A CNN contributor and GOP strategist condescendingly lectured opponents of legalized same-sex marriage on Tuesday night's Erin Burnett OutFront, scoffing that they need to "get in to the 21st century" and ditch the "losing political issue."
"It should not be a banner issue for the Republican Party," Ana Navarro claimed before insisting that same-sex marriage is "the most rapidly evolving social issue we have seen in our lifetime." She added that "folks who are in denial about this that have to get out of the closet. They have to wave goodbye to the GEICO caveman and step out gingerly and carefully into the brave new world." [Video below the break. Audio here.]
That's how CNN's Republican mouthpiece lectured her audience. Opponents of legal same-sex marriage aren't just wrong; they're living in the last century.
Navarro continued to ooze condescension. "And Republicans, Democrats, we all have to realize that we cannot pray away the gay. We cannot shut our eyes at this point, say we want to go back to Kansas and make the children of the gay couples go away. Make the gay couples go away."
At CNN, anchors are already comparing the issue to civil rights and tarring opponents as akin to segregationists. And even the network's Republican mouthpiece is paddling Americans to "get in to the 21st century."
Below is a transcript of the segment, which aired on Erin Burnett OutFront on March 26 at 7:08 p.m. EDT:
ERIN BURNETT: Dr. Richard Land, though, another influential voice, religious voice in the Republican Party, leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that young members of his community are over this. And I want to quote what he said, because it's a little bit different than what Ralph just said, and get your reaction. He said "Basically," talking about the young people, "they just don't think it's something we want to talk about. They say, 'it feels intolerant. We believe what we believe, they have a right to what they want to believe. Marriage should be a church thing, not a legal thing.'" That's not a repudiation of the issue here, but that is saying let's not make it an issue for our party.
ANA NAVARRO, CNN contributor: And I think that's -- I think that's the right way to go about it. It should not be a banner issue for the Republican Party, but Republicans and everybody else has got to acknowledge that this is the most rapidly evolving social issue we have seen in our lifetime. And it is at this point that folks who are in denial about this that have to get out of the closet. They have to wave goodbye to the GEICO caveman and step out gingerly and carefully into the brave new world. Gay couples are a part of the fiber of society, and it is because gay couples agree that the institution of marriage is such an important part of our society that they want to be part of it.
Nobody wants to tinker with traditional marriage. Nobody wants to negatively impact traditional marriage in any way. They just want to be part of that tradition. And Republicans, Democrats, we all have to realize that we cannot pray away the gay. We cannot shut our eyes at this point, say we want to go back to Kansas and make the children of the gay couples go away. Make the gay couples go away. They are our neighbors, they are our sisters, they are our brothers. They are Republicans. Just on the way over here, Erin, I got an e-mail from a friend of mine who has been a Republican donor for many years. A former CEO of a major corporation, telling me he was not going to give any more money, any more donations to any person who came out against gay marriage. And who, you know, was strident over it. So not only is it a reality, it's also a losing political issue. Time to get in to the 21st Century.
