Is the Horse Dead?
Some of you may think that I am beating a dead horse over the whole Santorum thing (while others may think I am preaching to the choir), nevertheless I have found the whole incident and the response, or lack thereof, so troubling. It has made me re-think my own previous support of moderate Republicans. I had thought that the best way to move society and its politics forward was to support the moderates of each party in an effort to silence the more extreme elements of each. In my mind I envisioned a Republican Party that would eventually cast aside its more suspect members- those who are motivated by religious zealotry, racism and anti-minority and anti-woman views. But given the muted response of the moderate Senate Republicans (only Snowe and Chaffee have said a peep) I can see that the GOP is willing to show tolerance towards its homophobic wing.

While I realize that very few Republicans support criminalizing gay sexual relations, there are many who see no problem with discriminating against gays and lesbians in the workplace or in marriage rights. Being anti-gay is an acceptable position in a large swath of the GOP. And, until the GOP renounces such views I cannot and will not support ANY Republicans. I would not even vote for a Republican for dog catcher. I am ashamed to have once been a member of the GOP and to have helped elect Republicans to office as a political consultant. How naive I was to think that the Party actually had room in its "Big Tent" for people who believe, like I do, that gays and lesbians are entitled to all the same rights as every other American citizen.

I hope, for the sake of the country, that more moderate elements of the GOP will assert themselves and re-shape the Party much like DLC did for the Democrats. But in the meantime I will do everything I can to fight against the GOP. Moderate Republicans need to understand that there is a price to be paid for their silence and their acquiescence to the Far Right agenda.