Candidate for lieutenant gov in Colorado: 'Do we allow a man to marry a sheep?'

Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez probably has a headache right about now. He picks Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland to run with him as the lieutenant governor candidate, and then an interview she did earlier this year on Rocky Mountain PBS's "Colorado State of Mind" surfaces, with her interesting comments about gays and marriage (Denver Post):

The host asked whether polls showing support for domestic partnership and a ban on gay marriage were "irreconcilable."

Rowland began her answer by noting that she has gay friends and respect for gays. [Uh, oh...you know what's coming...]


"But I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle," she said. "That doesn't make it a marriage. Some people have group sex," she said. "Should we allow two men and three women to marry? Should we allow polygamy with one man and five wives? For some people, the alternative lifestyle is bestiality. Do we allow a man to marry a sheep?

"I mean at some point you have to draw the line," she said.

Before this blew up, Beauprez called Rowland "a rock star" and was touted by the GOP for her ability to court the suburban soccer moms because "she's one of them" (as a former stay-at-home mom, and county child-protection caseworker). Rowland herself said she's followed a life path similar to "a lot of people."

Now she and Beauprez are now able to be described as "closed-minded" and "reflective of an 'intolerant, ignorant' ticket."

The Post article also quotes John Straayer, a Colorado State University political science professor, who noted that Beauprez didn't have much depth on the bench when he was looking to find the "right" Republican female to "balance" his ticket. Well he picked a winner, didn't he?

BTW, the Democrat running for governor, Bill Ritter, supports the domestic partner ballot initiative on the November ballot.

***

Columnist Jim Spencer of the Denver Post saw this train wreck coming back when Rowland said those remarks. She has since been doing damage control and attempted to "clarify" her remarks, only digging a deeper hole for herself. And are you surprised to learn that candidate Beauprez knew about her sheep follies? I didn't think so...

On Tuesday, I asked Rowland whether Beauprez knew about the bestiality remark when he invited her to join him.

"Yes," she said, "he certainly did know."

"She notified us that she made some regrettable statements," said Beauprez campaign manager John Marshall. "In the real world, people make mistakes. She's an unbelievably good candidate."

Rowland said people are taking her out of context. Here's a Web link:

www.rmpbs.org/csom060317b.mp3

Listen to the whole thing and decide.

On Tuesday, Rowland tried to clarify.

"The question I posed is: Where do we draw the line?" she said. "If marriage isn't between a man and woman - which I and the congressman believe it is - it can be between two men or two women. It can be between a threesome. It can be polygamy. I went on to give all the alternative lifestyles that people have a right to participate in. I probably stepped over the line by referring to bestiality. ..."

Probably?

There you go. That definitely clarified matters.

Hat tip, Karen T. in Boulder.