Recently in Federal Marriage Amendment Category

In contrast to the 2004 election, these types of ballot initiatives may not have the same power to mobilize anti-gay voters to support Republican candidate John McCain. Reuters pointed out that these voters may already view McCain's political platform as insufficiently anti-gay. "I have a hard time envisioning social conservatives who want to ban gay marriage in Florida getting excited about John McCain at the polls," said Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida at Gainesville. "McCain doesn't have the credibility on the issue that Bush had and so people who come out to vote on it may not vote for McCain." As ballot initiatives develop in Florida and other states, it seems that McCain's past opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment – which President Bush had championed – may prevent him from reaping the spoils of the anti-gay vote.

Cindi Creager is Director of National News  

Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that Gary Bauer, an anti-gay activist and former head of the Family Research Council, threw his support behind Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bauer’s decision runs counter to the endorsements of other anti-gay leaders.  James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, one of the largest and most prominent anti-gay organizations in the country, announced on Super Tuesday that he would never vote for McCain and instead endorsed Mike Huckabee. 

Unlike Huckabee, McCain has never voiced support for the Federal Marriage Amendment.  The proposed amendment, backed by President Bush in 2004, would go beyond the Defense of Marriage Act to create a constitutional ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. 

Earlier in this election season, anti-gay leader Pat Robertson made headlines for supporting Rudy Giuliani's now-defunct presidential bid. Back in 2004, George W. Bush received overwhelming support from leaders of anti-gay groups.  

This time around, the conversation about our issues is playing out differently in the media, with the divisions among opponents to gay and lesbian equality becoming increasingly apparent as the election season goes on.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News