Prominent Republican Political Leaders Sign Brief in Favor of Gay Marriage

According to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the gay rights organization that brought the original lawsuit seeking the overturn of California’s Proposition 8, 131 prominent Republicans have signed an amicus curiae brief supporting gay marriage.

This brief seeks to influence the United States Supreme Court in its upcoming rulings on the legal standing of marriage in the United States. The signers are mostly prominent Republicans who have held or currently hold powerful government positions either as elected officials or as part of Republican presidential administrations. A number of these people have had lifelong careers bouncing from one prominent position to another in the service of the Republican Party. Based on that, I would assume that they are total, absolute party hacks. I also believe that when they sign a petition like this, it indicates something real is happening inside the party deep-thinking processes.

To put it bluntly, if you are a so-called “values” voter who has been supporting the Republican party because of their “moral” positions, you have been sold out. This doesn’t surprise me at all. It is nothing more than a public manifestation of what I have seen up close and personal as an elected official. Political parties are about power. All they care about is getting power and keeping power. Everything else they say is a lie.

Gay marriage advocates have stated that they are hopeful that this brief, with its prominent Republican signers, will influence the conservative members of the Supreme Court in their deliberations on the issue of gay marriage.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: People of faith can no longer vote for either party and feel that they are voting in line with their beliefs.

Here is the list of the brief’s signers so far:

Republican Party Officials, Fundraisers 

• Kenneth B. Mehlman, Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
• Alex Castellanos, Republican Media Advisor
• Tyler Deaton, Secretary, New Hampshire Young Republicans, 2011-Present
• Jeff Cook-McCormac, Senior Advisor, American Unity PAC
• Ken Spain, Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2009-2010
• Sally A. Vastola, Executive Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2003-2006
• Jacob P. Wagner, Chairman, New Hampshire Federation of College Republicans, 2012-Present
• Cyrus Krohn, eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee, 2007-2009
• Mark McKinnon, Republican Media Advisor

Bush (W) Administration Officials

• Tim Adams, Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2005-2007
• John B. Bellinger III, Legal Adviser to the Department of State, 2005-2009
• William A. Burck, Deputy Staff Secretary, Special Counsel, and Deputy Counsel to the President, 2005-2009
• Mary Cheney, Director of Vice Presidential Operations, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
• Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2006-2008
• James B. Comey, U.S. Deputy Attorney General, 2003-2005
• R. Clarke Cooper, U.S. Alternative Representative, United Nations Security Council, 2007-2009
• Julie Cram, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, 2007-2009
• Michele Davis, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Director of Policy Planning, Department of the Treasury, 2006-2009
• Alicia Davis Downs, Associate Political Director, White House, 2001-2003
• Christian J. Edwards, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Press Advance, 2005-2007
• Lew Eisenberg, Finance Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2002-2004
• Mark J. Ellis, State Chairman, Maine Republican Party, 2005-2006 and 2007-2009
• Charles Freeman, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, 2002-2005
• David Frum, Author and Special Assistant to the President, 2001-2002
• Reed Galen, Director of Scheduling and Advance, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
• Benjamin Ginsberg, National Counsel, Bush-Cheney 2000 and 2004
• Josh Ginsberg, National Field Director, Romney for President, 2007-2008
• Juleanna Glover, Press Secretary to the Vice President, 2001-2002
• Adrian Gray, Director of Strategy, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
• Richard Grenell, Spokesman, U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations, 2001-2008
•  Israel Hernandez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, 2005-2009
• Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office, 2003-2005
• Margaret Hoover, Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, 2005-2006
• Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce, 2005-2009
• Stephen Hadley, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, 2005-2009
• David A. Javdan, General Counsel, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2002-2006
• Reuben Jeffery, Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, 2007-2009
• Greg Jenkins, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Advance, 2003-2004
• Coddy Johnson, National Field Director, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
• Neel Kashkari, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, 2008-2009
• Theodore W. Kassinger, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, 2004-2005
• Jeffrey Kupfer, Chief of Staff and Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy, 2006-2009
• Catherine Martin, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director for Policy and Planning, 2005-2007
• Kevin Martin, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2005-2009
• David McCormick, Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2007-2009
• Bruce P. Mehlman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 2001-2003
• Michael Napolitano, White House Office of Political Affairs, 2001-2003
• Susan Neely, Special Assistant to the President, 2001-2002
• Noam Neusner, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Speechwriting, 2002-2005
• Meghan O’Sullivan, Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan, 2005-2007
• Richard Painter, Associate Counsel to the President, 2005-2007
• Michael Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2001-2005
• Nancy Pfotenhauer, Regulatory Advisor, Romney for President, 2008, and Economist, Presidential Transition Team, 1988
• Gregg Pitts, Director, White House Travel Office, 2006-2009
• J. Stanley Pottinger, Assistant U.S. Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, 1973-1977
• Luis Reyes, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Assistant to the President, 2006-2009
• Tom Ridge, Governor of Pennsylvania, 1995-2001, and Secretary of Homeland Security, 2003-2005
• Mark A. Robbins, General Counsel, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2001-2006
• Kelley Robertson, Chief of Staff, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
• Brian Roehrkasse, Director of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, 2007-2009
• Harvey S. Rosen, Chairman and Member, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
• Lee Rudofsky, Deputy General Counsel, Romney for President, 2012
• Patrick Ruffini, eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
• Corry Schiermeyer, Director for Global Communications, National Security Council, 2005-2007
• Steve Schmidt, Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Vice President, 2004-2006, and Senior Advisor, John McCain for President, 2008
• Faryar Shirzad, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, 2004-2006
• Robert Steel, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, 2006-2008
• Mark Wallace, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for UN Management and Reform, 2006-2008
• Nicolle Wallace, Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director, 2005-2008
• Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2001-2005, and President of the World Bank Group, 2005-2007

