Steve Schmidt Throws In His Lot With The Long Arc Of History

Steve Schmidt, who ran John McCain's campaign (some would say into the ground) last year, is prepared to call for the GOP to drop their opposition to gay marriage.

Former top McCain adviser Steve Schmidt is planning to use a Friday speech to the Log Cabin Republicans to urge the GOP to drop its opposition to same-sex marriage.

"I'm confident American public opinion will continue to move on the question toward majority support, and sooner or later the Republican Party will catch up to it," Schmidt plans to say according to excerpts provided to ABC News.

Schmidt's push for Republicans to endorse same-sex marriage comes as his party is grappling with a string of gay rights victories in Iowa, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.

The Republican Party is just trapped on this. Young people don't care about this issue and they isolate themselves from the next generation with every fundie-backed denunciation of loving relationships. But their base has become increasingly hostile and fever-pitched, and without the theocrats on the ground they have virtually no one willing to get out the vote for their candidates. They can't take this issue off the table, as much as the Steve Schmidts of the world would want it.

And anyway, Schmidt probably was helped into the light by virtue of his lesbian sister. That's what it typically takes for conservatives to recognize the world outside their cloistered view.

The Drilling Endgame

The Hill reports that Nancy Pelosi has become willing to accept a vote on offshore drilling. She's really following the lead of the presumptive Presidential nominee here.

Republicans, reacting to high gas prices, have demanded a vote on additional oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, where drilling is currently blocked by a moratorium. Until now, Pelosi (D-Calif.) has resisted the idea as a “hoax.” But in an interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, she indicated that she was open to a vote.

“They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas,” Pelosi said. “We can do that. We can have a vote on that.”
She indicated such a vote would have to be part of a larger package that included other policies, like releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which she said could bring down prices in a matter of days.

“But it has to be part of something that says we want to bring immediate relief to the public and is not just a hoax on them,” Pelosi continued.

Here's the transcript. Staffers are claiming that this is not a change in position, but I agree with Stoller - Pelosi and Obama are setting a trap.

Here's Pelosi on Larry King Live.

King: Do you expect -- do you suspect the oil companies of having a lot of clout here, influence over the Republicans?

Pelosi: Of course. Yes, they rule. And that's what we'll find out.

And she is saying that a vote for drilling is possible, but only if it includes renewable energy standards, wind, solar, and biofuel incentives. And in all likelihood, the vote will include removing the subsidies for oil companies, which McCain will not do (he calls it raising taxes).

So basically Obama and Pelosi are going to try to put McCain and the Republicans in a box. They can have their drilling, but only if oil company subsidies are removed to pay for renewable energy programs for the long-term.

Their hope is that the public can see Exxon John and the Republicans unwilling to do anything for the future energy needs of the planet but drilling. Even this highly misleading Fred Hiatt op-ed acknowledges that drilling won't help with gas prices and won't be sufficient without strong investments in alternative energy. So they're hoping that this can be a teachable moment in November.



I'm a little skeptical, just because Republicans are masters of the hissy fit and they'll shriek that Pelosi is playing games and they won't allow a clean shot. Plus McCain won't show up to vote, which might be helpful in its own right, but doesn't hammer the point home. I don't have a lot of faith in Democrats to carry this message off, even though it should work in theory.

As for the SPR, I would agree to releasing some of it, but of course that's just a delay, because Republicans will then argue that we need more drilling to replenish the SPR. So that's not really an answer.

Republican House candidates are starting to use the drilling messaging, so if you're going to embarrass the GOP as whores to Big Oil, do it soon.

UPDATE: This of course won't work because, in the words of Michelle Bachmann, Jesus saved the planet, not Nancy Pelosi.

This woman is in the United States Congress.

UPDATE II: Calling Exxon John out on his position on wind energy is a good start. He actually has the nerve to feature wind turbines in his ads despite opposing tax breaks for wind developers in the latest farm bill.

Discrimination We Can Believe In

John McCain doesn't like him the gay:

"I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions."

I note the part where McCain says he doesn't believe judges should make these decisions. While Arizona did pass a gay marriage ban previously, the last time they tried to "reinforce" it (by also banning domestic partnership benefits) voters opposed it. And McCain cut ads in favor of that measure. So none of this is surprising.

But does this mean that McCain agrees with regular people who make decisions he opposes? Because that's what's going to happen with the newly-minted Prop. 8.

And how does McCain square this with Schwarzenegger's opposition to the ban? And his meeting with the Log Cabin Republicans? Did this come up?

Schwarzenegger To Fight Initiative On Gay Marriage Ban?

Hmm...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says if an initiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for the November ballot, he's prepared to fight it.

California's governor was in San Diego today speaking at the annual convention of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest gay Republican group.

Schwarzenegger said he was confident that a ban would never pass in California but called the effort "a waste of time" -- joking that he wished activists would focus on allowing naturalized citizens to run for president instead.

Notice of course who he was speaking to.

Now, Arnold has vetoed bills legalizing gay marriage on two occasions. And each time he has retreated to referencing a prior "defense of marriage" initiative passed in 2000, and saying that "the people have spoken" on this matter. Now, however, he'd like the people to speak in a different way, I guess.

Wonder what's going on here...

CA-04: The Cat Claws Are Out

Wow, Doolittle's getting it from members of his own party now.

Political pressure on GOP Rep. John Doolittle grew Wednesday as a fellow California House Republican said it would be best if Doolittle didn't run for re-election.

GOP Rep. John Campbell of Orange County became the first House member to say publicly Wednesday what other lawmakers and aides are saying privately – that Doolittle should step aside and not run for re-election.

“I am very concerned about the situation in that district and our ability to comfortably hold what is a safe Republican district,” Campbell said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“Certainly the polling shows that he's in a difficult position and I do think it would be best if he didn't seek re-election,” Campbell said.

Here's the good news: Doolittle's response.

Doolittle was defiant in a written statement responding to Campbell's comments.

“I hope John Campbell never has to experience what Julie and I have been going through the past 3 and a quarter years,” he said. “If he ever does, he will truly understand how frustrating it can be for people to attack your honor and integrity.”

And the chair of the Republican delegation in California, himself a target in 2008, came running to Doolittle's aid:

The head of the California Republican House delegation, Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, offered words of support Wednesday.

“It's up to John Doolittle and John Doolittle says he's running for re-election,” Dreier said. “And obviously he's got lots of challenges with which he's trying to deal, but he's a good, hardworking member and we'll see what happens. It's very early on.”

Expect "Dreier and Doolittle: Perfect Together" to come up in CA-26 messaging.

I love "Republicans in disarray" stories, don't you?

Mitt Romney Living With His Largest Campaign Contributor!

Himself.

Mitt Romney's campaign is announcing today his total raised for this quarter: $18 million. But the campaign also says that $8.5 million of this came out of Romney's own pockets -- so his actual tally raised is closer to $10 million.

As the great TBogg notes, this really is like someone sending themselves flowers at work to prove to everyone in the office how desirable they are. Romney's personal contributions to his campaign now exceed $15 million dollars, which is also the amount of money John McCain sees skipping over to him dressed in a slinky outfit in a nightly dream.

With all of this money and 10,000 ads already aired in the early states, you'd think Romney would be far further along than he is. But people are still seeing the badly programmed robot behind the money. And the flip-flopping charges aren't going away, like in this brilliantly-produced ad from (oddly enough) the Log Cabin Republicans.



The Romney campaign dismissed the ad as coming from Rudy. It's undeniably devastating no matter who the progenitor. Looks like Daddy Warbucks will have to write himself another check to combat it!