Media Looks At Long-Term Implications of a Potential McCain Presidency

In an April 23 Op-Ed in The Ithaca Journal, Christopher Latimer, a political scientist and openly gay Republican, raised issues surrounding John McCain’s candidacy as it relates to LGBT voters that haven’t been fully discussed in the media before.

While McCain gets mixed reviews from conservatives and liberals on his general voting record, little has been reported on the long-term consequences for the LGBT community with regard to potential McCain appointments.

A key argument that hasn’t been raised during this election cycle with regard to any of the candidates for President is the impact that their appointments will have on LGBT Americans.  Latimer discusses the wide latitude that an Attorney General has in deciding which discrimination cases are pursued at the federal level and notes that given McCain’s opposition to an inclusive hate crimes law and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, it’s unlikely that a McCain appointee serving in such a critical role would be an advocate for the LGBT community.

Even more significant would be the lasting impact that a new justice on the Supreme Court would have.  McCain voted for the confirmations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito – both of whom haven’t voted on any cases that are significant for the LGBT community but have generally sided with Justices Scalia and Thomas on many cases that are related to social issues.  President Bush has railed against ‘activist judges’ and McCain has seemed to take the same verbal posture when it comes to discussing potential nominees to the court. 

It’s critical that the media continue to look beyond the voting records of the individual candidates to the long-term repercussions that Presidential appointees will have for the LGBT community.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy