Bush is out "energizing the base." George Wallace couldn't have done it any better.
It's scary how easily Bush's handlers pull it off. The comparison to Wallace is a joke, obviously, because his speeches were openly hostile. Dubya's writers are extremely careful to case bigotry in palatable terms. Wallace, had this been an issue in his day, would have let you know and feel his hatred.
But the neocons are sensitive to "NASCAR moms and dads" whose real feelings hide behind a wink. You know, those who fly the confederate flag because they're amateur historians.
Oh, stop your fussing. Marriage is unique and a little bias and prejudice against gays in this area is acceptable, right? Before you really stick with that position, you might think about all those people who now run from similar views they held about interracial marriage. Or even worse, how about those who don't run from that view? You know, the guys with seven teeth on Springer?
So Dubya and Co. must not only "wink" at their audience, but even throw in a little self-righteousness, too. No, we're not bigoted; we're just better than the rest of you.
"A great deal is at stake in this matter," Bush said. "For ages, in every culture, human beings have understood that traditional marriage is critical to the well-being of families. ... And changing the definition of traditional marriage will undermine the family structure."
Doesn't that just make ya feel like going out and hugging a baby or something? Yes, the human race depends upon us Christians keeping families together by denying someone we don't even know the chance to have their own family.
This exalted institution has survived all the doomsayers before Bush. It survived women's rights and their elevation above man's property. It survived changes to the Southern definition: "marriage is between a white man and a white woman." It survived the revelation that staying together "for the children" often leads to damaged children.
It will "survive" this.
But take note, gay marriage will be like every other civil rights issue before it: it is going to happen. And as Dennis Miller says, why not gay marriage? Shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?
No comments:
Post a Comment