WATCH: The New Republican Party Presents "Gay Don't Pay!"

The Republicans have wasted no time in promoting Michael Steele's recent statement that gay marriage is a threat to small business.

Comments

[BlackJAC]

Gay marriage has pumped about $22 million a year into the Massachusetts economy alone. Habla es-restraint of trade, Mikey?

[mdg888]

Thank, Lee. Another winner!

[BassMonk]

Isn't that an argument against marriage in general?

[midknightryder13]

That was MY first reaction.
For example, if you have a group of 20 people -- 10 men and 10 women and each of the men marry one of the women, there's no financial drain there according to this logic.
But if you have a group of 10 men and 10 women and five of the men each marry one of the other five men and five of the women each marry one of the other five women -- for a total of ten married couples, as in the first example -- that DOES create a financial drain?

I'd very much appreciate an explaination as to how that can be?

[SD Indy]

It's not only an argument against marriage in general, it is a complete argument against FAMILY altogether. He apparently doesn't realize that male - female marriages are more likely to produce offspring that will also need coverage so instead of just 2 people - presto more people to cover.

The man is a complete mor.on.

[drdanfee]

Mr Steele is presumably speaking for himself, and for the Party, as RNC Chair. Trouble is, Mr. Steel ignores facts. We are not in fact clear that benefits for family members of gay employees are financially sinking all the small business boats. Before we can know, we have to have solid data from all the places around the world where such employee family benefits already exist. I know Mr. Steel says otherwise, but actually we do not yet know we have a slam dunk cost overrrun. Next, we surely have to have some accurate accounting of the long-term costs of having or not, such benefits. Many of these costs will be long-term, even hidden. Long-term costs accounting in other areas of health care suggest that an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure. So. If that predictively applies to gay folks (and we have no factual reason it should not apply), then Mr. Steel may yet again be trash talking gay employees, based mainly on his terrible bad dreams about them. Of course Republicans were quick to embrace this sound bite. Their pre-existing negative beliefs (some would just say, prejudices?) already predict that nothing at all good can ever, ever, ever come from having gay employees who get benefits like all the rest. Let's not forget all the kids potentially denied benefits, since Steele says the costs are enormous. Ten million or so in USA per colage.org.

[SJBrown]

At some point we will have the public policy discussing.

[SensibleJoe]

A rather witty indictment of Mr. Steele latest bit of Republican illogic...

[oldgeek1]

The GOP should just forget the 2012 Presidential race.

The GOP will also have to deal with a further loss of at least 2 more seats in the Senate. I have not yet looked in detail in the House, but status quo in total is a reasonable prediction.

Gay rights, abortion are issues that end up energizing voters and the Democrats have been gaining more than losing on these niche issues.

[SiberianRat]

:-)