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Loading ...RNC Chief: Gay marriage hurts small business
05.18.2009 9:25am EDT
(Savannah, Georgia) Republicans can reach a broader base by recasting gay marriage as an issue that could dent pocketbooks as small businesses spend more on health care and other benefits, GOP Chairman Michael Steele said on the weekend.
Steele said that was just an example of how the party can retool its message to appeal to young voters and minorities without sacrificing core conservative principles. Steele said he used the argument weeks ago while chatting on a flight with a college student who described herself as fiscally conservative but socially liberal on issues like gay marriage.“Now all of a sudden I’ve got someone who wasn’t a spouse before, that I had no responsibility for, who is now getting claimed as a spouse that I now have financial responsibility for,” Steele told Republicans at the state convention in traditionally conservative Georgia. “So how do I pay for that? Who pays for that? You just cost me money.”
As Steele talked about ways the party could position itself, he also poked fun at his previous pledge to give the GOP a “hip-hop makeover.”
“You don’t have to wear your pants cut down here or the big bling,” he said.
Vermont and Iowa have legalized gay marriage in recent weeks, and a Quinnipiac University poll released in April found that 57 percent of people questioned support civil unions that provide marriage-like rights. Although 55 percent said they opposed gay marriage, the poll indicated a shift toward more acceptance.
The chief of the Republican National Committee has been criticized by some social conservatives in recent weeks after GQ magazine quoted him as saying he opposed gay marriage but wasn’t going to “beat people upside the head about it.”
Steele, a Catholic and former Maryland lieutenant governor, was elected chairman of the committee earlier this year.
Re: Michael Steele,
Massachusetts was hurting economically before marriage equality. Marriage equality has been a boon to businesses in MA both big and small bringing them additional cash and MA itself additional tax revenue since equality brings all kinds of spending in the process of getting ready for weddings, having the weddings and then the parties and honeymoons after the weddings.
And Michael Steele is just being a homophobic jerk plus he is merely playing up to the fears and biases of his antigay conservative base for his future political gain.
And the more he yaks, the more his photo of him beaming is kept before the public eye. He used to have a mean look in his photos, now he smiles for the camera showing off his pearly teeth along with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Ah, the look of political ambition on that man’s face.
This is so…ludicrous! We should discourage stable relationships in order to save money?
Now there’s some “family values” for you!
Something tells me that Steele wouldn’t defend the “money” as paramount if ALL of those gays were to marry someone of the opposite sex!
What if every gay guy started marrying every gay girl, JUST FOR THE BENEFITS? I’d love to see what Steel and his ilk would say about that?
What’s so disturbing here is that he THINKS this is a less offensive argument against gay marriage, when in fact…it’s actually MORE offensive.
At least when thumpers oppose gay marriage for “religious beliefs”, it’s irrational beliefs they at least THINK are noble.
Steeles lovely argument is just gutter and smacks of encouraging greedy capitalist to “cash in” by hiring gays…because you know, you can have them work for you and not have to worry about paying all those costly spousal benefits!
If that’s your argument Mr. Steele, then I suppose businesses who are concerened about “the bottom line” shouldn’t even consider straight employees? Right? Let’s pass a law banning gay marriage AND giving first dibs to gays in ALL employment! That would REALLY save some coin!…
Mr. Steeles new, “pragmatic” argument against gay marriage is an argument for discrimination, purely for the sake of others being able to EXPLOIT that discrimination for monetary gain!
And here I thought the GOP was trying to shed or at least white wash it’s long held image as the party that cares about the monied interest more than “the people”?
Classy Mr. Steele! Very classy!
I have a feeling that when the republican party crumbles into pieces, the republicans will blame Michael Steele for the demise of their party. “because he’s black” shhhhh!!!
This is funny — but then again, if it is a republican belief, their Chairman has said it to be true…thus…we GLBT People need to ban together, and support only GLBT Businesses…large and small! We turn to our GLBT Businesses to donate to our causes…but do we support the businesses? This is important for small business, not marriage!
