There’s evidence that the American is beginning to experience a sea-change in its views of same-sex marriage. Last week there was a report that now a majority of the electorate supports “civil-unions” as a legal way to guarantee equal-rights for all couples, and a smaller majority is not opposed to opening up marriage to all couples. Today there’s a piece pointing out that the GOP’s unified opposition to such moves is beginning to fracture.
The Washington Post reports on the shifts happening within various parts of the GOP coalition, pointing out that there are some real surprizes in how and where the shifting is taking place:
“[Glen] Beck, a tea party favorite, recently told fellow Fox talk show host Bill O’Reilly that gay marriage was not ‘a threat to the country’ and that marriage is a religious, not a governmental, issue.
A number of prominent Republicans have been more outspoken, stating that they support same-sex marriage rights. They include Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.); ‘The View’ commentator Elizabeth Hasselbeck; former first lady Laura Bush and former vice president Dick Cheney.
Ted Olson, solicitor general under Bush, was part of the legal team that successfully challenged Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. And this week, former Republican operative Ken Mehlman disclosed that he is gay and that he will be raising money to support Olson’s effort.
Also at play is the rise of the libertarian-leaning tea party movement. Many of the movement’s leaders have said they oppose government intervention on marriage issues, while others say their concerns about taxation and the size of government supercede concerns over social issues.”
More information here.