Gay Voters' Support For Republicans Doubled From 2008

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- Republicans made significant inroads among gay and lesbian voters in the midterm elections, with national exit polls for the House races showing that the GOP captured 31 percent of the vote of this group this year, compared to 19 percent in 2008.

The change from the last midterm elections in 2006 was not quite as large but an increase nevertheless. In 2006, 24 percent supported Republicans. Democrats' share of the gay vote rose from 75 percent in 2006 to 80 percent in 2008 and then dropped to 68 percent in 2010. Each year, approximately 3 percent of voters identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

"I have been very concerned over these last two years that the connection between the gay rights community and the Democratic Party is in danger of being broken, because I think expectations were set so high as a result of the 2008 election, and people are extremely disappointed," said Richard Socarides, a former assistant to President Clinton and senior White House adviser on gay rights.

Socarides said that the gay community recognizes President Obama has many pressing issues to juggle, but there's nevertheless frustration on his LGBT strategy.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/05/gay-voters-republicans-doubled-2008_n_779111.html

---

W. T. F.

[liberalmuse]

1. What the hell have the Democrats done for them?

Really? We can't even get rid of 'Don't ask, don't tell', and that's a no-brainer right there.

[Javaman]

24. While that is true...

I am still in wonderment as to why they would support a party that is openly hostile toward them.

Frying pan into the fire.

[Sub Atomic]

41. why they would support a party that is openly hostile toward them.

Which one?

[U4ikLefty]

70. ZING!!!

+1000

[liberalmuse]

75. Well, yeah.

That is completely out of my ability to grasp. My gay cousin used to donate to Ron Paul. My other gay cousin only just became a Democrat a few years ago - his father stopped speaking to him because of that.

[24601]

86. You're thinking GBLT are single-issue voters and that sexual

orientation is their main focus on a daily basis rather than just one more aspect of life. Is there data supporting that?

[CreekDog]

39. Well House Democrats voted to repeal DADT

and if we're voting against Democrats because of what they haven't done for GLBT, why on earth would a person take that vote and put it towards Republicans?

[Zenlitened]

42. Why on earth, indeed. But it's not clear from the article...

...that this is what happened. Could it be that many GLBT Dems simply did not vote, thus giving the GOP a higher percentage of those GLBT voters who did cast a ballot?

I dunno. The article seems unclear to me.

[CreekDog]

43. but then their election participation would've dropped though it didn't

3 percent in 2008 and 3 percent in 2010.

:shrug:

[Zenlitened]

46. Hmmm... I see what you mean. Puzzling, then.

Helluva way to make a statement with one's vote. :(

[jmowreader]

80. Does anyone track the Log Cabin Republican numbers?

Thinking out loud, perhaps the fact a LOT of people--hence a lot of gay people--are unemployed, and the Republicans kept saying they could fix the employment problem, steered their votes.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

53. So, they vote for Republicans who actually BLOCKED DADT in the Senate?

That makes no sense. I understand being frustrated with Dems/Obama for "moving too slow," but they really believe that Republicans are going to repeal DADT?

That's fucking idiotic!!!

[earthside]

2. Zero sympathy for Obama here.

Countless opportunities to do away with DADT ... squandered.

And anyone still wonders at the consequences of an 'enthusiasm gap'?

[RKP5637]

4. Yeah, so true, one of several examples. Of course, I doubt a GOP majority

will have much use or sympathy for gays. I don't think we will see DADT repealed at all. There will be excuses for keeping it and the R's will say national security issues.

All the same old crap will come back. The US will be laughable in the 21st century as the rest of the world walks past us as we are mired in greed, corruption and infighting.

I expect to see tanks rolling on the streets in my lifetime to keep the deprived masses in check.

[zipplewrath]

6. Gays have many issues

Some of those issues are better addressed by the GOP.

[Jennicut]

9. What? Economic problems? Taxes? Health care?

What will they be better then the Dems on? If the Dems are bad, the Repubs are a million times worse. Obama dragged his feet on DADT and I feel no sympathy there but most Repubs won't even give DADT a single thought.

[Posteritatis]

60. While I do think Democrats would be better on most of those...

If you've got a hypothetical gay voter who, say, agrees with the Republicans on their approach to economics or foreign policy or whatever else, he's still going to be wrong IMO, but if he doesn't expect anything on the rights issue from either party it would make sense for him to vote that way.

There is no monolithic single-issue The Gays(tm) out there, much as threads like this seem to think otherwise. Surprising as it may be, humans are complex individuals.

