Newt Tells Gay Voter to Vote for Obama

Purity is so essential to the GOP’s radicalized primary voters that this isn’t surprising.

If you’re a gay American, don’t vote for Newt Gingrich. That’s not a Democratic talking point — that’s reportedly what Newt himself said to a gay man in Iowa Tuesday.

“I asked him if he’s elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans. How are we to support him?” Scott Arnold, an associate professor of writing at William Penn University, told the Des Moines Register. “And he told me to support Obama.”

Newt, who has a lesbian half-sister who is also an Obama supporter, has come out for a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, which he has called a “temporary aberration that will dissipate.”

In Iowa — and the primaries in general — Newt’s campaign relies heavily on evangelical voters who do not trust Mitt Romney. Nevertheless, telling someone you don’t want their vote is not typical of a presidential candidate and certainly not a winning approach in the general election.

“[Y]ou expect them to support all Americans and have everyone’s general interest,” Arnold told the register. “It’s a little bit frustrating and disheartening when you’re told to support the other side. That he doesn’t need your support.”

As a TPM commenter noted. That’s 10% of the country Newt just told to vote for the other guy. Great strategy.