Meghan Mccain's Intolerant Tolerance

Reading Meghan McCain’s latest bit of advice to the GOP, I was reminded of something a Catholic friend once said to me about The Vagina Monologues.

It offends me less as a Catholic than as a rational person.

Meghan’s recommendation to the GOP to “Go Gay,” will certainly raise the hackles of a right-wing punditocracy intent on enforcing conservative orthodoxy. This is unfortunate because the essay, in spite of its nearly 1,500 words, offers almost nothing of substance.

Toward the end of the essay, Meghan finally gets around to her core policy recommendation.

Get on the gay marriage bandwagon. The future of the GOP lies in the social moderation promoted by Christie Todd Whitman, a politician who was “ahead of her time.”

Not exactly an original appeal.

But the argument is classic McCain – one part appeal to America’s greatest traditions, one part argument for moderation and toleration, and one part certainty that anyone who disagrees with you rejects our deepest traditions and embraces intolerance.

Meghan spends 1,000 words arguing for a more tolerant GOP and establishing that she is “a woman who despises labels and boxes and stereotypes,” before letting go with her argument for gay marriage.

Lest we forget, our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, grants the same rights to everyone in this country —“All men are created equal.” If you think certain rights should not apply to certain people, then you are saying those people are not equal. People may always have a difference of opinion on certain lifestyles, but championing a position that wants to treat people unequally isn't just un-Republican. At its fundamental core, it's un-American.

So after authoritatively referencing our Founders’ commitment to natural rights, and getting it wrong in almost every respect, she champions gay marriage and then calls anyone who opposes her view anti-American.

The reasoning is flawless.

And it will certainly set off the right.

To borrow again from my friend, conservatives should not reject this gay marriage proposal because it is somehow un-conservative. They should reject – or better yet ignore it – because it is foolish.

The misfortune of Meghan’s easily dismissed remarks is that they embolden conservatives who would choose to ignore the massive political liability that gay rights has become for Republicans. The political viability of Republicans, not only in the Northeast and West but even in parts of the Old South, is very much tied up with changing public attitudes toward homosexuality. So long as Republicans fail to receive support from the gay community, and are perceived as hostile toward homosexual citizens, they will continue to suffer among an increasingly suburban and college-educated electorate.