[nradisic]

15. Really?

Enlighten me...

[marshall]

18. Ted Olson pointed out a connection

The move toward marriage equality is rooted in what many consider a conservative mindset. It's a mixed bag that highlights how complicated our cultural politics can be.

[atreides1]

25. I understand that

But at the cost of being treated like second class citizens regarding other issues, seems a little silly to me.

[HughMoran]

27. Ahh, the truth finally emerges.

Interesting...

[SunsetDreams]

29. Which issues are better addressed by the GOP?

[SidDithers]

31. Well. That's an interesting opinion...nt

Sid

[treestar]

36. Really?

Like what?

[CreekDog]

47. sure, they'll get tax breaks in exchange for not being allowed to exist

sometimes you just gotta make one of those head versus heart decisions. :eyes:

(i hope everyone knows that i think zipplewrath's post is ridiculous)

[JuniperLea]

50. Well, isn't that special? eom

[MineralMan]

62. Name three. Seriously.

[zipplewrath]

64. In reply to you all

I come to this realization not on my own, but from interactions with my gay friends. Many are small business owners themselves (it helps to keep from getting fired for being gay to be your own "owner"). So they have alot of sympathy for the "pro small business" stance of the GOP. They (at least many of my gay friends) can be quite wealthy. As such, they have the same biases that other wealthy people can tend to form. "Got rich, got republican". Also, since they have had to "go it on their own" so much in their life, and make it by their own abilities, often at great odds, they can form a certain attitude about "personal responsibility" and "standing on your own two feet" that is very at home with the GOP.

Mind you, every single one votes a straight dem ticket. But I've had several of them observe that if the GOP would just get off the anti-gay band wagon, the GOP's ranks would swell with them. Many of them are already (secretly) there.

[MrScorpio]

68. You're kidding, right? nt

[Ikonoklast]

69. You must stop drinking Sterno.

They told you it would rot your brain, but, did you listen?

[sinkingfeeling]

3. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal a Likely Election Casualty

http://www.truth-out.org/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-a-likely-election-casualty64798

[BlueMTexpat]

5. OK, so Obama has been a disappointment.

But does anyone who is sane really believe that Republicans will be more sympathetic to gay rights issues? Especially THESE Republicans?

[iandhr]

7. This administration

has appointed more gays then any other in history. I understand the frustration but if the GOP did not filibuster DADT then it would have been repealed

[SkyDaddy7]

11. Be careful...

This is not the time to be honest & reasonable...This is bash Obama time for failing to go from the worst recession near depression to 1997 economic numbers in two years!

How many of us will hit the streets & protest like the Tea Parties did over the next two years? If we don't then it is our fault, not Obama's or the Democrats...We have to show in numbers that we disagree with these crazy people who now control the House for who knows how long!

America is under a right wing media trance...I have been sent emails that by folks I thought were rational thinking people that talk about things that have been repudiated by all the fact check sites...Yet many people in this country believe this stuff! WHY? The Right Wing owns the AM radio waves much of the FM & add in FOX, the WSJ and all their messages are coordinated & repeated over and over...And add in the fact the MSM is more concerned with covering conflicts rather than the facts and we have a public that simply is delusional!

Oh well, we are headed to a corporate controlled theocracy and I can't see how it can be avoided at this point in time.

[rfranklin]

21. they are also using the propaganda techniques of Goebbels...

which can resonate with people on levels that may not involve sexual orientation. They've probably done focus groups to see exactly what works.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zenlitened]

44. Your post would be laugh-out-loud funny...

... if it wasn't so twisted, toxic and wrong.

Goebbels-meets-Manson material, that, with a dose of Rovian projection thrown in at the end:

Why does this particular group rely entirely on the President? And under a Republican President or Congress, they will get nothing.

They have no focus, no movement that I can see, no movement leaders, no one trying to get the (straight) majority on their side, on DU in fact trying to alienate us as best they can - it's enough to make you wonder if it is not a right wing psy-op.

[treestar]

54. Just how far have you gotten with your hostile bitterness

towards one President in actuality more friendly than any other or any likely to be elected?

I have encountered nothing here but hostility. Fine, with all your labeling. What have you got? You are losing supporters rather than gaining them.

Why should I continue to defend you to right wingers when you are so negative towards me? Answer me that.

You cry about how Obama/the Dems abandon you and insult you and then expect them to put your cause first. Then you insult me and act hostile, etc. So why should I work for you against right wingers? I could put my energies elsewhere.

