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CPAC Loses Another Politico As LGBT Issues Threaten To Split GOP

Posted by: Bridgette P. LaVictoire on January 31, 2011.

01/31/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Republican Senator Marco Rubio had no problems attending CPAC last year when he was a candidate, but this year, he won’t be showing up. Apparently, Rubio will “return to Florida for a working weekend capped off by the Pinellas County Lincoln Day Dinner.” Of course, his spokesman Alex Burgos denied that his decision had anything to do with the inclusion of GOProud among the sponsors of the conference.

Rubio is not alone. Also not attending are Representative Jim Jordan, who wants to concentrate of repealing marriage equality in Washington, DC and ignoring the plight of his own district, and Senator Jim DeMint, who is a favorite of the Tea Party theocrats. A variety of different social conservative groups will also not be attending.

There is a growing civil war within the Republican Party as the Tea Party threatens to tear them in two. Various factions within the Tea Party could also complicate matters as some are purely anti-government while others are socially reactionary and anti-government. Rep. Jordan has introduced legislation which would force the American government to pay foreign creditors ahead of making any domestic payments should the debt ceiling not be raise despite the fact that this would collapse the government and economy of the nation.

The Republicans have been dancing a very delicate dance on the issue of LGBT equality with many slowly pushing for it.

Democrats are even poised to use the divisions between the pro-equality Republicans and the anti-equality Tea Partiers in 2012 by targeting five seats currently held by pro-equality Republicans. According to the LogCabinRepublicans, these are Congressman Charlie Bass (R-NH), Congressman Bob Dold (R-IL), Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA). What is more, it could be a winning strategy for the Democrats to reverse the way in which the Republicans used LGBT wedge issues to cleave off Independents to vote for them in 2004. Right now, LGBT issues are more of a wedge issue for the Republicans than they are for the Democrats as more Americans support LGBT rights, but fewer Republicans do.

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