Posted on 02/28/2002 7:24:04 PM PST by Aunt Polgara
California governor candidate's refusal
to sign 'Pledge' costs him support
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Riordan, facing a tough primary fight this Tuesday, is out of step with 80 percent of the state's Republicans who voted to support marriage between a man and a woman, according to pro-family organizations, after Riordan refused to sign the Marriage Protection Pledge.
Riordan's Republican rival, Bill Simon, has signed the pledge -- designed to show support for marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman -- according to Bill Peotter, spokesman for the Simon campaign in Orange County.
In March 2000, some 61 percent of all California voters, and 80 percent of Republicans, approved Proposition 22, which stipulated that in California, marriage was exclusively between a man and a woman.
Since then, however, there have been a number of legislative attempts to effectively nullify the overwhelming vote for Prop 22. Gov. Gray Davis has also come under fire for the same reason -- for instance, by signing AB 25 that gave several rights and privileges to homosexual partners that once were reserved for married couples.
The apparent end-runs around the intent of Proposition 22 has impelled pro-family supporters of the successful measure to force politicians to take a clear stand on the issue; hence, the "Marriage Protection Pledge," initiated by the Campaign for California Families.
"Bill Simon is a strong advocate of protecting marriage and he's proud to have signed the Marriage Protection Pledge," said Simon spokesman Peotter at a press conference Tuesday in Santa Ana. "Bill Simon strongly believes that marriage is uniquely designed for a union between a man and a woman, and he opposes any attempts to weaken this important and sacred institution."
"Unlike Dick Riordan," added Peotter, "who has declined to sign the Marriage Protection Pledge, Bill Simon is not interested in any discussion about civil unions, because civil unions only serve to devalue the institution of marriage between a man and a woman."
Seeking comment on the issue from Riordan's campaign, WND left multiple phone messages over the course of two days for Riordan's press secretary, Kim Serafin, but the calls were never returned.
Randy Thomasson, the Campaign for California Families' executive director, says that by not signing the Marriage Protection Pledge, Riordan is showing his true stripes.
"Dick Riordan has promised gay activist groups that, as governor, he would give away more rights of marriage to homosexuals. He said he wants to put in the 'domestic partnership' rights that Gray Davis left out. Riordan said he's 'open to discussion' of civil unions, which is homosexual marriage by another name."
On the issue of protecting marriage, Thomasson added, "Riordan is to the left of Gray Davis."
Davis, running for reelection as governor, also refused to sign the pledge. But while Davis's pro-homosexual rights stance is consistent with that of his Democratic Party, Riordan is out of step with the majority of Republicans in California, claims Thomasson.
Riordan has consistently supported homosexual rights. During the campaign over Proposition 22, Riordan, then mayor of Los Angeles, came out against Prop 22, characterizing it as "a divisive measure that singled out gays and lesbians."
Pro-family groups seem unanimous about the implications of Riordan's refusal to sign the pledge:
Donna Sigalas of Parents Rights USA said: "It tracks with Riordan's past behavior. He says that he is open to gay marriages. He favors forcing employers to pay benefits for same-sex partners. He opposed Prop 22, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He has also given money to Gray Davis, the most pro-homosexual governor we have ever had in Sacramento."
Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families said: "The failure of Riordan to sign this pledge is just one more bit of evidence that he would be a great nominee on the Democratic ticket. In important matters of principles, he is as far out of step with the Republican grassroots." Bauer added that he has been heartened by the recent surge in the polls favoring Simon.
State lawmakers that did not sign the Marriage Protection Pledge offer numerous reasons: Terry Le Veille, chief of staff for Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose, told WND he had not seen the pledge.
"I haven't seen it, I have not talked with Elaine about it. This is the first time I've heard about it," he reiterated. Le Veille asked if the pledge had generated much news and upon learning that it had become an issue in the Republican race for the nomination, replied: "I assume Riordan is taking a progressive position on it and Simon is hammering away on traditional marriage."
How would Alquist respond to the Pledge? "I don't know, I have to see thing thing," Le Veille told WND.
Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Martinez, said he did not sign the pledge because, "I don't sign pledges. Every issue deserves a fair hearing."
The one state Republican legislator that didn't sign the Marriage Protection Pledge, Assemblyman Bill Campell, R-Orange, told WND he did not sign out of concern over government interference in businesses later on.
"My reading of the pledge is that there is an element that I interpret that could ban businesses from offering benefits to employees later on down the line. I supported Prop 22 and I support pro-family legislation [in Sacramento]." Campbell said his refusal to sign the pledge is strictly a pro-business stance on his part.
Cindy Moles, Concerned Women for America's executive director for San Diego and Imperial counties, is disappointed with Campbell. "I think it's very sad that he would reject the will of the people. As an elected official, it is my hope that he would follow the will of the people," she said.
'Decidedly non-Republican ideas'
A Feb. 1 article in the homosexual magazine, Frontier, applauds Riordan for being supportive of the homosexual activist cause: "Riordan's mantra is part of a stalwart pitch in which he makes clear his unusually moderate stance. He is a Republican whose campaign is imbued with some decidedly non-Republican ideas, including abortion rights, gun control and overwhelming support for gay rights."
Anticipating a Riordan victory in the upcoming California primary, the article predicted a win-win situation. "Should Riordan win the nomination, the gay community could see significant gains in public acceptance as he and Davis, in a competition for gay votes, publicly champion gay rights."
But since that story was published, Riordan's fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. A poll Tuesday showed Riordan rival Bill Simon ahead of the former mayor by six percentage points.
"It's historic," Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said. "It's one of the most remarkable turnarounds we've seen in 55 years of the Field Poll."
In a sampling of likely Republican voters, Simon received 37 percent of the vote in contrast to Riordan's 31 percent.
Political analysts do not expect a large voter turnout for Tuesday's primary. The voters most likely to vote in the primary are thought to be conservative Republicans who are leaning toward Simon. California Secretary of State Bill Jones, who is also running for governor, is lagging behind because of fund-raising problems.
Previous stories:
California holds off on same-sex unions
California considers legalizing same-sex unions
California homosexual bills challenged
California bill redefines marriage
More benefits for California homosexuals
Legislators's office: 'You will burn in hell'
Protestors urge veto of pro-homosexual bills
'California families' win legislative battle
How to define 'domestic partners'
Homosexuals win marriage benefits in Vermont
Maria Elena Kennedy, a journalist based in Southern California, writes about religion, politics and law for various outlets in California, including the Spanish language newspaper, La Cruz de California.
Geeze, will somebody please give Riordan a clue??? :-/
On second thought, forget it. Let him bury himself. Anyone who thought that Riordan could beat Davis in November must have been smoking something funny. Riordan can't even beat Davis in the GOP primary.
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