G.O.P Down With G-A-Y?

Well it seems that in an attempt to redeem itself after the devastating defeat of the 2008 Presidential elections, the GOP is changing its tune... at least on one issue. Gay marriage (let the collective gasp resound). It has been debated for the last few months that the GOP has fallen out of touch with the American public, and that disconnection played a direct role in the party's loss of the presidency. A party full of "good ol' boys" with "good ol' vaules" has found that the majority vote of today's America thinks it's just, well, old. In the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections one of the main talking points that the party focused on was the issue of gay marriage. I particularly remember the fear-tactics that were used to convince people that if voting against homosexuality was the only way to keep their families safe. But things are drastically different now.
The difference between voters views on homosexuality and same-sex marriages then and now can be seen in a poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News. The study found that 31% of respondents over 40 year of age were against same-sex marriage, while 57% of respondents under the age of 40 support it. Of the younger individuals polled, only 19% were against any form of recognition for same-sex couples.
But apparently Republicans believe numbers lie, because there are still members of the party who refuse to recognize just how out of touch they are with America's youths. Many Republicans simply believe it's a matter of the public's attention is focused elsewhere, on things more important than same-sex marriage. It's not that the public is really in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, or that they don't view it as morally wrong, it's just not a priority for them at this moment. Former Republican mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani says "Right now, people are not concerned about issues like gay marriage because they are concerned about the economy."
The truth is that the younger generations are growing up in a more tolerant world, and the number of people not closely connected to someone who is homosexual is growing smaller and smaller. The GOP is going to be hard press as time goes on to find someone who is not friends with/related to/work with someone who is gay. To those individuals the GOP's "good ol' values" are just going to seem insulting and discriminatory. Former strategist to Senator John McCain, Steve Schmidt explains the breakdown in the party this way: "Republicans should re-examine the extent to which we are being defined by positions on issues that I don’t believe are among our core values, and that put us at odds with what I expect will become, over time, if not a consensus view, then the view of a substantial majority of voters,"
Republicans need to wake up to the fact that if they want to continue to be a political force to be reckoned with they are going to have to catch up to the rest of the world. They may pride themselves on holding onto the values of yesteryear but the majority of their constituents are looking towards the next year.