Glenn Reynolds, the blogosphere’s Instapundit, was supposed to speak before a Republican group in Utah but found his appearance canceled due to his professed support for gay rights:
SO OVER THE YEARS I’VE OFTEN SAID that in my ideal world, happily married gay couples would have closets full of assault weapons.
You’d think that right now, with all the gun-owner-hating going on, that the second half of that statement would be the controversial part. But you’d be wrong. I was just disinvited from a scheduled speech by the Utah County, Utah GOP because — after a special meeting to discuss the subject — I was deemed “too controversial” because of my support for gay rights. Er, okay.
Having an unpaid speaking gig (which I seldom do anymore) canceled is no hardship. And people are welcome to believe what they want to believe, and invite whom they want to speak — but as the GOP looks at why they’re viewed as intolerant, well, this kind of thing might be part of it. “Big tent” or teepee? Your choice.
In all honestly, I would say that I think that many Republicans, especially in those parts of the nation where social conservatism dominates have already made that choice. The “Big tent” that Lee Atwater once famously spoke of no longer truly exists. Dissenting from perceived orthodoxies, or indeed daring to say even the slightest praiseworthy thing about the President or some other Democrat, gets one branded as a “RINO.” There are some parts of the country, no doubt, where support for gay rights wouldn’t be a problem for local GOP organizations — states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California come to mind most immediately — but in the areas now commonly thought of as the heart of the GOP? Hardly. I’d expect the same reaction from a Republican group in Alabama, Idaho, or South Carolina.
