This is is a sign of things to come from the new ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. From the Blog of LegalTimes, writing about the new chief counsel just hired by Sen. Sessions for the GOP members of the committee:
The post by William Smith responded to a recent speech by Steve Schmidt, a Republican campaign consultant who advised Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign. Speaking in Washington to the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, Schmidt had urged Republicans to support same-sex marriage.
“I wonder if next week Schmidt will take his close minded stump speech to a NAMBLA meeting. For those unfamiliar with NAMBLA, the acronym is for North American Man Boy Love Association,” Smith responded on wsmith.org in a post dated April 20.
Remarkable.
As smart Republicans like Schmidt talk about opening the Republican Party’s doors to those other than social conservatives, the far-Right base has just been promoted to lead up opposition to President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
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Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
You would think that the chief counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee would know better and try to have even a modicum of respect for those law abiding, patriot gay, lesbian and transgender persons. Mr. Smith’s statement was vastly overbroard and has no scientific or psychological basis in fact.Statements such as this do not bode well as state governors and the legislatures try to ensure that the rights of this class is adequately protected. Mr. Smith engaged in nothing but the shop work tactic of fear-mongering. He should apologize or be filed by the Republications.
In earlier years, the Republication might have been able to stir up its base enough to make same-sex marriage or civil unions a wedge issue. However, the American people know more now and are not going to take the bait.