Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, January 25, 2012
2012 / LGBTQITSLFA / Olympia McKenna Finally Admits He Opposes Gay Marriage
Posted by Goldy on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 6:02 PM
Though we all knew all along that he opposes gay marriage, Washington state attorney general and Republican gubernatorial wannabe Rob McKenna has been hard to pin down on the controversial bill that's about to pass the legislature... until now. Talking with Q13's C. R. Douglas, McKenna finally and definitively went public with his opposition to marriage equality:
McKenna supports the state's domestic partnership law, but does not support gay marriage.
When asked how he will vote if the issue ends up on the fall ballot, McKenna said, "I will vote to maintain the current law and the current definition of marriage."
So there you have it. Yet another indication to swing voters entranced with the idea that McKenna is "a different kind of Republican," that he isn't.
3
That doesn't stop him from advertising on the Stranger website (I'm currently seeing the ad as I write this!)
All the more reason to support Jay Inslee, running against McKenna on the Democratic ticket.
All the more reason to support Jay Inslee, running against McKenna on the Democratic ticket.
5
@3 and 4, my layman's understanding is that the Stranger rents its webpages to Google Ads, whose robots match advertisers based on page content. Tons of Slog pages about McKenna = Google places McKenna ads here. I don't believe the staff here has any say in it. This paper has to keep finding ways to stay afloat, and this is the latest.
6
@5 you are correct. That's the best part of the ads is they never understand the context of the words they are looking for. Google had that funny one with a suicide prevention chat that kept advertising the chemicals people were pondering to use.
I like it, because I've now checked out many of the goofy GOP websites. I would never have done it myself. It helps pay for this website and gives me a chuckle.
I like it, because I've now checked out many of the goofy GOP websites. I would never have done it myself. It helps pay for this website and gives me a chuckle.
9
While McKenna is not a moderate he is not a tea partier either. He is your average conservative Republican. so yes I will be voting for the moderate Democrat Inslee over McKenna even though I voted for McKenna twice for AG. AG is kind of a non partsian office while the Governor's post is not. Walker had a GOP legislature in WI, McKenna will not. Also he is getting recalled so if McKenna does win I think he smart enough to not be that extreme so he is not recalled.
11
@9, the AG's office under McKenna has not been a non-partisan office. A non-partisan AG would not have joined all the other conservative AGs across the country to appeal portions of the health care reform act. Under Reagan Dunn, you can be certain it won't be a non-partisan office either, despite the fact that he's not now opposed to marriage equality.
14
Can someone tell me why I hadn't even seen a picture of Jay Inslee before I made a point of googling for one?
He's a handsome man who should win this election based on looks alone. His picture should be regularly featured on the front page of every local every news rag in the state. McKenna has a creepy feminine look to him that should make him unelectable.
Hey Inslee campaign - GET ON IT!
He's a handsome man who should win this election based on looks alone. His picture should be regularly featured on the front page of every local every news rag in the state. McKenna has a creepy feminine look to him that should make him unelectable.
Hey Inslee campaign - GET ON IT!
16
Have you seen preview still from the latest ABC drama, Cayman Islands:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PeGZ5…
17
Is there any further doubt that any and all Republicans are radical, big government, Taliban-esque right-wingers? PUH-LEASE.
18
God Hates Ken Hutcherson, by the way.
He/She/It told me so:
http://pstonews.com/2012/01/24/god-hates…
-jw
He/She/It told me so:
http://pstonews.com/2012/01/24/god-hates…
-jw
19
So Obama must be "a different kind of Democrat" because he has the same position on same sex marriage as Rob McKenna, who is not a "different kind of Republican."
21
what is Mckenna's stance on marriage for Asians with accents? he's probably, like, "no malliage fol you!" hysterical!!!
24
He's already sounding like Gov. Scott Walker. He is planning to cut bargaining rights for state workers as sure as I'm sitting here typing. The people of this state can either turn him down in the election or recall his ass later. But he's not the values of this state's workers or voters.
25
10,000 Romney-dollars says that McKenna will come out of the closet in his late 60's, apologize for trying to ruin other people's lives & happiness so he could work through his "issues," and want us to be nice to him now that he's one of us.
26
Erm, I don't think McKenna has told anyone whether or not he supports gay marriage, actually.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but "if the issue ends up on the ballot", then at that time "the current law" will allow gay marriage, and "the current definition of marriage" will include unions between people of the same sex.
