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A little friendly advice?
BY ADAM REILLY
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Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson and Governor Mitt Romney are old pals. In 2002, Anderson, a Democrat, endorsed Romney"s gubernatorial bid and appeared in a Romney-campaign commercial. In 2003, Romney returned the favor, singing Anderson"s praises in a television ad that aired in Utah during the mayor"s successful re-election campaign. But in the wake of Anderson"s decision to serve as a spokesperson for Freedom To Marry, a New York City–based organization that advocates same-sex-marriage rights, one wonders: might this put a strain on their friendship? Romney, after all, accused the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court of violating " 3000 years of recorded history " by ruling that same-sex couples have a right to marry, and wants to prevent the implementation of same-sex marriage by adding a " Defense of Marriage " amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution. Anderson, who"s known in Utah as a staunch defender of gay rights, completely disagrees. And in his work for Freedom To Marry"s " Voices of Equality " board — which will consist of pro-gay-marriage political leaders from around the country — he"ll be arguing, essentially, that opinions like Romney"s are discriminatory and wrong-headed. So what does Freedom To Marry"s newly minted spokesperson think of Romney"s views on civil-marriage rights for same-sex couples? Well, it"s hard to say. He declined comment on Romney"s anti-gay-marriage position through his spokesperson, Blythe Anderson. ( " He didn"t give me any reasons, and I don"t know what his reasons are, " she said of the mayor"s no-comment.) On Romney"s end, meanwhile, director of communications Eric Fehrnstrom downplayed the two pols" difference of opinion. " Governor Romney knows many people who have different views than his, " Fehrnstrom said. " Rocky Anderson is one such person. [Former governor] Bill Weld is another. Sometimes personal friendships transcend political beliefs; that has always been the case with Romney, as it is with most people. " (Fehrnstrom added that, as far as he knows, Anderson and Romney have never discussed the issue of same-sex marriage.) Even Evan Wolfson, Freedom To Marry"s executive director, downplayed the possibility of Anderson"s broaching the subject with Mitt and bringing the governor around to his point of view. " I hope Mitt Romney hears from all places around the country that we don"t need an Orville Faubus or George Wallace standing in the doorway to block loving couples from crossing the threshold, and he should stop delaying and blocking the Constitution"s command of equality, " Wolfson said. And what part might Anderson"s influence play in such a change? " I"m sure the fact that the mayor of Salt Lake City has joined his voice to the many other Americans in support of marriage equality will not be lost on Mitt Romney, " Wolfson predicted. Four words: don"t be too sure.
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