A fascinating memo from George W. Bush's 2004 pollster, Jan van Lohuizen. In it, he argues that it's time for the Republican party to embrace gay marriage because the polls on the subject are changing so quickly. He even notes that this isn't just a generational issue, where the younger generation is simply better than the older, but rather that support for marriage equality is growing significantly, year by year, among all generations.
“As more people have become aware of friends and family members who are gay, attitudes have begun to shift at an accelerated pace. This is not about a generational shift in attitudes, this is about people changing their thinking as they recognize their friends and family members who are gay or lesbian.”And here is how he suggests Republican politicians frame their support for marriage:
“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits."This is pretty remarkable, especially as Mitt Romney veers further and further to the right on gay issue (he's been moving right all week). Wouldn't it be amazing if Romney lost the election in part because he didn't embrace gay rights?
