Romney reaction on homosexuality remark raises questions about his bid for social conservatives

 by Dexter Duggan  

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One could argue that the large majority of Americans, not only social conservatives, regard homosexual activity as simply immoral, regardless of how they think it may be discouraged or tolerated. If a Republican candidate won’t even say he thinks such sexual activity is wrong when he’s actively seeking conservative primary-campaign voters, what would he do once safely in the White House, where he’ll face a tornado of media and liberal pressure to help normalize homosexuality in the law – similar to the pressures being generated from Quebec to Europe?

As Republican presidential hopefuls for 2008 joust for support from social-conservative activists, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stirred questions about his commitment during a March appearance here. Romney was asked for his reaction to the comment by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that homosexual acts are "immoral," as reported by the March 12 Chicago Tribune. Following up, the March 13 Tribune said Pace "expressed mild regret Tuesday for voicing his belief … but he stopped short of an apology…."
Romney, facing reporters during a March 13 visit to Arizona Republican headquarters here, made a response that found its way onto the popular new "Politico" Web site (www.politico.com), which quoted him:

"I think Gen. Pace has said that he regrets having said that, and I think he was wise to have issued an apology, or a withdrawal of that comment. I think that we, as a society, welcome people of all differences, whether there are differences in ethnicity, faith or sexual preference, and I think he was wise to correct his comment and to suggest that that was an inappropriate point to have made."

After The Wanderer read this quotation to Romney's Arizona campaign director, Jason Rose, on March 20, Rose replied, "That sounds like a fair representation of his position," which, he said, Romney has presented consistently. When The Wanderer pressed that Romney's remark didn't address the issue of whether he thinks homosexual acts are immoral, Rose referred this newspaper to a national Romney spokesman, who didn't respond to a phone message. The national Romney campaign also didn't reply to an e-mail inquiry.

On March 16, "Politico" contributor Jonathan Martin wrote, "I posed the question - is homosexuality immoral - to representatives of all three of the top Republican candidates. None answered it directly." In addition to Rudolph Giuliani's and John McCain's representatives ducking a direct answer, Martin wrote, "Former Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign also declined to answer the question, rather pointing to the response their candidate gave earlier this week on the campaign trail in Arizona."

Martin then provided the quotation given above about Romney thinking it wise for Pace to have issued "a withdrawal of that comment." Reporter Martin added, "Sen. Sam Brownback, it should be noted, not only affirmed his view that homosexuality is immoral but sent a letter of support on behalf of Pace to the White House." (Martin might better have made a distinction between a homosexual inclination and homosexual acts, a distinction Brownback recognizes.)

The March 12 Chicago Tribune said that during "a wide-ranging discussion with Tribune editors and reporters in Chicago," Pace said, "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts." The newspaper said Pace was speaking about military policy regarding homosexual service members and that the general didn't focus only on homosexual conduct.

"I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," the Tribune quoted Pace. The following day's Tribune said: "As critics fired rhetorical volleys, Pace issued a statement expressing regret that he had put so much stress on the morality issue when he defended the Pentagon's ‘don't ask, don't tell' ban on gays serving openly in the military during a Monday interview with the Tribune's editorial board."

‘In expressing my support for the current policy, I also offered some personal opinions about moral conduct,' Pace said in his statement. ‘I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views,'" the Tribune said. "But that statement did not mollify critics who called the general's statements insensitive and outrageous and said he should apologize."

As Republican presidential contenders have sought social conservatives' support for 2008, none of the candidates has said he'll defy conservatives. But some, like Kansas Sen. Brownback and California Cong. Duncan Hunter, have stressed their own strong conservative views, while others, like former New York Mayor Giuliani, have basically said they'll be respectful of conservatives if not sharing their views.

However, one could argue that the large majority of Americans, not only social conservatives, regard homosexual activity as simply immoral, regardless of how they think it may be discouraged or tolerated. If a Republican candidate won't even say he thinks such sexual activity is wrong when he's actively seeking conservative primary-campaign voters, what would he do once safely in the White House, where he'll face a tornado of media and liberal pressure to help normalize homosexuality in the law - similar to the pressures being generated from Quebec to Europe?

Reaction at the "Free Republic" online site indicated surprise and disappointment at Romney's response, including, "I thought he was our religious hero?", "It confirms my suspicions that Romney is not to be trusted under pressure," and "He just lost my vote."

Whether Romney is regarded as having been more liberal in the past or simply a true-blue conservative now, the former Massachusetts governor has stressed, "I'm a conservative Republican, there's no question about that," as Romney was quoted in an interview in the November 21, 2006, Washington Examiner. The Examiner article said Romney portrayed himself as to the right of rivals McCain and Giuliani on a variety of issues, including "same-sex marriage."

In Arizona, the honorary chairman of Romney's campaign is Maricopa County (Phoenix) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Republican who basks in the title of "America's toughest sheriff." Arpaio's stand with Romney could be seen as a rebuke of the state's own presidential contender, McCain. Yet if the issue is standing strong for traditional morality regarding homosexuality, Republican voters apparently have to look elsewhere.

On March 14 presidential contender Brownback began circulating a letter of support for Pace, for signature by Brownback's Senate colleagues, that was to be sent to the White House. The online text of the letter was headed, "Brownback sends letter in support of Gen. Pace; Commends Pace's leadership, personal commitment to moral principles." The letter concluded: "Gen. Pace's recent remarks do not deserve the criticism they have received. In fact, we applaud Gen. Pace for maintaining a personal commitment to moral principles. He has demonstrated great leadership during a very difficult time and he continues to do so today. We look forward to his continued service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

And California presidential contender Hunter wrote in USA Today:

"Gen. Pace's principles reflect the strong aversion of our Marines and soldiers to homosexual conduct. These moral principles also reflect the position of the predominantly conservative families who send their young men and women to serve in the U.S. military…It is not fair, nor conducive to unit cohesion, for young Americans whose moral principles reject homosexual conduct to force them to live and operate in close quarters with those who exercise such conduct, just to satisfy liberals in the U.S. political system," Hunter wrote.

In a March 19 interview with The Wanderer, Washington, D.C., conservative strategist Joe Giganti said, "People have great reason to be worried and distrusting" about Romney. Mitt Romney's words [about Pace's comments] clearly display that he has a complete misunderstanding and does not grasp the moral values on which our country has been founded and that the conservative movement is trying to preserve," Giganti said. "…Romney's response displays that he is more politician than statesman, willing to kowtow to politically correct speech… Gen. Pace was simply giving his opinion. Since when is that something he has to apologize for?"

Giganti said he attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in the nation's capital in early March and was disturbed at activists who were backing certain candidates out of a belief they could win, even if their stands weren't so desirable. "Fear is not the reason to support these [candidates]," Giganti said, likening some activists' choices to a conservative supporting the 1960s New York liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller as an alternative to Ronald Reagan.

Giganti said that when Romney was asked about the case of Florida euthanasia victim Terri Schindler-Schiavo, Romney gave a "dismissive" reply and said the U.S. Congress shouldn't have intervened to try to save her. Bobby Schindler, brother of the disabled woman who was dehydrated to death in 2005, is backing Brownback for president, Giganti said.

Published in the March 29, 2007, issue of  The Wanderer national Catholic newspaper

Politics: General, Arizona Politics, Elections & Political Parties, Family Issues, Homosexuality

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