Even though the Sullivan County Conservative Party has overwhelming endorsed Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s reelection bid, it looks like her name will not appear on the Conservative Party line come November. She is being punished for voting for same sex marriage.
New York State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long has threatened all elected officials who voted for marriage equality that they will not receive his party’s backing and should not even apply.
This is despite the fact that Gunther earned the Conservative endorsement in the past even with her voting for same sex marriage the years it did not pass the legislature. Now that it is law she is being chastised.
Thanks to Long, the Conservative Party has become a one issue hateful bigoted homophobic political party. They have thrown distinguished voting records out the window.
Same sex marriage has been legal for over a year. Has anyone seen an immoral brake down of our society because it is law? The simply reality is that it has done no harm. All it has done is grant legal rights to fellow human beings who want to legally live in a loving relationship.
The issue at hand is not about one’s personal or religious beliefs as to whether one supports same sex marriage. This is about a repulsive political boss, who threatened elected officials last year and is living up to his threat.
If respected religious institutions, their clergy, and congregations do not want to recognize same sex marriage they have every right not to. If they do not want to marry same sex people because of their religious guidelines in a religious ceremony they have every right not to. That is why we have separation of church and state.
Michael Long is a disgusting disgrace to New York State politics. His actions prove he is nothing more than a bigot who should immediately be removed as chairman of the statewide Conservative Party.
If we turned back the clock, Long probably would have been the first to argue that blacks belong on the back of the bus, and that women should not be allowed to vote. I’m sure he would gladly tell us his best friends are Gays, Blacks, Jews, and Hispanics.
Gunther’s vote on marriage equality is just one vote. I have done extensive research on her voting record and have found that it is in tune with the Conservative Party.
Gunther supported last year’s budget with tax cap and mandate relief. She supported reducing the MTA tax on small businesses, and voted against NYC Rent Regulations and Stabilization Regulations. Gunther has been a huge supporter of the NRA. Voted against 61 bills to increase taxes or mortgage recording taxes across the state, and voted against 21 bills to grant real property tax exemptions. These are all conservative issues!
The Conservative Party has every right to endorse or not endorse a candidate. Gunther’s Republican challenger Gary Linton might indeed deserve the party’s backing. But, that decision should be made after reviewing various issues and not just marriage equality. What Long is doing to Gunther is discrimination at its worst.
Just when we thought the era of political dictatorships and back room political bosses was coming to an end, Long shows us it is alive and well. Years ago Ray Harding destroyed the now defunct Liberal Party, and now Long appears to be taking the Conservative Party in the same direction. Perhaps what we need is a new political party called Moderate.