ACLU Hires Ex-McCain Strategist Steve Schmidt To Move GOP On Gay Marriage

[ProSense]

ACLU Hires Ex-McCain Strategist Steve Schmidt To Move GOP On Gay Marriage

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Wednesday that it's hiring Steve Schmidt, a former top strategist on Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign, to help shift the Republican Party's attitude on marriage equality.

In a statement announcing the hire, the ACLU said that Schmidt's role will be "to help spearhead the campaign to strike down state-based laws prohibiting same-sex marriage."

Schmidt is currently an analyst for MSNBC.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/aclu-hires-ex-mccain-strategist-steve-schmidt-to

From the ACLU statement:

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With the goal of working both with and within the Republican Party, the ACLU has hired Steve Schmidt, vice chairman of public affairs at Edelman. Schmidt has provided strategic counsel to Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and nonprofits. Previously, he has worked on Capitol Hill as the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, served as one of the top strategists during President Bush's 2004 re-election and as a deputy assistant to President George W. Bush. Schmidt also directed strategic communications for the nomination of Chief Justice Roberts and led the nomination of Justice Alito. In 2006, he was campaign manager for the re-election of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and served as the senior advisor to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

Schmidt's role will be to help spearhead the campaign to strike down state-based laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. The campaign will, over the next four years, challenge legislative and constitutional provisions in states such as Illinois, Oregon, Hawaii, Montana, and others. The ACLU aims to spend roughly $10 million through 2016 and will officially announce the initiative with an ad in tomorrow's edition of The Wall Street Journal.

As part of the broad-based effort to involve conservatives in the movement to encourage the freedom to marry, the ACLU has hired conservative strategist Jimmy LaSalvia. LaSalvia is the founder and former executive director of GOProud and will work with the ACLU to do outreach to gay conservatives, particularly within the Tea Party.

"The Republican party stands for freedom, for limited government intrusion in our personal lives and for freedom," said Schmidt. "The issue of marriage equality is the Republican Party’s best chance to stand on the right side of history, create a meaningful legacy of fairness, and maintain relevance with young voters. I am proud to help the ACLU make all couples equal in the eyes of the law in all 50 states."

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http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-hires-steve-schmidt-bring-republicans-same-sex-marriage-push

[still_one]

1. Schmidt is a republican that you can work with, even though there will be differences on a lot of

Issues

Just look at the courts decision today, Ted Olsen and David Boise worked together

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Good luck with that, Steve.

[monmouth3]

3. Poor Steve, he really has his work cut out for him..n/t

[eissa]

4. He's trying to atone for unleashing

Palin on us. He has a long road ahead of him.

[OKNancy]

5. If there is such a thing as a good Republican

then Schmidt comes as close as anyone.

[4Q2u2]

6. A Good Place to Start

A good place to start is to get them to just get rid of all the hate. I know we all fail at that time to time and I personally try to work on it daily, but that is where it needs to start. Without that there probably will be no change. That hatred is what is blinding them to their own supposed ideals of individual freedom and keeping the government out of people lives. This ruling took nothing away from them, it gave to others what was promised over 200 years ago. Who says the Constitution is outdated and irrelevant.

[marshall]

8. and point them to Ted Olson's argument

He made a compelling case about marriage being a conservative institution, and one that conservatives should be happy about others embracing.

[Jamaal510]

7. Steve Schmidt

is probably the one person who makes the most sense out of their entire party. I may not agree with him on much, but at least he's no hater.

[EC]

9. As a consultant for MSNBC I don't think

he's going to get anywhere with the tea people. The moderates don't need convincing I don't think. I just don't know if any of the rabid will even listen to him. They don't even like McCain anymore.