Iowa Republicans Move to Slash Pay of Pro-Equality Judges

Iowa Republicans, the same group that has been trying to oust the Supreme Court judges who ruled to legalize same-sex marriage there in 2009, have filed legislation that would slash their salaries, Right Wing Watch reports.

From the Iowa City Gazette:

A handful of House conservatives want to reduce the pay of Iowa Supreme Court justices involved in a 2009 decision striking down a ban on same-sex marriages as part of an effort to maintain the balance of power in state government.

“It’s our responsibility to maintain the balance of power” between the three co-equal branches of government, Rep. Tom Shaw, R-Laurens, said Tuesday.

The justices “trashed the separation of powers” with their unanimous Varnum v. Brien decision and implementation of same-sex marriage without a change in state law banning any marriages expect between one man and one woman, added Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull.

Their amendment to House File 120, the judicial branch budget bill, would lower the salaries of the four justices on the seven-member court who were part of the unanimous Varnum v. Brein decision to $25,000 – the same as a state legislator.

It’s not meant to be punitive, Alons and Shaw said Tuesday.
“We’re just holding them responsible for their decision, for going beyond their bounds,” Shaw said.

Homophobic Iowa GOP Lawmaker Warns Gay People Pose Health Risk to Public Like Smoking: VIDEO

Republican Iowa State Senator Dennis Guth unleashed one of the most disgusting homophobic diatribes on the Senate floor yesterday, accusing the media of tricking the public into accepting gay relationships and claiming that they are a health risk to the general public.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Said Guth:

"The media, for the most part, has bamboozled us into thinking that having a relationship outside of the boundaries of monogamous, heterosexual marriage is positive, happy and fulfilling. Movies, television shows, articles and magazines abound with this theme, giving partial information to a vulnerable audience: our children."

He added:

“Just as there are multiple ways that your smoking hurts me, such as secondhand smoke, increased insurance costs, cost to society of days lost for poor health, so it is with same-sex relationships. There are health risks that my family incurs because of the increase in sexually transmitted infections that this lifestyle invites. For example there are more and more medical tests required before giving blood or giving birth.”

Guth said people should speak out against what they see as wrong:

"If I saw someone going the wrong way on a one-way street, I would make every effort to stop and redirect them."

Guth said his remarks were inspired by Focus on the Family's 'Day of Dialogue', a response to tomorrow's Day of Silence sponsored by GLSEN, in which students take a vow of silence to stand up against homophobia.

Guth cited the suicide of New York therapist Bob Bergeron in his remarks:

"Bob Bergeron was a happy-go-lucky homosexual therapist who at the peak of his career committed suicide this January. In a note found addressing homosexuality he said, 'it's a lie based on bad information.'"

Openly gay State Senator Matt McCoy responded to Guth:

”I was frankly just a little bit taken aback by some of the things that I heard today, as I know some of my colleagues were as well... Much of what you heard today on the floor of the Senate is warmed-over rhetoric that has been invented by the Christian right, extreme groups. What I heard today was ignorant and I know where it came from, and I think that I am not gay by choice. I am not gay by choice, but I choose not to be ignorant.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

CNN Finds That Gay Marriage Hasn't Caused the Sky to Fall in Iowa: AUDIO

CNN's Nova Safo visits Iowa to see how the state has changed in its attitudes toward same-sex marriage over the past four years, sitting down with Molly Tafoya from LGBT group One Iowa and former state senator Jeff Angelo, who was once staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage but has completely reversed his position:

“Most of our small towns have people in them that are gay, and live peaceful lives. They’re not made to feel like outsiders. So what occurred to me was that the political debate didn’t really match up what was going on in Iowa communities. And that’s when I thought this is just unfair. There’s no evil force that’s out there that’s trying to destroy marriage. It was people that just wanted to fall in love, and have stable families and monogamous relationships just like I do. That’s what changed my mind.”

Angelo has now teamed up with Tafoya to form Iowa Republicans for Freedom, "a group working to advance a conservative argument in support of gay marriage and to encourage more Republicans to join the cause."

Angelo's group brought Ken Mehlman to Iowa in January, if you recall.

Listen, below:

Iowa GOP Leader Calls Iowa Democratic Party 'A Gay Marriage Party'

On Friday evening's episode of "Iowa Press," Iowa Republican Party chair A.J. Spiker was asked how he felt about the members of that state's GOP who either no longer want to push for the 2009 marriage equality law to be overturned or who accept same-sex marriages altogether.

Spiker said:

"Well, the party wants to be welcoming and we're a big tent and we want to have people of a lot of different views that are part of the party.  But what they also need to understand is that there is a gay marriage party in the state of Iowa and that is the Iowa Democratic Party.  The Republican Party embraces one man, one woman marriage and embraces the right of the people to vote on the definition of marriage."

Spiker continued to say that republicans (who support marriage equality) "are very welcome to be a part of (the party).  But there are areas where we have disagreements as republicans." 

You may recall that Spiker pushed to oust pro-equality Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins last year. Wiggins held onto his post.

An AP article published today reports on the increasing number of republicans in Iowa who have started to support marriage equality:

"I think there's growing support in the Republican ranks for same-gender marriage, particularly in a state where it is the law of the state. There has been no disaster visited on the state because there has been same-sex marriage," said (Jeff) Angelo, the founder of Iowa Republicans for Freedom, which supports gay marriage. "I think there are some that have friends, relatives that are gay that would rather just let this go."

Watch the "Iowa Press" segment, AFTER THE JUMP. The part about marriage equality comes in around 25:35.

Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman Tells Iowa GOP That Support for Gay Marriage is Conservative: VIDEO

Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman spoke  at the Davis Brown law firm in Des Moines to a crowd that included approximately 40 influential Republicans, the Des Moines Register reports:

Mehlman said he has been well received by a couple of dozen senior-level Iowa Republicans. He was accompanied at some of the meetings by David Kochel, the top Iowa adviser for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

“People have been nice to my face,” Mehlman, who is now a New York City businessman, said with a laugh. But he declined to reveal whom exactly he has met with since he arrived Sunday, noting “any issue in which people are evolving is always challenging for political leaders to deal with.”

Mehlman has teamed up with two Iowa marriage equality groups, Iowa Republicans for Freedom and One Iowa, to expand the number of right-of-center Iowans promoting civil marriage.

Watch Mehlman's ten-minute speech, AFTER THE JUMP...

He told the paper: "Republicans have an opportunity to both stand up for values that are core to our philosophy — freedom, family values and the golden rule — and to do the right thing politically by allowing adults who love one another to have access to civil marriage."

Romney Advisor Comes Out for Marriage Equality, Says GOP Lost the Culture Wars: VIDEO

Romney advisor Dave Kochel is coming out for marriage equality (along with some other Republicans, presumably) and plans to make a public statement at a Ken Mehlman-organized event in Des Moines this evening.

WHO-TV reports:

Kochel helped to organize an event for the Iowa Republicans for Freedom. Monday, January 28th, the group will sponsor an event with Ken Mehlman, a former Republican National Committee Chairman and key adviser to former President George W Bush.

Mehlman has become an outspoken advocate for marriage for same-sex couples.

The event held at the Davis Brown Law Firm atrium in Des Moines will feature Mehlman’s vision of what he thinks his Republican Party should look like in the future.

No Republican presidential candidates came out in favor of same-sex marriages during the 2012 cycle, including Romney, Kochel’s candidate. But Kochel now admits, “The culture wars are over. And the Republicans, largely, lost.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...