[Zenlitened]

61. Your posts are pure invention and projection.

As I said below, I don't for a second consider you an ally or even reachable on this topic.

But I do feel an obligation to comment when I see outright lies posted, i.e. the notion that there is no GLBT movement aside from a coterie of critics obsessed with the President.

That's poisonous nonsense, and you should be ashamed of yourself for posting it.

[CreekDog]

48. how about not treating gays as a monolithic group?

as if they think, act and do everything in concert.

and the fact that you think they do is a bit disturbing because that's how minorities are often stereotyped --as unthinking, monolithic blocks.

[Sub Atomic]

8. Repubs haven't made inroads. They didn't disappoint their gay voters.

I doubt the numbers of gays voting for Republicans didn't increase.

The percentage of gay Democrats that chose to sit out this election due to the transgressions, both real and perceived, of the Obama Administration have increased from two years ago.


The Repubs are not seeing an increase in gay voters. Attempting to frame this as such is ridiculous.

[Democat]

22. You are probably right.

Also, we have no idea how many people claiming to be gay and voting for Republicans are really like the DU trolls who claimed to be Democratic women voting for McCain because Hillary didn't win. Anyone can say anything in a poll like this.

[caraher]

28. It's pretty obvious there's been no surge in gay GOP voters

I'm not sure why people are missing Sub Atomic's point - the article just said a larger fraction of gay voters voted Republican. Well, the Log Cabin crew was going to vote for Republicans anyway - they weren't going to stay home to spite Obama!

It's kind of a non-story really - we already knew a lot of people were mad about the degree of follow-through on these issues and thus more likely to stay home. We'll just see how wise that looks once the Republican House freakshow gets underway...

[Zenlitened]

45. That's my hunch as well:

...The percentage of gay Democrats that chose to sit out this election due to the transgressions, both real and perceived, of the Obama Administration have increased from two years ago.

The Repubs are not seeing an increase in gay voters....

A smaller pool of GLBT voters owing to Dems not voting = bigger percentage for repubs, no?

[Balderdash]

10. As a lesbian

my disappointment with Obama and his administration is damn near total
but to vote for Republicans? I am actually not disappointed with most
Democrats, y'all have been awesome but the guy leading us leaves a whole
lot to be desired.

[jonnyblitz]

17. nothing could ever make me support the GOP. I would just

support NOBODY or no party but NEVER them. it's not an option for me.

[JudyM]

78. Staying home is tantamount to voting for the repugs. Dems may not give us everything but

the alternative totally sucks. And while gay rights are important to me I also care deeply about other issues that the dems support and the repugs oppose. Big picture counts.

I'll also throw in that there's no way that many gays voted R, no way. Most of us are ardently dem.

[tnvoter]

12. Why is this news?

what does sexual orientation have to do with political proclivities? you might as write a headline that reads "white people are conservative." well, duh. Many of them are. Many of them aren't. Same can be said of gays, asians, hispanics... whatever.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[snooper2]

14. Wonder what would happen if some openly gay Americans

went to a teabagger meeting in Mississippi, or maybe in Lubbock Texas...

[RKP5637]

32. Probably a 21st century lynching. n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

88. they did. there was a news article about it. two gay white males at a teabagger rally

[peace13]

16. This is too funny!

If they went over to the GOP for support good luck with that. True Rethugs leave their churches when gay clergy are introduced. I say it is funny but if this really happened it is sad. Obama has disappointed me in certain ways but I can still see that life under the rethugs will be fear mongering and hate 24/7. I think that is what anyone who voted against 'Obama' can expect.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. More than half of Straight men are registered Republicans

Wonder why that is? What is wrong with straight men, they keep electing nutters? Please, some straight guy tell us why!

[SidDithers]

33. You keep posting that as if it makes sense...

it's not the number that important, it's the change in number.

If straight men went from 55% voting Republican to 75% voting Republican, you don't think that would be a story?

Gay voters going from 19% voting Republican (or 24% if comparing to the 2006 midterm) to 31% represents a significant change. You don't want to know why, and what affect it had on the outcome of the midterm election?

Sid

[MineralMan]

77. Well, I guess I'm in the other half, then.

That's a pretty typical distribution, overall, in the population. About half vote for Democrats and about half vote for Republicans. The percentages shift a little from time to time, which gives us a change in parties in control. I'm not sure it has anything with being straight. It's how the population is in general. That's our biggest problem. Shifting enough people to your side isn't easy.

