Did you happen to read Monday’s New York Times article “Republicans From the West Give Support for Gay Marriage“? The article notes that 20 Republicans including former Senator Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, a longtime supporter of gay rights, and former Senator Nancy L. Kassebaum of Kansas, who said last year that she had reconsidered her former opposition to same-sex marriage, would send a brief urging a federal appeals court to declare gay marriage bans in Utah and Oklahoma unconstitutional.
I find this interesting because as the Times journalist writes, “The brief was the latest sign of widening cracks in Republican opposition to same-sex marriage, even deep in the country’s conservative heartland.” With the majority of the public now supporting marriage equality a growing number of Republicans find themselves at odds with the more conservative elements of their party.
A fissure along social policy is a rare thing to see among Republicans, but I’m not about to celebrate this move until more prominent individuals come forward. If this continues to gain traction it could create for a feisty Republican Presidential primary, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
BosGuy 