Bush (George) Administration Officials

• Jim Cicconi, Assistant to the President and Deputy to the Chief of Staff, 1989-1990
• Kenneth M. Duberstein, White House Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President, 1981-1984 and 1987-1989
• Jonathan Kislak, Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for Small Community and Rural Development, 1989-1991

Ronald Reagan Administration Officials

• David Stockman, Director, Office of Management and Budget, 1981-1985
• Elizabeth Noyer Feld, Public Affairs Specialist, White House Office of Management and Budget, 1984-1987
• Robert Kabel, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, 1982-1985

Romney Presidential Campaign Staff

• Katie Biber, General Counsel, Romney for President, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
• David Kochel, Senior Iowa Advisor, Mitt Romney for President, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
• Alex Lundry, Director of Data Science, Romney for President, 2012
• Beth Myers, Romney for President Campaign Manager, 2007-2008 and Senior Advisor, 2011-2012

John McCain Presidential Campaign

• Ana Navarro, National Hispanic Co-Chair, John McCain for President, 2008
• Jill Hazelbaker, Communications Director, John McCain for President, 2007-2008

Republican Elected Officials

• Susan Molinari, Member of Congress, 1990-1997
• Connie Morella, Member of Congress, 1987-2003, and U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003-2007Charles Bass, Member of Congress, 1995-2007 and 2011-2013
• Mary Bono Mack, Member of Congress, 1998-2013
• Paul Cellucci, Governor of Massachusetts, 1997-2001, and Ambassador to Canada, 2001-2005
• B.J. Nikkel, Colorado State Representative and Majority Whip, 2009-2012, and District Director for Marilyn Musgrave, Member of Congress, 2002-2006
• Ruth Ann Petroff, Wyoming State Representative, 2011-Present
• Larry Pressler, U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1979-1997, and Member of Congress, 1975-1979
• Deborah Pryce, Member of Congress, 1993-2009
• John Reagan, New Hampshire State Senator, 2012-Present
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Member of Congress, 1989-Present
• Adam Schroadter, New Hampshire State Representative, 2010-Present
• Christopher Shays, Member of Congress, 1987-2009
• Nancy Stiles, New Hampshire State Senator, 2010-Present
• Jane Swift, Governor of Massachusetts, 2001-2003
• Richard Tisei, Massachusetts State Senator 1991-2011, and Senate Minority Leader 2007-2011
• William F. Weld, Governor of Massachusetts, 1991-1997, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General, Criminal Division, 1986-1988
• Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey, 1994-2001, and Administrator of the EPA, 2001-2003
• Janet Duprey, New York State Assemblywoman, 2007-Present
• Dan Zwonitzer, Wyoming State Representative, 2005-present
• Mark Grisanti, New York State Senator, 2011-Present
• Patrick Guerriero, Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts, and Member of Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1993-2001
• Richard L. Hanna, Member of Congress, 2011-Present
• Michael Huffington, Member of Congress, 1993-1995
• Jon Huntsman, Governor of Utah, 2005-2009, and Ambassador to China, 2009-2011
• Gary Johnson, Governor of New Mexico, 1995-2003, and Libertarian Party Nominee for President, 2012
• Nancy L. Johnson, Member of Congress, 1983-2007
• James Kolbe, Member of Congress, 1985-2007
• Thomas A. Little, Vermont State Representative, 1992-2002 and Chairman of the Vermont House Judiciary Committee, 1999-2002

Prominent Republican Business Associates

• Cliff S. Asness, Businessman, Philanthropist, and Author
• David D. Aufhauser, General Counsel, Department of the Treasury, 2001-2003
• David C. Chavern, Business Association Executive
• Meg Whitman, Republican Nominee for Governor of California, 2010
• Daniel S. Loeb, Businessman and Philanthropist

Republican Think-Tankers, Cultural Supports, Media Stars

• S.E. Cupp, Author and Political Commentator
• Robert Wickers, Republican Political Consultant
• Clint Eastwood, Producer, Director, Actor, and Mayor of Carmel, California, 1986-1988
• Mark Gerson, Chairman, Gerson Lehrman Group and Author of The Neoconservative Vision: From the Cold War to the Culture Wars and In the Classroom: Dispatches from an Inner-City School that Works
• N. Greg Mankiw, Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
• Michael E. Murphy, Republican Political Consultant

Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the House) Staffers

• Richard Galen, Communications Director, Speaker’s Political Office, 1996-1997
• Ed Kutler, Assistant to the Speaker of the House, 1995-1997

Republican Congressional Staff

• John Goodwin, Chief of Staff to Raul Labrador, Member of Congress, 2011-2013
• Kathryn Lehman, Chief of Staff, House Republican Conference, 2003-2005

Aaron McLear, Press Secretary to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2007-2011