Can NY Republicans who voted for gay marriage get reelected?
The political price for supporting same-sex marriage can be hard to predict. Four years ago, Assemblywoman Teresa R. Sayward, a Republican and a Catholic from a conservative district in the Adirondacks, voted in favor of same-sex marriage after making an impassioned speech about her son’s struggle with his gay identity.
“The night I took the vote the first time, I was told by my Republican colleagues that I would never get elected again,” she said. Since then, Ms. Sayward has been re-elected twice…
Bob Wood, 72, a Democrat and the captain of an Erie Canal cruise boat, said Mr. Alesi’s vote “showed real courage and leadership.” Mr. Wood worships with Mr. Alesi at Spiritus Christi Church, a Catholic congregation that broke with Rome in order to support gay men and lesbians, as well as women in the clergy.
But the reception in Mr. Alesi’s own party remains chilly.
“He’s not honest,” said Ray Akey, 66, a retired sales engineer and a Republican who had voted for Mr. Alesi in the past. He said he would not again — “Not after what he did to those people,” he said, referring to the lawsuit — but also because of the same-sex marriage vote.
Asked to sum up his feelings about his senator, Mr. Akey said: “It’s not real pretty. I’d have to put some cuss words in there.”
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Each should face a primary challenge… that way the people they represent can choose whether they want new, pro-marriage representation in Albany.
mankai on July 4, 2011 at 6:35 PM
I’m sorry her son struggled with his identity, but what exactly does that have to do with how she votes?
darwin on July 4, 2011 at 6:40 PM
He doesn’t care what his constituents think? I wonder why we keep calling them “representatives”.
darwin on July 4, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Maybe Obama can claim his daughter is sexually confused, & that’s why he keeps making bad decisions.
itsnotaboutme on July 4, 2011 at 6:49 PM
Funny, I never had to “struggle” with attraction to women… nor did I have to experiment to prove once and for all whether I really liked sex with woman.
Maybe I should have tried that in college… “Candy, I’m struggling with my sexual identity. Could you help me prove whether I enjoy sex with women or not? I don’t think one experience will be enough. How many sisters are in your sorority?”
mankai on July 4, 2011 at 6:50 PM
Can gay brothers get married in NY?
faraway on July 4, 2011 at 6:51 PM
Lol.
aengus on July 4, 2011 at 6:55 PM
Straight men struggle with monogamy.
dedalus on July 4, 2011 at 6:59 PM
If you broke with Rome you’re no longer a Catholic congregation.
Rocks on July 4, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Non sequitur.
mankai on July 4, 2011 at 7:03 PM
It’s a continuing struggle one woman at a time. Oh, the humanity.
Mason on July 4, 2011 at 7:03 PM
The point is related to your comment on struggles with sexual identity in the context of prevailing cultural norms.
dedalus on July 4, 2011 at 7:09 PM
Are you kidding? Hello, this is New Yawk we are talking about here.
itzWicks on July 4, 2011 at 7:10 PM
But the republicans that are in there now are pro marriage.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 7:12 PM
Guess it comes down to how those who vote for this gal deals with this issue. If you agree with the gay marriage issue, vote for her, if not don’t. Your vote will decide how this thing gets decided in the states. The courts, and probably the SC will do their thing with this. The sad fact we in the states vote to say a man and woman, and now the courts over rule the voters. So what do we do? Oh well it it is the 4th and all is NOT well in our Republic!
L
letget on July 4, 2011 at 7:17 PM
A. I’m not asking the state to sanction my polygamous sexual desires.
B. I don’t “struggle” with monogamy, I know it’s true (I don’t need to “prove to myself” that I am attracted to women). I don’t have an “identity” problem. “Am I really attracted to women other than my wife? Help me! I’m struggling with my identity!”
C. Although I am attracted to other women, I CHOOSE not to act on those desires. I wouldn’t argue “I was born an adulterer, I can’t help it!”
D. You are arguing for polygamous marriage… and other combination of humans merely because someone has a “desire.”
mankai on July 4, 2011 at 7:32 PM
Two of the GOP Senators, McDonald and Saland, aren’t going to have any trouble getting re-elected. If either were to lose, it would mean that gay marriage in a majority of states is farther than I think. The other two GOP senators seem unlikely to be re-elected, because of other issues. Unless I am wrong about McDonald and Saland future chances, the best case that the marriage equality opponents can make is that the pro-equality votes hurt the chances of two Senators who were already struggling.
thuja on July 4, 2011 at 7:35 PM
Not according to their constituents.
mankai on July 4, 2011 at 7:35 PM
When you get rights from Man, Man can take them away. Man and government should not has a restriction on freedom that only God can say if that is a freedom that man can have. It is not the role of Man or government to stop people from doing what every they want as long as they don’t break bones or pick ones pockets.
