In a statement supporting Republican
presidential nominee-in-waiting Senator John McCain's pick for VP,
Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, members of the gay group Log Cabin
Republicans said they liked the choice because “Gov. Palin is an
inclusive Republican who will help Sen. McCain appeal to gay and
lesbians voters.” Several media pundits, including conservative
talk show host Glenn Beck and syndicated columnist Debra Saunders,
expressed similar positions.
Conservative host Glenn Beck told a CNN
Newsroom audience on Sunday that he liked Palin because she
showed “common sense” in giving gay state couples marriage-like
benefits. “She is the first administration in Alaska's history to
provide benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employees. So
she's not – she's, she's common sense. ... Real conservatives have
common sense values, and they'll look at things and say, 'Okay, I
believe in traditional marriage. But why would I stop somebody from
getting, you know, benefits, they've lived together for 20 years?'”
Beck, who has said he remains dubious
about voting for McCain, later added, “I have to know more about
Sarah Palin, but what I do know, if she is who I think she is, I'll
pull the lever for John McCain.”
Columnist Saunders expressed a similar
view in her August 31st opinion, “[Palin] is not a
hard-core social conservative. For example, Palin supported awarding
benefits for same-sex couples.”
It is true that Palin vetoed an Alaskan
bill that denied gay state employees spousal benefits in 2006, but
she did so only on the advice of the state attorney general who told
her the bill was unconstitutional. Alaska's Supreme Court had
already said denying such benefits was unconstitutional.
Palin is staunchly opposed to gay
marriage or marriage-like benefits for gay couples. In a written
questionnaire, completed while running for governor in 2006, she was
asked if she agreed with the State Supreme Court's ruling giving gay
couples spousal benefits by the conservative group Eagle Forum
Alaska. Palin's response: “No, I believe spousal benefits are
reserved for married citizens as defined in our constitution.”
Voters in the State passed 2-to-1 in 1998 a constitutional ban on gay
marriage.
While she may have vetoed a bill
denying spousal benefits to gay state employees, Palin very much
disagrees with the rights of gays to marry or be given marriage-like
benefits.
Meanwhile, gay Republicans continue to
push for inclusion in the Republican party, and claim some progress –
such as their presence inside the convention this year.
Unfortunately, they remain only a nominal voice for change; the 2008
Republican Party Platform calls for a federal constitutional ban on
gay marriage.