(CNN) – Log Cabin Republicans are getting some support from the McCain family.
Cindy and Meghan McCain will make an appearance at the gay rights organization's four day convention in Washington, which kicks off Thursday night.
"Of all the causes I believe in and speak publicly about, this is one of the ones closest to my heart," Meghan McCain, a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, wrote in the Daily Beast this week. "If the Republican Party has any hope of gaining substantial support from a wider, younger base, we need to get past our anti-gay rhetoric."
Steve Schmidt, former senior strategist for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and manager of Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial reelection campaign in 2006, will also be in attendance. Schmidt will be speaking about the 2008 election and the GOP's comeback agenda.
In an interview Thursday with CNN, LCR Spokesperson Charles Moran said the organization is lobbying New York Republicans to help pass the same-sex marriage law championed by the state's Democratic Gov. David Paterson.
"We have people on the ground, we're identifying our bases of support, looking at our polling, looking at our research, so that we can be ready to assist the marriage coalition in New York with targeting those crucial GOP votes," Moran told CNN.
The group is also working on identifying the Republican players who will serve as the face of their organization's mission.
Moran citied Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Mormon Republican who has called for the adoption of civil unions, and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who acknowledged that gay Republicans have a place at the party's table.
"These are the types of leaders and luminaries within the Republican party," Moran said. "The party must move forward and regardless of where you are in the conservative spectrum, you definitely can be conservative and an openly gay Republican in this political climate."
"We don't just talk the talk but we actually are providing the boots on the ground, we're making those calls, and we're loyal Republicans," he said.
From CNN Politics
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Could this be the future GOP presidential candidate??? This is the best they have to offer so far!
Republicans are against gay marriage in particular and the homosexual preference in general. Watering down the party's ideology isn't going to make it stronger.
Watch out. Liberal news anchors might report and joke about this in gutter slang terms same as they did on the tax tea party demonstrations. Nah- this is one of their pet subjects.
If they stop hating gays, blacks, women, and people that dont worship like them, then they would not be republicans, they would be Democrats. Sorry miss Mccain, but you will NEVER get the gay vote, or pro-choice vote, or the vote of any American that believes in the constitution. Its NOT the republican way to live and let live.
I can't wait until this woman is 35 years old and can run for president. If she keeps up these great, fresh, open-minded, yet conservatively fiscal ideas, she may very well be the first Republican candidate I vote for.
As a conservative, I think this girl is utterly vapid, but this is one issue on which she and I agree.
On average, households of committed gay couples are higher educated than the general population and they are more often than not, high income earners, which translates to more investments, more economic activity, and more economic consumption.
In an age when the government is economically enslaving the next five generations of Americans with spending that would embarass drunken sailors, gay marriage is hardly an issue to get upset about.
They'll never get anywhere. The social conservatives to squash this in a heartbeat.
Never mind Limbaugh and his Rush slaves. They are all allies of the Democratic Party. Quite apart from her support or non-support of gays, Meghan McCain and her kind are the real challenge to the Dems
@ MIssissippi Mike, who said "Republicans are against gay marriage in particular and the homosexual preference in general. Watering down the party's ideology isn't going to make it stronger."
Prime example of why the GOP will die. Guess what? Gay marriage isn't a Republican v. Democrat issue...nor is it a liberal v. conservative issue. It's a religion v. LAW issue. As soon as the GOP figures out how to adapt it's core principles of conservatism to the real world 21st century, effectively removing the religious dogma from their policy positions regarding how the GOVERNMENT should operate and protect the interests of society, it will begin to make prorgess...and not a second sooner. You guys just don't seem to understand that our nation has had it once and for all with your social conservatism, mostly because 90% of what you're pushing IS AGAINST THE LAW OF THE LAND, I.E., THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION AND THOSE PESKY CIVIL RIGHTS YOU HATE SO MUCH.
While it is refreshing to finally see a Republican that isn't an out-of-touch lunatic, She's still not president material. She's still just a pundit, albeit a much more reasonable one. We need educated people in the White House, not talking heads
With all the news going on in this country today, this is the best story CNN could post?
