Many Stunned By the Extremism of Virginia GOP 2013 Ticket

While many are Democrats are salivating over the trio of lunatics the Republican Party of Virginia has nominated for its 2013 statewide ticket, others are still shocked that a major political party could possibly nominated such extremists who are far, far from the mainstream one needs to understand what has happened to the Republican Party especially in Virginia..  The party has been taken over by far right religious extremists and more and more sane and rational individuals have fled the party.  I know, I was one of them who resigned my city committee position when it became clear to me that the concept of separation of church and state was dead in the Virginia GOP.  And behind the scenes orchestrating this GOP  take over in Virginia has been The Family Foundation ("TFF"), an affiliate of the hate group, Family Research Council, and Focus on the Family which utilizes a network of fundamentalist and evangelical churches and pastors to threaten members of the GOP to either follow TFF's dictates or face a primary challenges.  

The result has been even former moderate GOP members of the Virginia General Assembly have either not run for reelection or else begun voting for TFF's anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-minority agenda.   The nomination of Ken Cuccinelli, E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain on Saturday was merely proof that TFF, aided by equally insane Tea Party factions, now runs the Republican Party of Virginia.   It is hard to stress how important it is that the Obama base in Virginia turn out in November.  This ticket is decidedly anti-gay, anti-minority and anti-women's rights.  Metro Weekly provides an overview of these three extremists in the area of gay rights (future posts on this blog will examine the anti-minority and anti-women positions of these three dangerous extremists).  Here are excerpts:

Each of the nominees has a long history of anti-LGBT animus.

As attorney general, one of Cuccinelli's first actions was to issue a letter advising the state's public colleges and universities that state laws and policies prohibit including sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in nondiscrimination policies, and that policies containing such protections are ''invalid.'' He also pressured – with varying success – the State Board of Social Services the State Board of Juvenile Justice to remove pro-LGBT language from regulations.

A vocal opponent of marriage equality, Cuccinelli voted in favor of the Marshall-Newman Amendment to the Virginia Constitution, banning marriage equality, while serving as a state senator. 

He called homosexual acts ''intrinsically wrong'' during his 2009 campaign for attorney general. More recently, Cuccinelli filed a petition – which was rejected – to challenge application in Virginia of the U.S. Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas ruling that ended sodomy laws.

Jackson, a little-known conservative minister from Chesapeake who ran in the U.S. Senate primary against eventual Republican nominee, former governor and former Sen. George Allen (R) in 2012, is the head pastor of Exodus Faith Ministries and the founder and president of Staying True to America's National Destiny (STAND), a conservative nonprofit organization that describes itself as ''dedicated to preserving America's Judeo-Christian History and Values.''

According to Right Wing Watch, a project of People for the American Way, in October 2012 Jackson appeared on a radio show where he referred to gay people as ''perverted,'' ''degenerate,'' ''spiritually darkened'' and ''frankly very sick people, psychologically, mentally and emotionally.'' In that same interview, Jackson said homosexuality ''poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of.''

Obenshain, while not as vocal as Cuccinelli or Jackson, also has an anti-gay legislative record. Obenshain recently earned a perfect score of 100 from the Family Foundation of Virginia,   .  .  .  .  Obenshain voted against adding sexual orientation to Virginia's nondiscrimination policy in 2010, and against a similar measure this year to prohibit discrimination in public employment.

Obenshain also voted this year in favor of a bill that allows student groups to discriminate against potential members based on religious, political or philosophical beliefs; and in favor of a 2012 ''conscience clause'' bill allowing child-placement agencies to discriminate against prospective parents on the basis of sexual orientation, among other factors.

These three men are TFF's dream ticket.  For sane Virginians, especially those who value separation of church and state and religious freedom for all Virginians, they will be a nightmare come true if elected in November.  Voters cannot be complacent and must go to the polls in November and defeat these men and send a message to TFF that its reign of terror over the Virginia GOP is ending.