NOM's Brian Brown On Mehlman

NOM president Brian Brown spoke to the Advocate's Kerry Eleveld about Ken Mehlman.

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, told The Advocate that Mehlman was "abdicating core Republican beliefs" in his support for AFER's legal effort in challenging Prop. 8. "But it's never been about the leaders. It's always been about the people, based on an overwhelming majority of Republican voters -- 85, 86 percent -- who support marriage as a union between a man and a woman," he said. "That a few folks within the Republican Party are questioning a party platform and have personal positions on same-sex marriage is a reality of political parties. [Mehlman] is no longer a major party leader, so I don't know how influential he is, to be honest with you." Marriage equality advocates, Brown said, are using high-profile conservatives now supporting marriage equality -- from Ted Olson to vice president Dick Cheney -- in order to "create an impression that there is an inevitability to same-sex marriage. The facts strongly go against that idea."

It's almost amazing that Brown would blithely quote such a poll result to a gay reporter. Almost.