They see themselves as Defenders of Marriage. (Video behind that link. lots of laffs.)
Seriously, though... There's a lot of rage there in the GOP. Anger at a lot of things, and it's important to remember that all anger is just fear with a mask on, and the GOP is *scared*.
Part of the problem is that they're conservatives, and most of their platform has gone straight down the toilet because things NEED to change.
The grand experiment with free markets stripped of oversight will probably be a millstone around their necks far longer than the name of Bush Jr.
The abortion that is the War On Terror has probably recruited far more extremists than it has wiped out, and the balance of power in the middle east resembles a top on its last wobble thanks to our removal of two regimes. They've also done a really shitty job in planning ahead, knowing the culture and how it'll react and knowing when and how to get ourselves out.
Anybody capable of lining up facts (We'll set aside the Roves and the Limbaughs who put on blinders intentionally) might still be loyal to the party ideology, but they can't help but recognize that the party as a whole (or possibly as a hole) been doing a really shitty job in applying it effectively. Maybe the GOP bigwigs are seeing the national shift away from the old "Family Values" hypocrisy, and realizing that it's their only link to much of their remaining demographic, and panicking. When you can't argue from rational points, you argue from emotion. There's still a lot of latent homophobia out there, and rather than see a Useful Tool fade into obscurity, they're clinging like grim death to the notion that fags are horrible, dirty, child-molesting monsters who deserve no rights.
There's the cynical answer also, which is: the conservative/GOP/evangelical gangbang has made Gay Bashing INTO an acceptable christian activity, in order to ease the sense of cognitive dissonance of both discriminating against a certain group, and in not participating in things like soup kitchens where they might need to actually interact with icky poor people. (I know this doesn't speak for everybody, and that there are hordes of Good Christians out there, (i know plenty) but much like the Furry Fandom, it's the assholes, the loudmouths, and the nutjobs who get the majority of the press coverage and make the rest of the group look bad.)
no subject
Seriously, though... There's a lot of rage there in the GOP. Anger at a lot of things, and it's important to remember that all anger is just fear with a mask on, and the GOP is *scared*.
Part of the problem is that they're conservatives, and most of their platform has gone straight down the toilet because things NEED to change.
The grand experiment with free markets stripped of oversight will probably be a millstone around their necks far longer than the name of Bush Jr.
The abortion that is the War On Terror has probably recruited far more extremists than it has wiped out, and the balance of power in the middle east resembles a top on its last wobble thanks to our removal of two regimes. They've also done a really shitty job in planning ahead, knowing the culture and how it'll react and knowing when and how to get ourselves out.
Anybody capable of lining up facts (We'll set aside the Roves and the Limbaughs who put on blinders intentionally) might still be loyal to the party ideology, but they can't help but recognize that the party as a whole (or possibly as a hole) been doing a really shitty job in applying it effectively. Maybe the GOP bigwigs are seeing the national shift away from the old "Family Values" hypocrisy, and realizing that it's their only link to much of their remaining demographic, and panicking. When you can't argue from rational points, you argue from emotion. There's still a lot of latent homophobia out there, and rather than see a Useful Tool fade into obscurity, they're clinging like grim death to the notion that fags are horrible, dirty, child-molesting monsters who deserve no rights.
There's the cynical answer also, which is: the conservative/GOP/evangelical gangbang has made Gay Bashing INTO an acceptable christian activity, in order to ease the sense of cognitive dissonance of both discriminating against a certain group, and in not participating in things like soup kitchens where they might need to actually interact with icky poor people. (I know this doesn't speak for everybody, and that there are hordes of Good Christians out there, (i know plenty) but much like the Furry Fandom, it's the assholes, the loudmouths, and the nutjobs who get the majority of the press coverage and make the rest of the group look bad.)