WASHINGTON, D.C., March 26, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The next Republican presidential candidate may support redefining marriage, according to Karl Rove.
Rove, a close advisor to President George W. Bush who now leads a Republican superPAC, appeared Sunday on ABC's This Week program, where host George Stephanopoulos asked, “Can you imagine in the next presidential campaign a Republican candidate saying flat-out, 'I'm for gay marriage?'”
Rove replied, “I could.” He declined to comment further.
His statement comes as the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the definition of marriage and the Republican Party is grappling with its identity in the wake of two presidential defeats.
The party recently released a document it dubbed an “autopsy report,” which stated, “When it comes to social issues, the Party must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming.”
The situation has become less clear following confusing moves by the party leadership. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told reporters at a briefing in the offices of National Review that Mike Huckabee, a staunch defender of marriage, could be “a model for a lot of people in our party.”
At the same time, he told Politico that the notion that the GOP would distance itself from Rob Portman after the senator endorsed same-sex “marriage” is “just ridiculous,” because Portman is “a good Republican.”
Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican Party has appointed Matt Borges, who lobbied on behalf of Equality Ohio, the organization promoting redefining marriage, as its executive director.
Priebus said that by allowing disagreement with the party platform, “we're not compromising our principles.”
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Politico.com reports that some Republican leaders believe adopting a neutral position on marriage “could unlock big money from GOP donors in places like New York, California and Florida.” As the leader of a superPAC, Rove could be in line to reap such a windfall. However, his track record is poor.
Business Week noted that his entities “spent more than $1 billion on the Nov. 6 elections – many of which saw almost no return for their money.”
Abandoning social issues could deprive the party of its most valuable commodity: votes. “If Republicans abandon support for the Biblical definition of marriage, the right-to-life, and other elements of the conservative social agenda, it won’t be necessary for conservatives to leave the Republican Party,” said an editorial on Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com. “The party will, as Ronald Reagan said, have left us.”