People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch reveals some rather comical behavior from the College Republican National Committee. The CRNC is sponsoring a conference headlined by some of the most virulently anti-gay people in the GOP--while telling the national party to ease up on the homophobic vitriol.
Next weekend, Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition is hosting the Road to Majority Conference at the J. W. Marriott Hotel in DC. The CRNC is sponsoring this along with Concerned Women for America, Regent "University," the Washington Times and others. Among the headliners are the likes of Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Glenn Beck and Newt Gingrich.
Now here's where it gets comical. Yesterday, the CRNC released a report that went into great detail on why young voters are deserting the GOP. Among the biggest reasons--the party's opposition to gay rights.
"[T]he conventional wisdom is right," the study's authors write in a section on how Republicans should approach marriage policy for gay and lesbian couples. "Young people are unlikely to view homosexuality as morally wrong, and they lean toward legal recognition of same-sex relationships."
The group's survey found that 44 percent of young voters support gay marriage and 26 percent say it should be left up to the states to decide. Thirty percent of responders said marriage should be between a man and a woman.
After conducting the focus groups, the authors concluded that it is "unmistakable" that "gay marriage was a reason many of these young voters disliked the GOP."
So let's get this straight. The College Republicans are warning their bosses that homophobia will kill them in the long term, while at the same time sponsoring a virulently homophobic conference. The mind reels.