I’m sure he would have used the same argument regarding paying people to work.
why doesn’t he just make rules to block rights and benefits from people with differnt coloured skin too… oh wait a minute that’s already been done.
As a small business owner, I have to echo what Julia said. While I’d cover my employees’ families if I could afford to (gay or straight), it just isn’t feasible for my business. And some small businesses do even less, requiring the employee to pay part of their own premium. It is more likely large businesses which might find themselves in this position — the ones who’ve negotiated themselves the lowest group rates. It’s a completely fallacious argument.
LMAO… Isn’t Michael Steele an idiot or what?
What a bunch of bull. You know, here in Iowa when marriage was ruled constitional, I read a letter to the editor by a guy saying how it will cost him and everyone else more taxes. Never mind gay couples have been paying double taxes for years. This makes about as much sense. Let’s tell everyone you can’t get married because it will cost a small business more money, because after all, thats all republicians care about right! The pocket book. Steele’s comment has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever read.
What a jerk.
The biggest single thing small biz could do to save money is eliminate all partnership benefits – for gay and str8 alike.
Employees are covered. Spouses, regardless of gender issues, marriage, CUs etc, are not covered.
What I think is happening is actually good. Steele was the last ray of hope for the republican party. Here in MD, while I wouldn’t vote for him, I didn’t think he was a ‘bad’ guy per se.
But it looks like he has capitulated to the extremists of the republican party – eg Seig Heil Linbaugh, Bush, and Cheney and their gang.
Political parties have died before. We are witnessing the Cancer of Hatred eating the very flesh of the republican party.
Help it happen.
Glory to God. HE is watching over America.
Seeems I heard that in my youth.
It had something to do with the civil rights laws being passed that guaranteed equality under the law for Black people.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive, Mr. Steele.
I’ll add you to the reasons never again to vote democratic. And BTW, my whole family has moved from repub to dems.
Find your gonads, fix your party, or watch it head for obscurity.
So clearly we have a cased of confused messages on the Right.
On one side we have traditionalists like James Dobson and others who argue vigorously that gays can be “cured” of our homosexuality and become “normal” heterosexuals and lead lives according to “traditional family values”.
On the other side we have Michael Steele, who appears to be arguing that it’s to the benefit of society, and small businesses, that we remain gay – and legally single.
Now, if we do as Dobson wants us to then we completely screw up Steele’s idea. After all, if gays and lesbians suddenly got bitten by the “traditional family values” bug, found ourselves opposite sex spouses and settled down to have kids, then according to Steele we would become an economic burden to the businesses that employ us, since they would legally be required to give us benefits.
In order for us to keep Steele’s economic plan working, we need to remain gay and stay single. I’m pretty sure that this isn’t what Dobson would want, since single gays are prone to lots and lots of sodomy.
It is at this point that one realizes that conservatives will simply never be happy with us no matter what we do. It also becomes clear that Steele is not especially bright.
IN other words, Steele believes the Republicans can encourage more homophobia by appealing to base instincts of greed.
I hope the GOP does take up this message – it’s an absurd idea and proves the Republican party is finally losing its legitimate stance against same-sex relationships. What are they going to make up next? LOL
As a small business owner, this is even more personally insulting. If this is a valid argument, I think I am going to start denying benefits to the partners of republicans on the basis that they are too stupid to be providing any value to my company and therefore do not deserve benefits for their spouses. Didn’t the Iowa Supreme Court in their recent ruling on same sex marriage trounce this argument to pieces? Apparently Michael Steele didn’t read that decision because he was too busy giving head to the religious right. Do you think perhaps Michael Steele might actually be a genius who was paid off by someone to pretend he is a really dumb republican so that the complete crash and burn of the republican party will be utterly complete. If so, it was an ingenious plan! Keep it up Michael – last I read only 21% of americans identify as republican. In a year, perhaps there will be more people who identify openly as gay than there will be who identify as republican. It’s getting pretty darn close!