R. Douglas just got weaseled, and hard. McKenna gave him a clever quote that can be interpreted either way, once McKenna's campaign reaches the point where there's no longer any benefit to be had from evading the question (i.e., after both the primary and the bulk of the fundraising season are finished).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but "if the issue ends up on the ballot", then at that time "the current law" will allow gay marriage, and "the current definition of marriage" will include unions between people of the same sex.
R. Douglas just got weaseled, and hard. McKenna gave him a clever quote that can be interpreted either way, once McKenna's campaign reaches the point where there's no longer any benefit to be had from evading the question (i.e., after both the primary and the bulk of the fundraising season are finished).
27
@26: That's -- that's so breathtakingly slimy, it's almost beautiful. It's shameful, but I can't help but admire someone who can do the weasel so perfectly.
Won't VOTE for him, of course, but it's an impressive bit of lawyer bullshit.
Won't VOTE for him, of course, but it's an impressive bit of lawyer bullshit.
28
#26
Almost.
A better response would be "as Governor, I will uphold the current law and enforce the state's legal definition of marriage". How he votes as an individual citizen is irrelevant. The point is, as an executive in charge of enforcement, he will uphold the law as written.
Almost.
A better response would be "as Governor, I will uphold the current law and enforce the state's legal definition of marriage". How he votes as an individual citizen is irrelevant. The point is, as an executive in charge of enforcement, he will uphold the law as written.
30
"McKenna said, "I will vote to maintain the current law and the current definition of marriage." "
@26: "Erm, I don't think McKenna has told anyone whether or not he supports gay marriage, actually."
He will maintain "marriage" as between a man and a woman. I don't think "what he believes in his heart of hearts" matters to anyone anywhere. Deeds matter.
@26: "Erm, I don't think McKenna has told anyone whether or not he supports gay marriage, actually."
He will maintain "marriage" as between a man and a woman. I don't think "what he believes in his heart of hearts" matters to anyone anywhere. Deeds matter.
32
So he's against civil rights for all citizens? Good to know. That makes him unqualified to be Governor.
34
@33
As WAS Gregoire. The vital difference, which can be easily surmised if you use your noggin, is that McKenna has very little political benefit to alter his attitude. Obama is quite different, in that he can reap a ton of political benefit should he change his mind. So while you're oh so very astute in assembling facts from the past, they're quite useless if you don't project them into the future.
(And as Ed Wood so eloquently points out, the future is where we'll be spending the rest of our lives :-)
As WAS Gregoire. The vital difference, which can be easily surmised if you use your noggin, is that McKenna has very little political benefit to alter his attitude. Obama is quite different, in that he can reap a ton of political benefit should he change his mind. So while you're oh so very astute in assembling facts from the past, they're quite useless if you don't project them into the future.
(And as Ed Wood so eloquently points out, the future is where we'll be spending the rest of our lives :-)
35
@33 - You're right. I think we could do better, but nobody decent is challenging him at this time. So we'll work with what we have, and hope that in his 2nd term, he comes around.
36
Gregoire, for those of whom followed her, knew that she was soft on the gay issue, I believe she has several close gay friends who I can only assume helped push her in this direction. Rossi on the other hand would have just laughed at them while slashing taxes for his buddies, which isn't to say Gregoire didn't participate in this behavior but at the same time she's giving much needed rights to people who deserve them. Could our law makers be doing other more important things? No fucking shit sherlock. Should they be fixing this gaping justice hole in our system? Yesterday isn't soon enough. Haters gonna hate.
37
@36: "Could our law makers be doing other more important things? No fucking shit sherlock"
You can't take these people seriously. They would rather a politician spend all their time naming post offices and public baseball fields than they spend a minute on maintaining and returning rights and freedoms to citizens.
You can't take these people seriously. They would rather a politician spend all their time naming post offices and public baseball fields than they spend a minute on maintaining and returning rights and freedoms to citizens.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
All You Motherfuckers Complaining That aPodments Are Too Small at 200 Square Feet by Dominic Holden
-
Portland Voters Are Stoopid by Goldy
-
SL Letter of the Day: Did You Think I Was Going To Tell You Not To Come Out? (PLUS: Help Free Kate!) by Dan Savage
-
Rightwing Anti-Gay French Activist Commits Suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral by Dan Savage
-
Spoiled Rotten: Star Trek Into Darkness by Paul Constant
-
There Are No Atheists In Foxholes by Dan Savage
-
Tornado Truthers by Dan Savage
-
Saint Genet Re-Creates "Shoot" by Brendan Kiley
-
America's Epidemic of Toddler-on-Toddler Gun Violence Continues by Goldy
-
Well-Regulated Beaverton Militia Accidentally Fires Shot into Neighbor's Bedroom by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (37) RSS