BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Bush and gays. Q: Why is
Senate Republican leader Bill Frist, generally regarded as a
moderate, pushing for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex
marriage, while George W. Bush, a conservative's conservative, is
waffling? A: Because Karl Rove is smarter than Frist.
A new
USA Today poll shows
that Americans are far more accepting of gay and lesbian
relationships than they were just a few years ago -- and that, as
more people come out, the acceptance continues to grow. Susan Page
writes:
More than half of those
surveyed said a friend, relative or co-worker had personally told
them that he or she was gay; that's more than double the
percentage in 1985. Nearly one-third said they had become more
accepting of gay people in recent years. Just 8 percent said they
had become less accepting.
That's why Bush is ignoring Pat
Robertson. Unfortunately, it also explains why he's playing the good
cop to Frist's bad. To win election in 2004, Bush needs to mobilize
his fundamentalist base while not scaring away moderates.
The solution: use surrogates to
appease the wingnuts while staying above the fray. Progressives need
to call Bush on this as loudly and as frequently as they can, and
make sure he doesn't get away with it.
posted at 8:50 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
