TAMPA, Fla. — Calling her a modern-day Anita Bryant, The Tampa Bay Times has named Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi its “Loser” of the year, citing her “relentless defense” of the state’s same-sex marriage ban, which has been declared unconstitutional by a federal judge and four state judges.
Via the Tampa Bay Times:
Loser of 2014
Pam Bondi. It’s hard to imagine how someone who won re-election so handily (rival George Sheldon could not afford a single TV ad) could emerge from 2014 more wounded and diminished as our Republican attorney general. Put aside the unseemly junkets funded by groups seeking to influence her. Bondi’s clumsy communication skills and relentless defense of Florida’s gay marriage ban have made her a modern-day Anita Bryant. Antagonizing Florida’s gay voters over same-sex marriage and Hispanic voters over immigration reform ensures Bondi has a bright political future ahead of her — if she moves to Mississippi.
Bryant is an outspoken opponent of LGBT rights who in 1977 In 1977 led a highly publicized campaign to repeal an ordinance passed in Dade County, Fla., that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation..
A stay on the federal judge’s ruling striking down Florida’s gay marriage ban is set to expire at end-of-day on January 5, and same-sex couples are expected to begin marrying at one minute past midnight on January 6 — in at least one county, anyway.
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Legal wrangling continues elsewhere as Court Clerks wait for further direction from the court.
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