04.21.06
Sen. McCain flip-flopping on gay marriage?
Sen. John McCain’s recent reconciliation with the anti-gay televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell could impede the fight against a federal constitutional amendment on gay marriage, some political observers fear.
McCain, an Arizona Republican and presumed GOP presidential candidate for 2008, previously opposed moves to amend the Constitution to block states from marrying gay couples.
But recent statements by Falwell indicate that McCain has expressed a willingness to support the Marriage Protection Amendment, which leaves room for states to legislate gay marriage, even as it blocks judges from requiring states to do so. The MPA is scheduled for Senate debate and vote in early June.
Experts said this political shift would enhance McCain’s appeal among conservative and religious voters.
“It sends a message that he’s not hostile to the Christian right,” Wilcox said. “It signals that these people would have some voice in his administration, and he’s not writing them out. He’s acknowledging their legitimacy within the party.”
But some activists fear acknowledgement could lead to acceptance.
Rev. Mel White, the gay former ghostwriter for Falwell and founder of Soulforce, an interfaith movement that supports gay rights, said he hopes McCain doesn’t adopt Falwell’s anti-gay views.