Scott Brown’s plans for an endorsement today by famed Lowell boxer Micky Ward, of “The Fighter” fame, were cancelled after Ward said he learned about the Massachusetts Republican’s stance on labor unions and gay marriage.
The Sun of Lowell reported this morning that Ward told the newspaper on Thursday he “admired Brown’s spirit and respected the way he could ‘go out there and listen and talk like a guy who is positive and wants to do right by us.’”
But the paper said Ward called back about a half-hour later to reverse his decision.
“I can’t support Scott Brown,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “I just can’t do it.”
The former boxer added: “I found out Scott (Brown) is anti-union and I’m a Teamster guy. I found out he’s also against gay marriage, and I say if you love someone, you should have the same rights no matter who you are.”
Republicans need to get used to such embarrassing scenes, as a growing majority of people support marriage equality. It is time that the Religious Right was evicted from the GOP, so the party can be in tune with the rest of America. This issue is not going away — but the stranglehold of social conservatives on Republicans will have to if the GOP wants to be a majority party in future elections.
