EDGE Boston

The anti-gay right have taken aim at Barack Obama for his Democratic stances on GLBT rights, women’s rights, responsible gun ownership, and sustainable fiscal policies.

In their Aug. 21 "report card" on the two presumptive presidential nominees, the anti-gay group Campaign for Children and Families--the Web site address for which is www.saveamerica.com--claims to refrain from either support for or opposition to candidates. But the questions that the "report card" examines, and t he way the questions are phrased, suggest otherwise.

In the summary to the "report card," for example, eight general questions and the general responses to the broad content of those questions by Sen. John McCain, presumptive Republican nominee, and Sen. Barack Obama, presumptive Democratic nominee, listed.

Of those eight questions, two had to do with abortion; three with GLBT rights; one with gun control; one with Supreme Court justice nominations; and one with taxes. All of those topics are of intense interest to the right wing.

No questions pertaining to education, the Iraq war, repair of the country’s infrastructure, environmental protections, tax breaks for big corporations, the economy, or pursuing renewable energy sources were listed.

Some of the topics contained in the summary included "Support Partial-Birth Abortions," "Protect Man-Woman Marriage on the Ballot," "Require Schoolchildren to Think Favorable About Homosexuality," and "Nominate Strict Constructionist Judges."

The detailed contents of the "report card" followed a similar tone.

Read the text to the first issue, titled Support Partial-birth Abortions, "Barack Obama wants partial-birth abortions to be legal and voted similarly in the Illinois State Senate."

John McCain, the text stated, "calls the procedure ’one of the most odious things that I have ever heard of.’"

Though Barack Obama has said repeatedly that he opposes marriage equality for GLBT Americans, the "report card" painted him as pro-marriage equality, selecting snippets from various sources to show him saying "No" when asked whether in might "bother" him that California had legalized marriage for gay and lesbian families.

John McCain, the "report card" noted, had supported an anti-gay ballot initiative in Arizona and also expressed his support for the amendment to the California constitution that anti-gay activists hope will rescind marriage equality in that state.

The "report card" also made the claim that Obama "supports teaching school children as young as second grade to think favorable about homosexuality and homosexual ’marriage’ [sic]," referring to Obama having said that his own young daughters had been informed by Obama’s wife about family structures including two parents of the same gender.

McCain, the "report card" stated, "voted in support of an amendment to prohibit federal funds for instructional materials, instruction, counseling, or other services on school grounds, from being used for the promotion of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative," a 1984 proposal that presumably could have prevented the formation of GSAs and gagged counselors working with GLBT youth, preventing them from offering supportive words to students struggling with issues of gender, sexuality, or bullying at the hands of anti-gay schoolmates.

The online blog Political Party Poop quoted Campaign for Children and Families president Randy Thomasson, who said, "Let the record show that John McCain and Barack Obama are polar opposites on partial-birth abortion, parental notification of abortion, marriage protection on the ballot, homosexual indoctrination of schoolchildren, gay adoptions, gun-owner rights, activist judges, and raising taxes."

Added Thomasson, "No one should base their vote on personality or mere feelings."

Thomasson followed that statement with, "Our carefully researched report card shows you exactly where Obama and McCain stand on issues of importance to voters, their families, and our nation’s future."

Political Party Poop.com illustrated their brief article about the "report card" with a manipulated image showing Obama on a pony, wearing only briefs, pearl-heavy bling, a suit coat, and a top-hat... all in white.