Bloomberg & Republican Donors Pour Money Into Gay Marriage
As part of the renewed push to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, the money that is flowing to the cause is coming from an unexpected source: Republicans. The Times reports that close to $1 million in support that has been received in recent weeks "represent some of New York's wealthiest and most politically active figures," including hedge fund manager and heavy GOP donor Paul Singer, and Mayor Bloomberg, who has already given $100,000 and traveled to Albany to make the case.
This support represents a "sea change" within the Republican party on the issue of gay rights. Some Republican donors are framing it as "an issue of basic freedom," and a spokesman for the mayor says that Bloomberg sees "Freedom" as the state's "competitive advantage." For others, such as Singer, who is the head of the staunchly conservative Manhattan Institute,the topic is a personal one: Singer's son is gay and is legally married to his partner is Massachusetts. We're still waiting for Dick Cheney to get out his checkbook.
Given that donations from Republicans represent "roughly two-thirds of the same-sex marriage coalition's fundraising," this should make it much easier to twist the necessary GOP arms in the Senate and as Governor Cuomo says, "get the votes" for the bill to pass. Next up: convincing half of New York's citizens...but don't expect any miracles convincingArchbishop Dolan.
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