[Democat]

20. This is either a lie, or there are a lot of really stupid LGBT voters.

It's like black Americans voting for the KKK.

Many in the GOP want you dead. It's pretty simple.

[Posteritatis]

59. They probably get that vibe from both parties

Especially in some places; I imagine an Alabama Democratic candidate will tend to be right of a New England Republican in a lot of cases if he wanted a chance at electoral success, up to and including wishing gays would just go away and die. In the sort of situation where it's as likely as not that both parties think that way about you, what are you going to do?

[meegbear]

23. Fuck 'em ...

actually, I take that back ... I WON'T fuck 'em.

[piggy2000]

26. Gay Rights and Family Values are synonymous in the Republican party

So the Gay rights community gave President Obama two years to get rid of DADT, give all gays equal rights, and get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act that says marriage is between a man and a woman. Was President Obama supposed to change the hearts of minds of the people who think being gay is a choice and can be cured?

WOW!! It's this kind of mindset that keeps setting America back. Divided we fall...again and again.

The Republicans are good at getting people to vote against their own interests.

[Bluenorthwest]

30. Well Obama could have not campaigned with Ex-Gay leaders

and those who call us vampires and child killers, that would have been a start. He did nothing to change hearts and minds, he just kept saying he opposed equal rights for us, and kept standing with the Evangelical hate preachers like McClurkin.
The GLBT community votes Democratic, even this cycle, at well over 68%. Shall we compare that to say, straight males? How about to 'white straight males' who are hugely Republican?
Tell me, why is it that huge swaths of the Straight Community are registered Republicans, more than half your males are Republicans, you should explain why your people voted in all of those Baggers. Why'd you do that? Do straights really think Republicans are that much better? Apparently about half of you do, enough to carry the GOP to victory in most of the House races. I mean not in my district or any district I have ever lived in. But like, in Straight majority areas, the Republicans cleaned up. Why did your community do that?
Had the Straight Community voted for Democrats as strongly as we did, Tuesday would have been all Democratic. But your people failed the nation. Why? You should be able to explain to me why your community up and elected Rand Paul. So please, do so.
Why are so many straights registered lifelong loyal Republicans? Especially white straights? Is it the sexuality that does it?

[RKP5637]

34. Yep, over and over this happens, as you say, people vote R against their

own interests. I think many Americans are so ignorant it's a wonder they survive day to day. They just can't see through all of the propaganda.

[treestar]

38. If there are any leaders to the movement, they need to study the

Civil Rights struggles. There are plenty of examples! The women's movement, too.

There seems to be no effort but wait for a President who is somewhat sympathetic and then make demands of him to do it all alone. And that during a time of economic crisis.

Really the idea I get from DU at least is of a complete failure of a movement. Where is the effort to win over the populace?

[Zenlitened]

49. Great idea! If only the GLBT community had thought of that!

If there are any leaders to the movement, they need to study the

Civil Rights struggles. There are plenty of examples! The women's movement, too.

There seems to be no effort but wait for a President who is somewhat sympathetic and then make demands of him to do it all alone. And that during a time of economic crisis.

Really the idea I get from DU at least is of a complete failure of a movement. Where is the effort to win over the populace?

Good to know you've been paying attention. :eyes:

[treestar]

52. I'm part of that populace

And somewhat aware, and I really don't know.

And you are turning me off more and more each day.

I don't see anyone doing the cause any good - at least here.

And voting Rep. will get you nowhere.

Your sarcastic attitude just won't win passionate adherents from straights, who, let's face it, don't suffer and won't know what it's like if you turn them off. You are just hostile. Yet if anyone criticizes you, you are all over it.

I'm in that majority you have to convince, and believe it or not, many of that majority are going to be much tougher than I am.

[Zenlitened]

56. No, you are not in that majority I have to convince.

Based on all I've read of your posts on DU, you are part of the small percentage that I've written off as hopeless. That's the honest truth.

And please, spare me your lectures on attitude, hostility, etc. Pure projection on your part.

[superduperfarleft]

66. "And you are turning me off more and more each day. "

Really? So you'll start opposing marriage equality and the repeal of DADT because some people were mean to you on a messageboard?

Just FYI, there isn't anyone here that's fooled into thinking that you're an "ally." All you do is whine and complain about what a bunch of poopyheads the uppity gays are.

[ThomCat]

84. I doubt anyone here has ever been fooled into thinking

that you were ever really an ally.

That's a false claim you make so that you can insist that all of those mean ol' "mo's" have offended you so much that you just can't stand to support us any more.

