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Friday, April 12, 2013

Top religious right leader: “Don’t give to the GOP”

Speaking of people who aren’t helping…

Politico: Family Research Council President Tony Perkins is calling on social conservatives to stop donating to national Republicans until the GOP stops going wobbly on gay marriage.

“Until the RNC and the other national Republican organizations grow a backbone and start defending core principles, don’t send them a dime of your hard-earned money,” Perkins wrote on Thursday in an e-mail obtained by CNN. “If you want to invest in the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who reflect your values and organizations you trust-like FRC Action.”

The RNC’s post-election autopsy released last month suggested the party moderate its tone on gay marriage to better appeal to younger voters. Still, the party is expected to vote on Friday to reaffirm its position against gay marriage. A majority of the country now backs gay marriage in public opinion polling.
Sure, Perkins is still saying that people should give to Republicans, just not the party proper. But that means that people who think like Perkins will be strengthening the exact sort of candidates that have Republicans losing national and statewide races. And that’s bad news for the party and, frankly, bad news for Perkins.

After all, it’s pretty well established that the Republican Party isn’t interested in actually changing any policies, just in changing the way they talk about those policies. While it’s the policies that are the problem, maybe enough voters will be hoodwinked by the softer tone into electing Republicans whose policies they’d otherwise reject. Todd Akin wasn’t saying anything that’s not a common belief on the right, after all — the party would just rather candidates kept this stuff to themselves. Perkins would get fewer Republicans elected because he’s unhappy with the way they speak. Not the way they vote, mind you, which wouldn’t change one iota and would be as much to Perkins’ liking as the guys they have today. Just the way they talk. It’s a massive overreaction and it harms Perkins’ cause.

Not that that’s a bad thing, from the perspective of rational people. Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins is most definitely not helping the Republican Party. But that’s what the Republican Party gets for aligning themselves with a hate group.

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