Pride and Prejudice

The GOP circular firing squad comes to Massachusetts, as the operators of the conservative site MassResistance.com tear into newly elected Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Jennifer Nassour for her recent remarks in Bay Windows.

“Newly elected Republican Party Chairman Jennifer Nassour has wasted no time making it clear where she wants the party to go,” Mass Resistance writes. ”Last week, in a front-page interview with the hardcore homosexual newspaper Bay Windows, she told the homosexual community that they didn’t need to worry about the Republican party opposing them on `social issues’ or ‘the culture wars.’”

The Windows article does note that “…those looking for Nassour and her colleagues at the state GOP headquarters to rally the base by campaigning for social conservative causes such as opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion will be disappointed.” However, the article further notes that “…there are no plans for the party to take more progressive positions on social issues. Nassour said the state party would steer clear of social issues under her leadership, and would support candidates for office regardless of what side they take in the culture wars.” (It must be noted that at no point in the article does Nassour endorse abortion or same-sex marriage.)

Mass Resistance claims that “…People are particularly upset that Nassour (and the others quoted in the article including politicians and pro-family leaders) would participate in an interview with a newspaper that is so extremely profane, obscene, and anti-family as Bay Windows. Among other things, Bay Windows is well-known for its vicious anti-Catholic rants, its hideous demonizing of pro-family individuals, it obsessive promotion for all kinds of deviant sexual practices, and its general pornographic content. (Besides Nassour, why are Sen. Robert Hedlund, Sen. Richard Tisei, Rob Willington, and Kris Mineau talking with Bay Windows — as if it were a legitimate media outlet?)”

Obviously, I’m not a regular reader of Bay Windows, so I have no idea if these assertions are true. However, even if Bay Windows does have this sort of content, one must ask: would it be wrong for Nassour and the other officials quoted in the piece to speak to the Boston Phoenix, which also has, uh, questionable content?

Of course, Mass Resistance can’t resist a little Mitt Romney-bashing (the unifying trait of those leading the GOP circular firing squad). “Under Mitt Romney, the party strenuously avoided social issues, particularly the homosexual ‘marriage’ issue, even though that was the hottest issue of the day. That led to some absurd situations in the 2004 elections. For example, Romney’s people gave huge financial and organizational support to Steven Howitt, a Republican who was running to unseat then-Rep. Philip Travis (D-Rehoboth). Although a Democrat, Travis was a leading pro-life, pro-family rep. Howitt was pro-choice and endorsed by several homosexual PACs. At one point the Republican Howitt even sent out flyers warning people that the Democrat Travis wanted to ‘take away a woman’s right to choose.’ (Luckily Travis won the election 63% to 37%.)”

Mass Resistance has been demonizing Romney for years because of his alleged false commitment to the pro-life, pro-family cause. The organization’s offical blog is a reliable source of anti-Romney sentiment. Apparently, because they view Nassour as a female Romney, this organization sees fit to tear her down as well, even before she really has a chance to reform the state GOP.

I understand why Nassour feels the need to de-emphasize social issues. Deval Patrick spent two years defending the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s establishment of same-sex marriage–and was rewarded with 56 percent of the vote. In fact, there was only one candidate in the 2006 gubernatorial election who opposed the gay-marriage ruling–Kerry Healey, who only received 35 percent of the vote. Yes, the SJC imposed same-sex marriage, but they imposed it on an electorate that didn’t really care all that much about the issue. Is Nassour wrong to recognize that? Is Nassour wrong to believe that opposition to abortion for birth-control purposes won’t get the GOP back into power in this state?

“Right now in 2009 a winning formula for Republicans [is] being fiscal conservatives,” Nassour told Bay Windows. ”Families are hurting right now, individuals are hurting right now, taxpayers, toll payers, people who have cars and are paying for gas, everyone is starting to feel the pinch. I think the most wining message for us is being fiscally conservative and showing how we can tighten our belts and run an efficient and effective government.”

Nassour is right. Her critics–who apparently look at her and see their personal devil Romney–are dead wrong.