Who Will Be the GOP’s New Gays?

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http://www.ukprogressive.co.uk/who-will-be-the-gops-new-gays/article22231.html

POLITICS | TINA DUPUY | APRIL 9, 2013 5:00 AM



Since incumbent Republicans are in favor of gay marriage it’s clear—gays are out. Recently Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) have endorsed marriage equality. LGBTs are no longer that group Republicans can win elections by promising to keep them away from us. The GOP swore to protect marriage and on their watch the altar was altered anyway. Now the party of Lincoln is gay-friendly or at least not as successfully gay-hostile.

Also Latinos can no longer be characterized as an invading force hell bent on killing us all (remember “the fajita flu?”). Self-deportation, a Republican policy idea to make this country so unpleasant for people who appear to be Mexican that they leave, has attempted to self-deport since Republicans figured out Latinos are also votantes (voters). They are now reaching out to Latinos or as Senator Rand Paul said at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, “I am a fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.”

With no more gays and Latinos to kick around, who’s next? I’m guessing Republicans are not going to run on sound public policy ideas. It’s not that I’ve become cynical watching the Grand Old Party gain ground by telling minority groups to get off their lawn. It’s just that I’m a realist. Republicans have enjoyed the fruits of the Southern Strategy (aka the art of blaming “the others”)—it’s not easy to just turn that off.

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Don’t forget non-Christians!

North Carolina Republicans have introduced a bill saying the part of the First Amendment specifying the state shouldn’t establish a religion doesn’t apply to them. The bill reads: “Each state in the union is sovereign and may independently determine how that state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion.” An official state religion? Why has no one thought to do this before?! Why has no one looked at Saudi Arabia and thought, “This place is great! We should make North Carolina more like it!” But since Americans have made the mistake of letting Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Muslims, Jews and Scientologists live here, now they can redeem themselves by letting the GOP malign them to turn out the Republican base.

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