DON'T LOOK AT ME

Gary Bauer: Marriage Definition Will Be Factor In 2004 (Mark H. Rodeffer, 08/13/2003, National Journal)

Q. Some make the argument that if Bush tries too hard to go on record as being against gay rights that he could turn off moderate swing voters who maybe don't feel passionately about the issue but they see it as maybe mean spirited or they just don't like that kind of rhetoric. Are you worried at all that some of those moderate voters won't vote for Bush?

A. No. Because the issue that is going to be in the headlines from now until the election next year is the issue of the definition of marriage. Very soon now there will be likely be a state Supreme Court ruling authorizing same-sex marriage. If the president is clear that he opposes same-sex marriage and he's willing to take legal steps to make sure it does not become the law in the United States, I can guarantee you he will win the election in a landslide if his Democratic opponent suggests something else. There is not a state in the union that has been willing to vote in favor of same-sex marriage -- including socially liberal California, which just voted on this three years ago. So no, I think the political risk on that issue resides with the Howard Deans of the world, not with President Bush.

Q. According to an article in the Washington Times, 4.5 to six million Christian conservatives didn't turn out on Election Day in 2000. What is the Campaign for Working Families going to do to try to keep that from happening again in 2004?

A. We do a number of get-out-the-vote efforts, as far as trying to help on voter registration drives and getting out voting guides to churches and so forth. But at the end of the day, the real difference in turnout is passion. And if the administration is aggressively defending the values of these voters, we won't have to do much to get them out. They will naturally come out to vote for the president. But if for some unexpected reason there wasn't anything going on or there were confusing messages being sent on some of these issues, then I think no matter what we did the turnout would end up being disappointing.

If he can't turn out the vote then why should the GOP meet with him? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 13, 2003 3:03 PM