aug. 19 inWest Hollywood, Calif., after an appeals court ruled that the state’s gay marriage ban will stay in place.
port Olson’s effort. Also at play is the rise of the
libertarian-leaning tea party movement. Many of the move- ment’s leaders have said they oppose government intervention on marriage issues, while others say their concerns about taxation andthe size of government super- cede concerns over social issues. “I come from a pretty strict
upbringing in that I was raised Catholic,” said DawnWildman, a coordinator for theCaliforniaTea Party Patriots, who said she per- sonally opposes gay marriage. “But I have this strong belief in individualism. Not to mention that we don’t have the luxury to think of the social issues right now.” One striking example of the tea
party’s ambivalence about social issues played out this summer in a House primary race in South Florida, where many tea party activists rallied around Donna Milo, a transgender Republican candidate who was seeking to challenge Rep. Debbie Wasser- man Schultz (D). Milo came in third in the Aug. 24 primary. Opposition to same-sex mar-
riage has by no means disap- peared in either party. President Obama has said he opposes the right of gay couples to marry, although he backs civil unions. Religiously inclined conservative groups such as the Family Re- search Council and Focus on the Family, whose political agenda
has long overlapped with the GOP’s, have continued to push back on the gains made by pro- gay marriage groups in recent years. The issue of gay rights contin-
ues to divide the party. Conserva- tivepunditAnnCoulterwas exco- riated thismonth by some on the religious right for agreeing to speak at Homocon, GOProud’s convention, where she was billed as “the right-wing Judy Garland.” In a letter to supporters this
week, Tony Perkins, president of theFamilyResearchCouncil, said Republicans who support same- sex marriage do it at their peril. The position “stands in direct opposition to the Party’s plat- form,whichis clear onthe impor- tance ofmarriage and family,” he wrote. “The Party’s unequivocal stand on life,marriage, and fami- ly is why many social conserva- tives have made the GOP their political home.” But some Republican activists
say the partywould be remiss if it did not consider the changing social trends, particularly among young people, who have leaned Democratic. Some surveys show that sup-
port for same-sex marriage is growing even among young evan- gelical Christians. According to a 2008 study by the liberal-leaning group Faith in Public Life, young white evangelicals aremore than twice as likely as older evangeli- cals to say that gay couples
should be allowed tomarry. Mehlman’s announcement this
week was a dramatic example of the quiet but decisive shift that has taken place within the party. He helped orchestrate Bush’s re- election strategy in 2004, which included an effort to motivate conservatives to the polls by put- ting same-sex marriage bans on state ballots. At the time, about two-thirds of Americans opposed the right of same-sex couples to legallymarry, polls showed. Mehlman told reporters
Wednesday that he regretted not speaking out sooner. Clarke Cooper, executive direc-
tor of the Log CabinRepublicans, a gay GOP group founded in the 1970s, said it is striking how far the attitude toward gays has shiftedwithin the party in a short time. During the 1996 presiden- tial election, Republican con- tender Bob Dole returned a $500 check from the group. Today, Cooper said, the political action committee has contributed to a half-dozen campaigns for theNo- vembermidtermelections. “I can’t even fathom what it
must have been like when you’re trying to give money to a candi- date, to have it shoved back in your face,” Cooper said. “Now candidates say, ‘Hey, we need your endorsement.’ That’s a far cry from where we were in the ’90s.”
sandhya@washpost.com
Staff writer Nia-Malika Henderson contributed to this report.
VanHollen confidentDemocratswon’t loseHouse
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HOURS:Monday – Saturday 10am–9pm, Sunday 11am–6pm BY AARON BLAKE Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
said Friday that he is “confident” that his party will keep control of the House after November’s elec- tion. Van Hollen, chairman of the
Democratic Congressional Cam- paign Committee, said Demo- cratshave three thingsworkingin their favor that will help prevent their losing the 39 seats that would cost them the House: Americans have a negative view the Republican Party; Republi- cans have nominated extreme “tea party” candidates in many races; and Democrats have been preparing for nearly two years for a difficultmidtermelection. “We have been preparing from
day one for what we knew would beavery toughcampaignseason,”
Van Hollen said during a news conference at the National Press Club. “I amconfident that Demo- crats will retain control of the House.” The idea that the House could
flip to Republican control gained momentum after White House press secretary Robert Gibbs broached the possibility last month. Since then, the economy has soured and the political out- look has only gotten worse for Democrats. This week, House Minority
LeaderJohnA.Boehner (R)gavea speech in his home state of Ohio and called for the firing of Presi- dent Obama’s top economic ad- visers, including Treasury Secre- tary Timothy F. Geithner and WhiteHouseadviserLawrenceH. Summers. Boehner said the Obama ad- ministration has put too rosy a
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face on the country’s economic situation. “The worse things get, the
more they circle the wagons and defendthe indefensible,”Boehner said. On Friday, Republicans said
VanHollen—much like Obama’s economic teamandHouse Speak- erNancyPelosi (D-Calif.)—paint- ing over a gloomy picture for his party. “The failed policies of the
Obama-Pelosi agenda are the very reason why this so-called ‘Recov- ery Summer’ has turned into the Run-for-Cover Summer for so many Democrats who are afraid to face the voters,” saidKenSpain, a spokesman for theNational Re- publican Congressional Commit- tee. “They know that the dam is about to break.” At the news conference, Van
Hollen defended the Democratic leadership on the economy and the 2009 stimulus package. On the latter count, he pointed to a recent report from the nonparti- san Congressional Budget Office that said the stimulusmight have added 3.3million jobs to the U.S.
economy during the second quar- terandavertedanother recession. Van Hollen also emphasized
his belief that many voters are still not paying attention to this year’s elections and that many campaigns have yet to begin in earnest. He said a slew of early Republican polls suggesting doomfor his party underestimate the enthusiasm of Democratic voters. Many of those polls show Re-
publicans leading Democratic in- cumbents although voters know little about the GOP candidates. In some cases, the lead is in the double digits. VanHollen said his candidates
will make the case that those Republicans represent a returnto failed policies – the ones that led to the economic troubles that are haunting the Democrats’ elector- al prospects right now. “I’mnot suggesting the Ameri-
can people are bullish on either party, butwhat I amsuggesting is that they consistently have great- er confidence in the Democrats,” VanHollen said.
blakea@washpost.com
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