And you keep making that claim, over and over again that you just can't stand to support us any more.

But where is any evidence that you Every supported us?

I think your true feelings are showing loud and clear. x(

[proReality]

35. Nothing like cutting off your nose to spite your face. eom

[Zenlitened]

40. Was "the gay vote" the same as 2008, in terms of raw numbers of people casting ballots?

Or did the GOP garner its customary amount of votes, but from a smaller pool (thus giving them a bigger percentage)?

I suspect it's the latter, that GLBT Dems (including the many young GLBT Dems) stayed home, but I can't say for sure without seeing better data.

[Mimosa]

72. Don't believe the stats and question the motive of the OP.

That's all.

[Vinca]

51. Not surprising given the Log Cabin Republicans took the lead

on getting DADT repealed. This was a no brainer that should have been brought up the first week of Obama's presidency.

[Mimosa]

73. Hmm. That much makes sense.

IF the stats are even believable, which i doubt.

[One_Life_To_Give]

55. 14% swing among Independents doesn't matter though?

So the "LGBT" vote swung 12 points, 80% to 68%, from 2008. While the Independents swung from 54% to 40% or 14 pts. Working class (under 50k) swung from 50% to Men 42%, women 44%.

But hey there is no fun in kicking Independents we we can bash the truly Liberal GLBT members here for the actions of some 7% of their 3% or 0.21% of voters. That 0.21% would of made a big difference in that um, you know that real close race that was somewhere.

[Mimosa]

74. This board is becoming unfriendly to the LGBTQ community.

Thanks for giving us some facts and truth, One_Life_to_Give. *hug*

[rayofreason]

57. Want some insight?...

...read here

http://www.gaypatriot.net/

and recognize that not all gay people are monolithic.

If fact, with broader social acceptance of GLBT folks you can expect the community to fracture along other lines - statist vs. libertarian for instance. And that acceptance is only growing. DADT will be dead before too long (If the Israeli army can have gays serve with no loss of effectiveness, we can too) and gay marriage will, state-by-state, pass and become accepted. Maybe not as fast as some would like, but it will happen. But to have Obama not support repeal of DADT only drives a wedge that can be exploited.

[Zoeisright]

58. Wow, that's really stupid.

[OnlinePoker]

63. Maybe they found issues other than just the pukes GLBT stance they could support

Don't ask me what those issues were, but obviously the Democrats did something wrong to make them change their allegience.

[David__77]

65. Not passing ENDA was unbelievable to me.

We almost had the votes for cloture under BUSH - but we saw nothing under Obama. It is still legal in many states to FIRE someone simply because they are homosexual. We were promised much, and given very little.

[Crowman1979]

67. It seems that everyone forgets that THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO PARTIES TO PICK FROM!!!

[Mimosa]

71. I don't believe it

Where's some real proof?

[JI7]

76. i'm not sure i believe this, it was the House that passed a repeal of DADT

and Obama is not on the ballots.

i don't think i believe these numbers.

[and-justice-for-all]

79. I am going with that this is bullshit....

there is a percentage that do vote puke, but I highly doubt that the percentage is up as stated in the article. It just does not make any sense to me and I am Gay/

[bemildred]

81. Yeah, smells like bullshit. nt

[donheld]

82. Our fiercest advocate was a big fat dud.

He was all take not walk

[struggle4progress]

83. Dunno: the statistics are unclear and might mean various things

It might mean an increasing number of gays have decided they like parts of the R-agenda enough that they don't care whether or not Rs get elected by demonizing gays. That wouldn't be too strange, I guess: I used to meet rightwing hippies from time to time in the Vietnam war era

But I suspect it means that the Rs just did a better job of gotv among gay Rs than Ds did among gay Ds. The stuff John Aravosis writes has always looked to me like part of a deliberate rightwing strategy to demoralize gays in the D camp, and I'm inclined to think it's worked some

[auburngrad82]

85. Damn, what did the Dems do, threaten to pass a Consititutional amnendment banning gay marriage?

I guess gays were better off under the GOP's thumb.

[Zorra]

87. Disappointed or not, any gay that votes republican is flat-out fuckin' stupid.

End of story.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

90. no its not. if i were a wealthy white gay man, and the democratic party wasnt offering me equality

i may have voted for the republicans to get a bigger tax break, it might be selfish but not stupid.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

89. rich gays (usually white men) may feel that if the democratic party wont give

them equality, they may as well get a tax break.

i dont see why thats so horrifying.