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Refuting lies about the "strong families" language

By Scott Tibbs, June 20, 2018

In a shamefully dishonest post on Twitter, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed that delegates to the Indiana Republican Party state convention voted "against marriage equality." This is a lie, of course. The platform does no such thing, and Buttigieg knows it. The platform does not propose that same-sex marriages be "broken up" or "stripped of legal protection." This sort of shameful dishonesty should not be practiced by the mayor of a city. Can the citizens of South Bend ever trust their dishonest mayor?

Here is the truth: The platform as approved by the delegates says that a family based on a marriage of a man and a woman is the foundation for a healthy society - a statement that is self-evidently true. The Republican platform also explicitly expresses support for blended families, grandparents, guardians, single parents and loving adults who are raising children. I think we all know what "loving adults" means: It is a way to support same-sex couples. There is not even a single punctuation mark in that plank that opposes same-sex marriage.

Conservatives did not by any means win the day on June 9. We managed to avoid an attempt by country club Republicans to further water down the platform, which is already wishy-washy and weak in its support of traditional marriage. As a delegate, I would have preferred stronger language but I did not get my wish.

If anything, the lies spread by the likes of Buttigieg demonstrate that the Republican Party will never be good enough for hyperpartisan deceivers. Even when Republicans support extremely inclusive language that supports all Hoosier families, we will be attacked, demonized and lied about. Bipartisanship is a fraud and a hoax, and Republicans must reject it.