Frank Schubert, political director for
the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), has called Newt
Gingrich's recent shift on gay marriage “stupid.”
Gingrich, the former House Speaker and
a leading candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, told
The Huffington Post last week that he's prepared to accept “a
legal document issued by the state” for gay and lesbian couples.
Gingrich added that momentum is on the
side of supporters and that he fears the issue could hurt the
Republican Party, whose official platform opposes the legalization of
marriage equality.
(Related: Newt
Gingrich says it's time to accept the reality of gay marriage.)
Schubert – who has managed campaigns
for NOM since 2008's Proposition 8 in California – criticized
Gingrich in a blog post.
“[S]ometimes good men say stupid
things, and this is one of those times,” Schubert wrote.
“Gingrich's conclusion that gay
'marriage' is inevitable is ridiculous. His comments suggest the
results of marriage races in Maine, Maryland and Washington, which
allowed three deep-blue states to endorse redefining marriage means
that it is inevitable. I wonder if the Speaker also thinks that the
Republican Party is doomed and can never again win a national
election. After all, marriage performed, on average, 6.6 points
better than did the Republican ticket in these very Democratic
states.”
“Yes, we are disappointed with the
election results, but let us not overstate their importance. By an
overwhelming 60% margin (according to a national survey conducted by
Gingrich's own pollster, Kellyanne Conway), the American people
continue to believe that marriage is the union of one man and one
woman.”
“Gay 'marriage' is no more inevitable
than is permanent Democratic control of the White House,” he
added.