Get rid of the reward from the state for being married on heterosexual and homosexual marriage will lose a reason.
tjexcite on July 4, 2011 at 7:47 PM
Even if we got the state out of marriage, churches would still be battlegrounds on this issue.
thuja on July 4, 2011 at 7:56 PM
They literally just cast a pro-marriage vote, why on earth would their constituents replace them for different pro-marriage representatives. Makes no sense.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 8:02 PM
I mean, this article is ABOUT their pro-marriage vote for crying out loud.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Marriage is an institution involving a man and a woman. Therefore, the representatives cast an anti-marriage vote.
But you knew that.
There Goes The Neighborhood on July 4, 2011 at 8:18 PM
And in one sentence, you have revealed the main motivation of gay marriage proponents.
Proponents will never rest until the state forces churches and the rest of us to accept them as the norm. They will fight to have school teach about gays in curricula and will not rest until anyone who so much as expresses disapproval with the gay agenda is jailed for hate speech.
This is how liberals and counter-culturalists operate and that is why the gay agenda will NEVER obtain my support or that of like-minded conservatives.
TheRightMan on July 4, 2011 at 8:34 PM
Oh, so basically marriage for me but not for thee. Nah, that makes no sense. Marriage for everybody. Half a century ago you would have been saying the same thing about a black marrying a white. “No, marriage is between a man and woman of the same race.” There is no need to limit marriage any longer, you christians(as a vast majority of the US population) have already made a joke of it in this country with your 60% divorce rate. Stop acting like its something you guys think is sacred. Its embarrassing.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 8:47 PM
Again, another gay marriage proponent illustrating who they believe to be their primary enemy – the Church! The Romans tried and couldn’t decimate Christianity – you think the gay agenda can achieve it?
Our society is already headed for a downward trajectory – and yeah, the Bible predicts it. Nothing is new under the sun. Jesus himself said “As it was in the days of Lot (Sodom and Gomorrah), even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
TheRightMan on July 4, 2011 at 8:57 PM
Another soul that didn’t reach it to Romans 1 verse 24.
ericdijon on July 4, 2011 at 9:16 PM
Um, the church is what is killing marriage. Atheists have the lowest divorce rate in the US. Christians and Jews have the highest. But yea, its the gays that are killing marriage.
And no one needs to try to decimate Christianity, you guys are doing a bang up job of it by yourselves. Between the Westboro baptist church and the ridiculous rapture people and of course all of the kid touching, you guys are doing everything you can to make young people move away from the church.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 9:51 PM
So you think gay people deserve to be put to death? And not just gay people, but those who support gays such as myself???
Oh wait, I forgot christians get to choose what parts of the bible they follow. God must of just been in a silly mood that day so it doesn’t count.
thphilli on July 4, 2011 at 9:55 PM
What is embarrassing to me as an advocate of gay marriage is how you advocate gay marriage. To condemn all of Christianity in advocating this issue is beyond stupid. In political arguments, you attempt to persuade people not make them identify you as the enemy. While I have a strong dislike for a particular variant of Christianity, I would never bring it up on this topic, because there is no need to alienate that flavor of Christian on this topic. If you want to argue in this way, go somewhere else.
thuja on July 4, 2011 at 10:02 PM
A.That’s not relevant to your original contention about struggle, attraction, and experimentation.
B. If you don’t struggle with monogamy you are one of the few men I’ve spoken to who doesn’t. For many men (and women) their identity is tied to their ability to attract the opposite member. That identity is in conflict with their identities as family men.
C. Many men choose not to act on desires for other women, usually that choice is made by an adult who has had multiple previous partners. This decision is reinforced by societal pressure to maintain marriage vows. Gay men have struggled with their sexuality since they are often becoming aware of feelings as teens under social pressure to be straight.
D. I’ve made no such argument.
Being straight is easy insofar as hormones and societal pressure align. It seems invalid to compare straight sexual awakening to those who went through a process of realizing they were gay. Being straight and monogamous is analogous to the struggle of young homosexuals in that there is a struggle against one’s hormones; however, at least for straight married men there is abundant (though often insufficient) societal pressure to help one to not stray.
dedalus on July 4, 2011 at 10:21 PM
So are you promote gay marriage or anti-christian bigotry it’s hard to tell.
Kjeil on July 5, 2011 at 1:00 AM