Sunday, May 11, 2008
Christian conservatives threaten to take down Bush if he doesn't deliver a same-sex marriage ban. Plus: NBC's Brian Williams lauds Limbaugh; O'Reilly says Sen. Boxer is out to get "granny."
Jan 27, 2005 | With the 109th Congress in full swing and the president about to deliver his State of the Union address, hard-line conservatives are howling a unified message at the door of the White House: It's payback time, Mr. President. Insisting they were the key to Bush's reelection, they're now demanding results on red-meat issues -- foremost a ban against same-sex marriage.
They've been baring their teeth at the president ever since Bush, in a mid-January interview with the Washington Post, backpedaled over the prospect for a constitutional amendment to "protect" marriage as a heterosexual institution. A number of senators, Bush told the Post, "have made it clear that so long as [the Defense of Marriage Act] is deemed constitutional, nothing will happen" to change the status quo. On Monday, Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., announced that a Marriage Protection Amendment is tops on his list. But while applauding the Senate majority leader, the hard-line faithful are threatening to desert the president on other key domestic issues if he doesn't get with the program.
"It's fine for the White House to champion overhauling Social Security and the tax code, said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "but voters really want a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage." Perkins added that voters also desire confirmation of conservative judges, who will create the impetus to overturn the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that established abortion rights more than 30 years ago. "These value issues, which have gotten very little play from the White House since the election, need to be kept front and center," Perkins said. "After traveling the nation for a year campaigning for re-election, the president heard a resounding message from the American people: They want marriage protected."
Perkins' FRC joined a network of conservative Christian groups last week in sending a pointed message to the Bush White House on the issue. The coalition, known as the Arlington Group, credits itself with instigating the 11-state sweep of ballot measures against same-sex marriage last November, and includes some of President Bush's most influential conservative supporters: Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, Gary Bauer of the American Values Committee, Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family (who also recently set his sites on taking down a cartoon character he considers a little too light in the loafers) and the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
To put the heat on Bush, the group sent the White House a confidential letter -- that just happened to find its way into the hands of the New York Times:
"In a confidential letter to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, the group said it was disappointed with the White House's decision to put Social Security and other economic issues ahead of its paramount interest: opposition to same-sex marriage. The letter, dated Jan. 18, pointed out that many social conservatives who voted for Mr. Bush because of his stance on social issues lack equivalent enthusiasm for changing the retirement system or other tax issues. And to pass to pass any sweeping changes, members of the group argue, Mr. Bush will need the support of every element of his coalition.
"'We couldn't help but notice the contrast between how the president is approaching the difficult issue of Social Security privatization where the public is deeply divided and the marriage issue where public opinion is overwhelmingly on his side,' the letter said. 'Is he prepared to spend significant political capital on privatization but reluctant to devote the same energy to preserving traditional marriage? If so it would create outrage with countless voters who stood with him just a few weeks ago, including an unprecedented number of African-Americans, Latinos and Catholics who broke with tradition and supported the president solely because of this issue.'
"The letter continued, 'When the administration adopts a defeatist attitude on an issue that is at the top of our agenda, it becomes impossible for us to unite our movement on an issue such as Social Security privatization where there are already deep misgivings.'"
While that threat is plenty clear, ultimately it may not matter to the president, says syndicated columnist Robert Novak.
"Concern about Bush's second-term course is derived from a variety of signals, small and large, coming from the White House. None of them separately signifies a President abandoning the principles upon which he was elected. But taken together, they generate doubt and more than a little unease on the right.
"In pre-inaugural comments, Bush sounded defeatist about prospects for a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage. After campaigning on the issue last year, he appeared resigned to failure in the Senate this year.
"It cannot be disputed that George W. Bush's tone has changed since the election. The 22nd Amendment, prohibiting a third Presidential term, is a two-way street. I reported last month that even loyal Republican lawmakers feel less constrained to follow a term-limited President. But that same President is under far less pressure to obey the demands of his political base."
The sexual second coming
But could the thorny little issue of same-sex marriage be rendered moot anyway? Perhaps, if the folks at Exodus International succeed with some rather ambitious plans to relieve legions of homosexuals of their affliction through the power of Jesus. In a press release on Wednesday, the Christian group announced a new billboard campaign -- right in the heart of Bush country -- to bolster their mission.
"Houston residents will see thirteen new billboard signs as they drive through the city this month that feature pictures of former homosexuals who offer a message of hope and change. Exodus International, the largest network of former homosexuals in the world, sponsored the ads in anticipation of Focus on the Family's 'Love Won Out' conference -- a public seminar about the roots and causes of homosexuality to be held at Grace Community Church on February 19. The one-day event, which has been held in 30 cities internationally, makes its first stop to Houston. The conference will focus on the hope and help available for those struggling with unwanted homosexuality through the personal testimonies of those who have left homosexuality themselves."
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