Republicans run a risk in pushing gay marriage ban

Dallas Morning News | William McKenzie:

"But what I don't understand is why Republicans push the gay marriage issue so hard. They obviously want to rev up their die-hards, but staunch conservatives already run things in Austin. What more fodder do they need for the next campaign trail?"

It's not a campaign issue. It's a religious issue. Backers of this amendment see homosexuality as a sin. They want to make it illegal. The Texas Constitutional amendment is one step in that direction. The long term goal is to restore anti-sodomy laws struck down by the US Supreme Court. But that will require packing the US Supreme Court with conservatives. Conservatives are making progress there, too. Driving Harriet Miers to withdraw and pressuring President Bush to nominate a staunch conservative in her place is a step in that direction.

As for politics, the conservative goal is not to draw gay voters to Republican ranks, anymore than it is to draw robbers or rapists. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate homosexuality altogether, which they view as criminal behavior. So far, it's been smart politics. So long as the number of homophobic voters outnumbers gays, it is likely to remain smart politics.