Former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., didn’t mince words when he laced into his former Republican colleagues for their opposition to gay marriage, reports the Hill.
“What is this homophobic strain in our party?” the outspoken former lawmaker asked in an interview posted Thursday by the Los Angeles Times.
While public opinion polls have showed a majority of Americans now support gay marriage, only one Republican senator — Rob Portman of Ohio — has voiced support for gay marriage.
Portman made the announcement last week, citing his son's homosexuality for his change of heart.
Simpson also blasted his former Republican colleagues for comments on abortion that many believe led to GOP losses in last year's elections.
"It's terrible. ... But it's a deeply intimate and personal thing," Simpson said.
“Men legislators shouldn't even vote on it.”
The former lawmaker also singled out Tea Party Republicans who have signaled an unwillingness to negotiate with the White House and congressional Democrats.
“Some of them are as rigid as a fireplace poker, but without the occasional warmth,” he said.
“Let me tell you something, pal,” Simpson said. “If you are a legislator and you can't learn to compromise an issue without compromising yourself, get out of the business.
In fact, don't ever get married, either. You don't want any part of that.”
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