Slouching Donkey, Lying Elephant: The Shot Heard 'Round the World

It's not as if there had been any doubt about his intentions, or those of the extremist right. But until now Bush had stopped short of calling outright for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage--recognizing, correctly, that this was an extreme position on the losing side of the issue.

Some reacted with anger and dismay to this. I'm not surprised. I'm peripherally involved with the GLBT community myself, and it would've been very easy to slip into the kind of lather Bush's blunders usually provoke in me. But when I saw the headline this morning, a slow grin began dawning on my face.

Billmon has a very good post up about it this morning, and while I'm in agreement with him on many things--among those, that we need to stand side-by-side with people like Andrew Sullivan, conservatives who have been shocked out of their support for Bush by this rallying cry to the extremist right--I disagree with him on one thing:

At least by the Christian right's standards, this was hardly a full-throated war cry. Bush left the door open for civil unions as an alternative to gay marriage, and didn't specifically endorse the kulturbund's preferred legislation, which would block the states from blessing civil unions.

To Christians, conservatives, gay Republicans, and anyone out there with the decency and honesty to take a good hard look at Bush--this is the time to do so. Bush has just aligned the Republican party squarely with the most extreme elements of the religious right. He has drawn a line in the sand and declared that gay and lesbian couples are second-class citizens, and that heterosexuality must be enshrined in the Constitution.

If you aren't outright opposed to gay marriage, ask yourself whether you can continue to support Bush, or whether this is the last straw. If you are, ask yourself whether granting the civil and legal incidents of marriage to gays is an issue so critical to our nation that it requires a Constitutional amendment. And if you're in favor of it and can't be swayed otherwise, take a good hard look at how divisive this issue is, and ask yourself whether you really think it's wise to press for an amendment to the United States Constitution.

Because by all means, bring it on. It will guarantee that moderates and independents will drop Bush like a hot potato, and that this country will be spared the damage of another four years of Bush.

And that calculation is this: the culture wars are good for Republicans. And not just in the background, but front and center, waved around like a bloody sheet. There are some pretty obvious risks to this strategy — why risk losing votes in the center, after all? — which means that Bush and his advisors must have made the calculation that they have no choice: they can't win unless the hardcore culture warriors are fighting mad and on their side. [...]

I haven't thought through all the implications of this but wanted to toss it out half formed anyway while it was on my mind. Is reigniting the culture wars really a winning strategy for Bush? And why did he feel like he had to do it?

This is not a winning strategy. To the extent that it is strategy at all, it smacks of desperation. Bush's base of far right religious conservatives have been threating to stay home on election day if he doesn't come out with stronger language and action on this issue, and he's essentially been forced to choose between alienating that constituency, and alienating independents and Republican moderates. It's a Hobson's choice, and I wish I could say I have any sympathy for him--but I don't. It's forced him to abandon his veneer of "compassionate conservatism" and go on record in favor of bigotry anathema to everything this country stands for.

Edit: Josh Marshall shares my opinion that Bush has been backed into a corner by the extremist right.

Heh, that's exactly what I've been thinking - Bush has hopefully finally crossed the line with enough people that he won't be re-elected.

In a fundraising speech yesterday, he called his presidency "historic." It's funny how he doesn't seem to realize how he's going down in history for things he might not want to be remembered for.

Posted by: Juri at February 24, 2004 02:33 PM


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	February 24, 2004


	The Shot Heard 'Round the World

	And just like that, Bush has declared war on the gay community. It's not as if there had been any doubt about his intentions, or those of the extremist right. But until now Bush had stopped short of calling outright for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage--recognizing, correctly, that this was an extreme position on the losing side of the issue. Some reacted with anger and dismay to this. I'm not surprised. I'm peripherally involved with the GLBT community myself, and it would've been very easy to slip into the kind of lather Bush's blunders usually provoke in me. But when I saw the headline this morning, a slow grin began dawning on my face. Bush just ensured that he will not be re-elected this year. Billmon has a very good post up about it this morning, and while I'm in agreement with him on many things--among those, that we need to stand side-by-side with people like Andrew Sullivan, conservatives who have been shocked out of their support for Bush by this rallying cry to the extremist right--I disagree with him on one thing: At least by the Christian right's standards, this was hardly a full-throated war cry. Bush left the door open for civil unions as an alternative to gay marriage, and didn't specifically endorse the kulturbund's preferred legislation, which would block the states from blessing civil unions. How was this not a war cry? An amendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage for all time? Bush's used qualifying language that are at odds with his stated positions. He's mentioned in the past that he's in favor of the Musgrave amendment. Bill of all people should recognize by now that any moderation in Bush's speeches exist only to distract and mislead. Like the statements he made about diplomatic efforts in the run-up to the Iraq War, they are nothing more than noise. To Christians, conservatives, gay Republicans, and anyone out there with the decency and honesty to take a good hard look at Bush--this is the time to do so. Bush has just aligned the Republican party squarely with the most extreme elements of the religious right. He has drawn a line in the sand and declared that gay and lesbian couples are second-class citizens, and that heterosexuality must be enshrined in the Constitution. If you aren't outright opposed to gay marriage, ask yourself whether you can continue to support Bush, or whether this is the last straw. If you are, ask yourself whether granting the civil and legal incidents of marriage to gays is an issue so critical to our nation that it requires a Constitutional amendment. And if you're in favor of it and can't be swayed otherwise, take a good hard look at how divisive this issue is, and ask yourself whether you really think it's wise to press for an amendment to the United States Constitution. Because by all means, bring it on. It will guarantee that moderates and independents will drop Bush like a hot potato, and that this country will be spared the damage of another four years of Bush. Edit: Calpundit asks an important question: And that calculation is this: the culture wars are good for Republicans. And not just in the background, but front and center, waved around like a bloody sheet. There are some pretty obvious risks to this strategy — why risk losing votes in the center, after all? — which means that Bush and his advisors must have made the calculation that they have no choice: they can't win unless the hardcore culture warriors are fighting mad and on their side. [...] I haven't thought through all the implications of this but wanted to toss it out half formed anyway while it was on my mind. Is reigniting the culture wars really a winning strategy for Bush? And why did he feel like he had to do it? This is not a winning strategy. To the extent that it is strategy at all, it smacks of desperation. Bush's base of far right religious conservatives have been threating to stay home on election day if he doesn't come out with stronger language and action on this issue, and he's essentially been forced to choose between alienating that constituency, and alienating independents and Republican moderates. It's a Hobson's choice, and I wish I could say I have any sympathy for him--but I don't. It's forced him to abandon his veneer of "compassionate conservatism" and go on record in favor of bigotry anathema to everything this country stands for. Edit: Josh Marshall shares my opinion that Bush has been backed into a corner by the extremist right. Posted by Catsy at 12:45 PM \| Comments (1) \| TrackBack (1) Comments: Heh, that's exactly what I've been thinking - Bush has hopefully finally crossed the line with enough people that he won't be re-elected. In a fundraising speech yesterday, he called his presidency "historic." It's funny how he doesn't seem to realize how he's going down in history for things he might not want to be remembered for. Posted by: Juri at February 24, 2004 02:33 PM Post a comment Name: Email Address: URL: Remember personal info? YesNo Comments: