McCain: The party could “exclude people” for being “pro-gay rights“

In a Daily Standard exclusive interview, John McCain explains that he could choose a pro-choice running mate but not one who is pro-gay:

“I think it’s a fundamental tenet of our party to be pro-life but that does not mean we exclude people from our party that are pro-choice. We just have a–albeit strong–but just it’s a disagreement. And I think [Tom] Ridge is a great example of that. Far moreso than Bloomberg, because Bloomberg is pro-gay rights, pro, you know, a number of other issues.”

Via Towleroad:

This is a man who doesn’t even know what the acronym LGBT stands for. He also doesn’t really believe in gay adoption, supports a ban on gays in the military, is worried if his clothing looks too gay, isn’t sure if condoms stop the spread of HIV, thinks same-sex marriage ceremonies are okay as long as they’re just pretend, and has promised right-wing religious groups that he’ll start speaking out more vocally against LGBT causes.

It’s astonishing that some gays (14% according to this poll) will not only support him, but fund his campaign.

Think Progress points out that McCain has sought the support of the gay comunity and in 1998 told Chris Matthews that the Republican Party shouldn’t “discriminate against anyone” because of “their sexual orientation“ but…

Now McCain is more than respecting the views of the Christian right when it comes to gay rights, he’s kow-towing to them. Earlier this year, McCain personally met with the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, but the group has yet to officially endorse him.

What do the Log Cabin members think of a candidate who now supports excluding those who are “pro-gay rights?”

Marc Ambinder has a spokesman’s comment that McCain’s statement is really a “message of inclusion.” I am inclined to think McCain is of the generation that’s personally uncomfortable around ‘out’ gay people but happy to be around them so long as they know their place and stay quietly in the closet. That would also be consistent with his accepting a $23,000 contribution from a gay sex site.