Anita Bryant 2.0: Carrie Prejean Brings "Opposite Marriage" Platform to Florida
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
July 23, 2009 1:30 PM
Disgraced, nationally lampooned former Miss California Carrie Prejean, who became the bumbling spokesmodel for the National Organization for Marriage, is bringing the sideshow to Florida.
She is coming as part of the GOP "Drive the Discussion Exchange '09" event designed to attract younger people to the Republican Party in the Sunshine State. Even GOP members are doubting the strategy of bringing Prejean to attract young voters, since a growing number of young people (including Republicans) support marriage equality and having the inarticulate beauty queen around could alienate them even more.
Said Sandy Steen, a straight GOP activist:
It doesn't seem like the smart thing to do. She's in the right age bracket, certainly, but they're going to turn off some of the young people who are moderates. That is not how you reach out to young people. She's got every right to her opinions, but she can't be the spokesperson for all the young people.
Florida also has a rather angry history with beauty queens proselytizing. Orange juice Queen Anita Bryant rose to fame and started a bigoted movement in Dade County.
I wonder if there are any pie in the face moments in store for Prejean?
Showing even more disconnect with young voters, the keynote speaker at the event is Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold medal winner some 33 years ago. Jenner isn't even on the radar for the target group of 18- to 35-year-olds for his Olympic history. He's perhaps best known to the current generation as the butt of jokes for plastic surgery and being the Kardashian's stepdad on reality TV.
It's disappointing, but not surprising, that the Florida GOP is looking to whip up anti-gay animus to gain favor in the state. What they may not realize, however, is that their clumsy attempts may backfire on them and have the "opposite" effect...
Let's hope so.
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