A Tale of Two Republicans: San Diego's Mayor Jerry Sanders Endorses Marriage Equality While Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Tows the Party Line

At last week's California Republican Party convention, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged his party to abandon the radical social conservatism that has made the GOP largely irrelevant in statewide politics. With the Governor preparing to veto marriage equality for the second time, this moderating message is one that he has yet to fully embrace.

But at least one prominent Republican took the Governor's message to heart. Reports the San Diego Union Tribune:

"Mayor Jerry Sanders reversed his position on gay marriage Wednesday, supporting it in emotional remarks punctuated by pauses, shaking sips of water and his wife's hand resting one time reassuringly on his back.

Sanders' wife, Rana Sampson, stood next to him as he acknowledged publicly for the first time that his daughter, Lisa, is a lesbian.

"I've decided to lead with my heart, which is probably obvious right now, to do what I think is right and to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice," Sanders said."

This is great news for California's 100,000 same sex couples. Equality isn't -- or at least shouldn't be -- a partisan issue. Mayor Sanders understands this; sadly, the Governor does not. As Californians increasingly embrace their LGBTIQ friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers, the party that stands resolutely in opposition to equality will continue it's fall from relevance.

It's a shame that Governor Schwarzenegger intends to squander his historic opportunity to embrace marriage equality this year, an opportunity to become the first of (soon-to-be) many governors to codify into law what is perhaps our generation's crowning civil rights achievement.

Nevertheless, if the Governor wastes this chance to cement his legacy as a "post-partisan" leader, either the California State Supreme Court will back marriage equality next year or a Democratic governor will sign a marriage equality bill in 2011. And on that day, Mayor Sanders will go down in history as someone who was ahead of his time and well ahead of his party.

Photo courtesy Wockner.

Print this report | Send to a friend

About Matt Jones | All Reports by Matt Jones

---

Browse in :

All > Reports > Legislative Bodies > State Assembly All > Reports > Legislative Bodies > State Senate All > Reports > LGBTIQ > Marriage Equality All > Reports > Schwarzenegger Any of these categories - All of these categories

There are no comments attached to this item.

Ratings