Scott Tibbs
Submitted to the Indiana Daily Student
March 01, 2004

Back to Short Writings.

Brostoff's departure leaves no void in GOP

To the Editor:

In the March 1 Indiana Daily Student, Mark Brostoff says "there comes a time when you have to put issues above politics." This is not the first of those times, because Brostoff defected from the Democratic Party in 1997 after Democratic Mayor John Fernandez cut funding for the city's ice rink.

Brostoff left the Democratic Party for the Republicans one year after the Republican Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing states not to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. President Bill Clinton then signed the DOMA into law.

It would be nice if the local media would get their facts straight when reporting the news. Brostoff is not a two-time candidate for City Council. He is a three-time candidate for City Council, with a failed effort in the 1995 Democratic primary along with his failed efforts as a Republican in 1999 and 2003. While the Herald-Times made the same mistake, that is not an excuse for the IDS.

Does Brostoff plan to go back to the Democrats over the homosexual marriage issue? That would not accomplish a whole lot, considering that the Democrats' likely nominee, John Kerry, opposes homosexual marriage. Locally, State Rep. Peggy Welch (also a Democrat) not only supports but also is co-sponsoring an amendment to the Indiana Constitution banning homosexual marriage. The other alternative, the Green Party, is not likely to be a major party any time soon.

Brostoff cannot expect social conservatives to put aside their views on issues like homosexual marriage to suit his own views. This is especially true for Christians who, like President Bush, believe Scripture prohibits homosexual behavior. (Conservative Christians are the base of the GOP.) I left the Democratic Party eleven years ago when it became apparent that the party of Bill Clinton did not reflect my conservative views. Instead of expecting the Democrats to conform to what I wanted, I found a place where my views are shared.

Finally, I wish Brostoff had his epiphany about individual liberty when he was publicly calling for Indiana University to censor Professor Eric Rasmusen's web log on the mypage.com server.