McCain: Straight-Talkin' Bullshit Artist on Civil Unions
Ryan Sager chatted with prez hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) via conference call and got his reaction to the New Hampshire civil union law that so bothered formerly gay-friendly Rudy Giuliani. McNasty's take on the legislation?:
Today Mr. McCain held another blogger conference call, and I was able to put the question to him directly…
In the past, Mr. McCain has been very hard to pin down on civil unions.
But today, he was clear: "I am opposed to that legislation."
You go, guy. Here's a relevant passage from Matt Welch's April Reason cover story about John McCain:
McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution, has repeatedly chastised his fellow Republicans for trying to win votes by marginalizing gay Americans, and gave a stirring eulogy in San Francisco for the United Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham, who was gay. But in the 2006 elections he made a fool of himself campaigning for an Arizona ballot initiative banning gay marriage. Perhaps because of the libertarian strain in Arizona's political tradition, the proposition lost. McCain has been a pretty consistent opponent of abortion, but he went from saying he wouldn't seek to reverse Roe v. Wade in 1999 to saying he would in 2006.
Memo to McCain, Giuliani (and even Mitt Romney): Last-minute tacks to social con positions on gay marriage and abortion are not going to win you those votes. But they just might lose you whatever libertarian cred you could muster on a couple of social issues.