National Gay Lobby
ARLINGTON, VA - Did Democrats and independents do that much party switching to the Republican rolls in the early primaries? Whether or by how much is still open to debate, perhaps. But at least one gay rights group - the National Gay Lobby (www.nationalgaylobby.org), the nation's only online-based gay rights group - says they pushed actively for precisely that kind of switching, the better to get Arizona Sen. John McCain the Republican nomination.
It wasn't exactly because they admired McCain - they thought he would be the easier man to beat for either Vice President Al Gore or former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley. And the idea behind that was to stop the next President from filling potential Supreme Court vacancies with conservative justices they feared more likely to block gay rights advances, among other issues.
"The only way to keep George Bush from getting the Republican nomination and most likely from becoming our next president, is for all Democrats and independents to switch parties immediately and vote for John McCain in their state's Republican primary," the NLG said, in a statement they circulated just before the primaries. "Voting as a Democrat in a Democratic primary WILL DO NOTHING to prevent a Bush presidency. Both Al Gore and Bill Bradley have a much better chance of beating John McCain next November than they do George Bush."
They sent the call out to supporters in time for those who wanted to do so to make the registration switches and be eligible to vote in various primaries. They estimated a potential of 20 million votes, considering both gay and lesbian voters and their sympathizers.
The effort turned up for nothing - both McCain and Bradley lost big to Bush and Gore on Super Tuesday. The NGL had endorsed both men formally.
In a January letter to NGL members, president Jayce Fortwangler said such voter migration wouldn't be that difficult since such voters would still have plenty of time to switch their registrations back for the November elections.
NGL executive director Michael Romanello said the call for such voter migration exemplified "extraordinary measures (that) must be taken to prevent" prospects such as the next President filling potential Supreme Court vacancies with conservative justices. That would "spell disaster for our community, and for all those who support fairness and equality for all Americans," he said.
