Top GOP Pollster to GOP: Reverse On Gay Issues

[edcantor]

Below is a remarkable document. It's a memo circulated by Jan van Lohuizen, a highly respected Republican pollster, (he polled for George W. Bush in 2004), to various leading Republican operatives, candidates and insiders. It's on the fast-shifting poll data on marriage equality and gay rights in general, and how that should affect Republican policy and language. And the pollster's conclusion is clear: if the GOP keeps up its current rhetoric and positions on gays and lesbians, it is in danger of marginalizing itself to irrelevance or worse.

Read the bluntness of this. This is the GOP establishment talking to itself. And the Republican pollster who arguably knows more about the politics of the gay issue than anyone else (how else to explain the Ohio campaign of 2004?) is advising them in no uncertain terms that they need to evolve and fast, if they're not going to damage their brand for an entire generation:

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/05/top-gop-pollster-to-gop-reverse-on-gay-issues.html

[CanonRay]

1. Now that they've recruited every red-neck, religious nut-job homophobe into their ranks

they want to try to change? Good luck with that...

[Trajan]

2. The rank and file will NOT accept this ....

Hell, they are this close to forming bands of marauders to round up homosexuals for re-education ....

There are no more moderate republicans .... only fire breathing TeaVangelists ....

[SoutherDem]

3. It is coming

If things don't change at some point enough Americans will want Gay Marriage/Rights it will happen. To not accept gay rights will be considered so bigoted it will be socially unacceptable. Not saying there will not be the bigots who feel they are superior but they will be minority. I don't think the question is will but when.

Maybe the Republicans need to ask themselves will their practice of exclusion continue to work.

[edcantor]

4. Andrew Sullivan is always worth following

As a very moderate Republican, with credibility among so many Repubs like him, he can see that the tide is turning sometime before we liberals can pick up on any change.

I am hoping for route out of extreme Republicans in the election this fall, (well, I can hope, can't I?)

Getting rid of a few dozen legislators and defeating Romney is the number one priority in our world, yes, in our world.

[MNBrewer]

5. Flip a coin to see if Andrew Sullivan is worth following.

I call him the "broken clock" pundit, because even a broken clock is right twice a day.