Author: Richard A. Oppel Jr.
Page Number: N/A
Topic: Rick Perry and his views on gay legislation
Source: The New York Times "Perry’s Anti-Gay Rights Focus Is Divisive Even to Staff"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/politics/perrys-anti-gay-rights-focus-is-divisive-even-to-staff.html?_r=1&ref=samesexmarriage
I know that Rick Perry's recent string of attacks on policies involving homosexuality are under fire from a number of civil rights, gay rights, and religious groups. I did not know, however, that even some of Perry's own campaign staff think his recent attacks-his "Strong" ad, for example-have gone too far. His own campaign advisor admits it! His ad, which begins, "...you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school," comes, as I learned, a day after President Obama instituted a new initiative to protect gay rights and promote the decriminalization of homosexual behavior world wide.
Perry's attack on homosexuality is his latest attempt to increase his voting base, especially among fundamentalist Christians. However, like most of the country, even fundamentalist Christians are currently more concerned about the faltering economy than about mere social issues. Furthermore, A New York Times/CBS News Poll recently established that 22% of respondents believe that same sex couples should have the right to marry, 36% believe they should be allowed to have civil unions, and only 38% believe they should have no legal rights whatsoever. As for Obama's repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," roughly 75% of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans said they felt "comfortable around gay service members." Even so, analysts assert that Perry's single issue approach may actually win him some votes. Go figure.
I truly believe the best way to use the aforementioned information is just to "spread the word," even if only to my own socially liberal friends. The "Strong" video has already gone viral on Facebook and Youtube, and, if the comments on Youtube are correct, Perry even disabled the like/dislike option under the video, because the video was receiving so many "dislikes." Clearly the video is receiving much more negative attention from liberals than it is from conservatives. Perhaps, mass-media sharing of the video will produce the opposite of its intended effect: if Perry somehow makes it to the general election, it will induce a larger number of liberal voters to get out and vote. I could also possibly use the statistics to convince people of the growing acceptance for homosexuality (and the legislation involving it) in the U.S. However, for now, I see no substantial impact that his attacks and/or these statistics can have on public policy. As aforementioned, Obama has already taken initiative to promote gay rights domestically as well as internationally, and, as he is not willing to legalize gay marriage, I don't foresee any additional attempts at policy changes (especially with the Republican majority in the House).
The article itself had a slight, but not blatant, liberal bias. The headline, "Perry’s Anti-Gay Rights Focus Is Divisive Even to Staff," seems to imply with the word "even" that the author thinks it's a good thing that the focus is so controversial. Additionally, in using the world only in, "Only 38 percent said they supported no legal recognition for same-sex couples," the author seems to view this number as relatively small and therefore a welcome opposition to Perry's viewpoints. Or maybe I'm just really liberal and I'm perceiving the article's bias as I want to perceive it...
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