So, when Meghan McCain says that Republicans might get more votes if the party tones down it's mean-spirited and occasionally hateful rhetoric towards gays, minorities, immigrants, what's the Republican response? OH, that's right, they do the exact opposite. Because in a very diverse population of many races and backgrounds, the GOP would rather just rely on being an all-white, all-Protestant, all-Southern irrelevancy.
I like Meagan, but I hate the Republican agenda. I will be a Democrat until the day I die, and proud of it.
As a liberal, I am very glad to see news like this. Megan McCain is an impressive young lady and hopefully embodies the future of the Republican Party. I happen to believe in our two party system, which has been severly challenged by hate and bigotry on the right.
Meghan McCain is a Dem posing as a Repub. She does not speak for most Repub, in fact, I'm not sure who she speaks for except for herself; basically she'e a one women show. Now, I wish she would go home. With peopel like her posing as repubs, Dems may win again in 2012.
EWWWW!!! Watch out, Cindy and Meghan!!! It might rub off on you!!!
Watch out, fellow Republicans!!! You may start treating gays like citizens of the United States with the same rights and privileges deserved by all!!!!
It is not the governments job to decide who goes to hell and who doesn't. The government does not belong in the bedroom. A real Republican would feel this way.
These people that are against gay marriage, what are they afraid of, what are they trying to stop? Gay people will continue to be gay and to live with the one they love. Why not afford them the same legal rights.
Gay marriage proponents are fighting for the wrong thing...
By all means fight for your equal right freedoms. Please do. Just don't confuse equal rights with sexuality and marriage.
If you want full rights that a spouse receives...argue against those rights being only available to a spouse. Leave marriage out of it. Leave sexuality out of it.
If I want John Madden or Barney Frank to to be able to visit me in the hospital or be a guardian or whatever...it should have NOTHING to do with marriage. Marriage really doesn't have much place in govt laws.
If all you want it equal rights under the law, then you should argue that ANYONE can be declared your legal equivalent. It's not much different than a living will...
kimberly April 16th, 2009 5:32 pm ET
"If they stop hating gays, blacks, women, and people that dont worship like them, then they would not be republicans, they would be Democrats. Sorry miss Mccain, but you will NEVER get the gay vote, or pro-choice vote, or the vote of any American that believes in the constitution. Its NOT the republican way to live and let live."
Social issues are very important to many people, but BTW, a black man is the head of the RNC and they just ran a woman as the vice presidential candidate. Man is your face red! I project that if the Republicans do eventually accept homosexuality (they will have to the children of today have no chance to oppose this issue, constantly being barraged by everything saying it is OK and great), the Dems will kick it up a notch and recognize bestiality!
Meghan McCain is not a Repub; she is a Dem posing as a Repub. She shares none of the principles that most Repubs share. She doesn't speak for me; in fact if this is what the new Repub is, I'm done.
"If the Republican Party has any hope of gaining substantial support from a wider, younger base, we need to get past our anti-gay rhetoric."
Damned straight!! Spot on!!!
Those loyal Log Cabin Republicans need to go back in the closet like good Republican lap dogs. These disgusting people do more harm to the cause of gay rights than they do good. These are the same dillusional people who still think G.W. bush was a great president.
As a fiscally moderate gay male, I'd be voting for republicans, were it not for the nutwing base of the party that has a problem with my people. Nice to see McCain seeking common ground. I voted for her father, though I was a little sick about his VP choice.
This is very admirable of Ms. McCain. I can't wait to hear all of the howling from the rest of the right-wing. I also have the feeling that she won't be apologizing to the thrice divorced, college drop-out, junkie (Limbaugh) who seems to control the repubs.
I support the alternate reality in which conservatives can support gay rights. Too bad that our two party system ends up with a conservative party with social, religious, economic and political values all so twisted together that they'll be lucky if in a hundred years someone who's conservative in one aspect doesn't necessarily have to tow the rest of the ridiculous party line.