Five weeks into his tenure as Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman, Michael Steele finds himself in the familiar position of damage control. This time Steele is in hot water over comments he made to GQ magazine about abortion and same-sex "marriage."
Columnist Lisa DePaulo asked if he believed that women have the right to choose abortion. "Yeah. Absolutely," Michael replied. "Are you saying you don't want to overturn Roe v. Wade?" DePaulo pressed. "The states should make that choice," Steele responded. "That's what choice is. The individual choice rests with the states."
His comments were cavalier and flippant particularly as they relate to fundamental policy issues on which Republicans have staked out clear positions in their platform. Steele did release a statement clarifying his comments, but he didn't address his other troubling comments on same-sex "marriage."
Mr. Steele's comments only serve to reinforce the belief by many social conservatives that one major party (Democrats) is unfriendly to their values while the other (Republicans) gives only lip service to core moral issues. If such a visible Republican leader continues in this same vein, I'm sure many more will drop their affiliation with the GOP. The prospects of more social conservatives leaving may excite the "big tenters," but that will only last until they discover the Big Tent is empty.
Source: GQ Magazine, FRC
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