Say Anything Blog

Recently we’ve had no small amount of debate on the gay marriage issue here on Say Anything.  My position is that in the long run the issue is a loser for Republicans, because younger generations don’t feel the same animosity toward gays that older generations seem to.  If the GOP wants to remain a viable party going forward (not to mention be true to its ideals about “limited government” and “maximum individual liberty”), it simply cannot alienate younger voters with opposition to gay marriage.

(CNN) – A new national poll suggests that a majority of Americans oppose legalizing same sex marriages — but there’s a vast generational divide on the issue.

Fifty-four percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday say that marriages between gay or lesbian couples should not be recognized as valid, with 44 percent suggests they should be considered legal.

Among those 18 to 34 years old, 58 percent said same-sex marriages should be legal. That number drops to 42 percent among respondents 35 to 49 years old, and to 41 percent for those 50 to 64 years of age. The poll indicates that only 24 percent of Americans 65 and older support recognizing same-sex marriages as valid.

While a majority of those polled oppose legalizing gay marriage, 6 out of 10 feel that states that do not recognize gay marriages allow civil unions. When it comes to supporting civil unions, the poll indicates a similar generational shift.

Younger voters are idealistic voters.  When they’re looking at who they want to align themselves, consistency of message is very important.  Older voters who have traditionally trended Republican may be fine with having a platform that embraces individual liberty except when it comes to gays and marriages, but I think a lot of younger voters are going to notice that inconsistency.  And they’re going to be turned off by it.

I’ve been saying for a long time now that one of the problems with the GOP over the last several years has been a blatant disconnect between message and action.  While Republicans have decried big government and out of control spending, they’ve supported policies that expand government and run up spending.  In order for the GOP to find its way out of the wilderness again it must become consistent on message.

For a party that is already having problems with credibility, opposition to gay marriage is simply going to stick out like a sore thumb.

And I’m not even sure why Republicans would want to focus on gay marriage anyway.  With Obama nationalizing car and finance companies, running up the deficit and national debt to scary new heights and pushing the country to the edge of socialized medicine…it’s clear that the conservative movement has bigger fish to fry.