Thirteen social conservatives, representing various influential groups, wrote Priebus ahead of the RNC's quarterly meeting this week in Los Angeles to sternly rebuke the conclusions of a post-election report that advised Republican elected officials to adopt a softer tone toward social issues.
"We respectfully warn GOP Leadership that an abandonment of its principles will necessarily result in the abandonment of our constituents to their support," concludes the letter, which was obtained by and independently verified by NBC News in advance of the meeting this week.
The letter further asks GOP committeemen to pass a resolution at their meeting this week re-affirming the party's 2012 national platform, which includes language calling for bans on abortion and same-sex marriage
The gaping wound in the middle of the Republican party is opening wider and wider. Where will these "constituents" go?
More ironically, the letter claims the religious community has never, ever been mean to gays.
The conservatives additionally expressed their anger at what they said was an insinuation that they had treated gays and lesbians unkindly.
"The fact that the party is strongly committed to traditional marriage has not prevented their involvement through GOProud or Log Cabin Republicans," they wrote. "We deeply resent the insinuation that we have treated homosexuals unkindly personally."
They can resent it all they want, but a quick visit to RightWingWatch says otherwise. This group may not have been a signatory, but I guarantee you they align with those who did sign. It's not mean at all to say that gays on TV will bring down the hard, wrathful hand of God on the country. Not in the least. Gary Bauer's group is a signatory, though I'm sure they don't think there's anything mean about suggesting that supporting gay rights is waging "cultural jihad" on the country. Yeah, no meanness there.
Those were just two examples from today. I don't really want to imagine what they think unkindness is if they imagine hateful remarks like that to be somehow "kind."
