Top Tier Republican Fundraiser Launches Pro-Gay Marriage PAC

Heads must be exploding amongst the gay-hating Christianists who have heretofore pulled the puppet strings for much of the Republican Party.  Paul E. Singer (pictured at right), 67, a billionaire hedge fund manager who is among the most important Republican donors nationwide, has launched a pro-gay marriage PAC.  Although straight himself, Singer has a gay son who has married his partner.  Can you imagine the batshit crazy ravings that will be issuing from the lips of Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer and the bovine Maggie Gallagher?  One will need full foul weather gear to be protected from the eruptions of spittle that must be flying in the Kool-Aid drinking Christianist circles.  Personally, I LOVE it.  And as more gays come out, more deep pocket political contributors are likely to be siding with their children and across the board civil equality.  I hope Mitt Romney is paying attention.  Here are highlights from a column in the New York Times that looks at the development: 

OVER the past year, the main story line in the push for marriage equality has been the ardor and success with which leading Democratic politicians have taken up the fight. The Democratic governors of New York, Maryland and Washington all promoted and signed same-sex marriage laws, for which President Obama expressed his support last month. 

But the progress within Republican ranks has also been pivotal, not to mention fascinating. And a compelling character in that subplot just added a new twist to the narrative, one that suggests the rapidly changing political dynamics of this issue and its potential import to a party dogged by an image of being culturally out of touch. 

That character is Paul E. Singer, 67, a billionaire hedge fund manager who is among the most important Republican donors nationwide. In just one Manhattan fund-raiser last month, he helped to collect more than $5 million for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. 

He steadfastly supports conservative candidates. He also steadfastly supports gay rights in general and marriage equality in particular. Along with a few other leading Wall Street financiers, he contributed and helped drum up the majority of the money — more than $1 million — that fueled the campaign for same-sex marriage in New York. 

He has given nearly $10 million of his own money to gay-rights initiatives, including the same-sex marriage efforts not only in New York but also in New Hampshire and New Jersey. And that figure doesn’t include his assistance in tapping a broad network of donors for individual candidates. He was pivotal in rounding up about $250,000 apiece for the Republican state senators in New York whose votes for same-sex marriage provided its margin of victory in the Legislature. 

Now, Singer says, he’s providing $1 million to start a new “super PAC” with several Republican compatriots. Named American Unity PAC, its sole mission will be to encourage Republican candidates to support same-sex marriage, in part by helping them to feel financially shielded from any blowback from well-funded groups that oppose it. 

In an interview on Tuesday, he told me that he’s confident that in Congressional races, which would most likely be the super PAC’s initial focus, there are more than a few Republicans “who could be on the verge of support” or are “harboring and hiding their views.”  “And this kind of effort could be catalytic in generating some more movement,” he said.

Although he is straight, he has a gay son and son-in-law who were married in Massachusetts, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2004.  

Our conversation also reflected a growing awareness among prominent Republicans that embracing marriage equality could broaden the party’s base and soften the party’s image in crucial ways.  .  .   .  .  “There’s a feeling among some people that the Republican party is harsh on some things,” acknowledged Singer, whose extended comments can be found in a blog post supplementing this column.

In a CNN/ORC International poll released Wednesday, a whopping 73 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said they favored marriage equality. That’s the clear future of this issue, and Republicans are keenly aware that while the party’s formal opposition to abortion rights, for example, doesn’t contradict the prevailing sentiments of a majority of Americans or buck voter trends, opposition to same-sex marriage does. 

Singer said that it [same sex marriage] “very well fits within my framework of freedom,” adding that it promotes “family stability” and is a tribute to an institution in need of one. “Obviously, the institution of marriage in America has utterly collapsed,” he said. That gay and lesbian couples nonetheless want to wed “is kind of a lovely thing and a cool thing and a wonderful thing,” he added.

Singer’s super PAC, which, according to Singer, will soon have a budget “of a few million dollars,” factoring in expected support from collaborators and friends. .  .  .  .  he said, adding that with continued work on marriage equality, he expects to persuade more Republicans of its rightness, too. 

Again, the Christofascists will be beside themselves.  But money talks and the strong support for gay marriage among younger voters who will be replacing reactionary elderly voters as they die off makes the hand writing pretty clear for anyone who isn't a Kool-Aid drinker: change or die.