Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Indiana Republicans Authorize Gay Bashing Mailer For House Candidate

A mailing sent by the Indiana Republican Party on behalf of Republican House candidate Connie Basham in District 26, where she is opposing Rep. Joe Micon (D), engages in good-ole fashion gay bashing for votes. Micon, who opposes the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages because the state already has a Defense of Marriage Act. WLFI-TV reports:

Democrat Joe Micon said his opponent in the race for House District 26 is sending out negative campaign mail. Micon held a news conference to dispute an ad sent out by his Republican challenger Connie Basham.

"It is a hard hitting ad, but it does present the facts. I don't believe it's negative at all," said Basham.

"Through highly inflammatory language the ad falsifies my position on the issue of same sex marriage," Micon said.

The mailer states that Micon supports homosexual marriage, but Micon said he does not. The mailer refers to a resolution Micon voted against. Micon said the resolution aims to change the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Micon said there is no reason to change the state constitution because state statute already defines marriage between a man and a woman.

Basham said the voters of Indiana should decide in a referendum the definition of marriage. The ad is paid for by the Indiana Republican Party and authorized by the committee to elect Connie Basham.

As Rex Early likes to say, "that dog won't hunt." While Republicans have had some success using gay marriage as a wedge issue in past elections, the public is clearly beginning to get turned off the more informed they become on this issue. When there are far more pressing issues voters are concerned about, most people see this effort for what it is--a cheap diversionary tactic to change the subject away from the real issues voters care about. State GOP Chairman Murray Clark is making a big mistake picking up this mantra of bigotry from Brian Bosma in a desparate attempt to maintain control of the House.

7 comments:

Marla R. Stevens said...

What I want to know from both candidates and their respective parties is why they think it's okay to make civilly married same-sex coupled folks either lie to the government about their marriages or face criminal charges, including felony raps.

Where is the outcry about Micon's bigotry instead of the outcry that Basham didn't get the fact of the bigotry right?

Wilson46201 said...

their next mailing will have a photoshopped picture of Pat Bauer torching an American flag while David O. tries to seize a howitzer from 2nd-Amendment-loving Hoosiers...

Anonymous said...

I was in Lafayette yesterday--Basham's face is everywhere.
Not a very attractive one, I might add...when it's passing you on a bus at 45 mph it's a little scary.

What did you expect? Lafayette friends tell me Joe is in no trouble...evidently this woman has a long string of bad gossip following her around.

The exact same mailer is locked and loaded for H.D. 86 by Ms. Densborn. You can bet on it.
I know many, many Republican committeepersons who like David O. He's at all their neighborhood association meetings, block parties...walking door to door year-round, not just at election time.

Anonymous said...

As a Lafayette citizen and politically active person, I'd like to say that Joe's position is one supported by the district. Which means he VOTED AGAINST THE MARRIAGE DISCRIMINATION AMENDMENT.. and is now taking heat for it from Mrs. Bash'em.

Sure.. I'd like an unabashed liberal voice, Marla, and we are working on him and others locally. But while we do that.. I am not turning down the great support he has given us by voting right--- on ALL Our issues.

By the way-- check out the local -- CCR voters guide to be put on the web next week-- at www.nlci.com/ccr. There you will see who our local supporters are.

AND.. to the last post.. yeah.. Basham's posters look like she is going to eat the child. And NO.. his race is FAR from an easy one.. she has millions and he does not. Of course, if she keeps telling people how she spent her millions for Purdue, scholarships, 4-H and so forth.. they are getting more weary of her by the day.

Anonymous said...

...I'm hoping Marla isn't lobbying for IE, as a volunteer or paid...anytime soon. She's shrill and obnoxious.

Of course, she's right...but that doesn't get your views heard in this Statehouse.

Anonymous said...

Gary, I take issue with your comment: raising the same sex marrigage issue is "a cheap diversionary tactic to change the subject away from the real issues voters care about". The same sex marriage issue is important and people should care about it! It's not just a "tactic", it matters, deeply, to people on both sides of this issue. We'll never resolve anything about this issue until we first believe that people on both sides of the issue believe what they believe honestly. Are there political plusses and minuses? Of course, but that shouldn't shift our focus away from the substance of the issue.

Wilson46201 said...

"Gay marriage" is a fabricated rightwing "wedge issue" - it wasnt high on the so-called gay agenda in 1996 but rightwing pollsters found it drove an ignorant public simply wild. It swept Congress and many state legislatures.

Now constitutional amendments to really, really prohibit "gay marriage" are used to elect neanderthal sloths with backward agendas. It's a phony issue whipped up by the most reactionary politicians out there. After ten years of hatefilled debate, more and more folk are beginning to realize gay folk have rights too! About damn time too...