Gay Couple Owns Jebbushforpresident.com And Has Epic Plans For It

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Charlie Rainwater (L) and CJ Phillips: Image via?The Oregonian

C. J. Phillips and Charlie Rainwater have a message for Jeb Bush: they own a domain name?he wants, and they don’t plan to sell it. Not now and maybe never.

Phillips and Rainwater, who work for a major electronics company in Oregon, bought the domain name Jebbushforpresident.com?several years ago in anticipation that the younger Bush might make a run for President in 2016. Even though they could probably make a small fortune selling the domain to the Bush campaign, they’ve decided to use the site to discuss same-sex marriage and other issues which affect the LGBT community. Philips and Rainwater, you see, are gay and in a committed relationship. They have been together for 18 years.

The two men describe themselves as “high-tech bears,” and their mission, Phillips says, is very simple:

?We didn’t see LGBT equality getting any better. And we felt said rights would more than likely still be in the spotlight in the run up for the next several election cycles. Jeb’s name was already being bandied about in the news as a potential presidential candidate, and we felt sure he’d be running in a future election.?We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be awesome for people looking for Jeb Bush to learn about LGBTQ issues whether they liked it or not.'”

Jeb Bush, who has formed a exploratory committee, is largely expected to seek the GOP nomination for President. He has said he is personally opposed to same-sex marriage on religious grounds but believes the decision should be made by the states. In January, Bush, when asked about marriage by same-sex couples, said:

“We live in a democracy, and regardless of our disagreements, we have to respect the rule of law.”

The men admit they are somewhat conflicted about whether or not to sell the domain name if they are offered an outrageous sum of money by the Bush camp. However, they expect it’s a lot more likely someone or some group will try to take the site from them via legal means. If that should happen, they have been offered free legal help.

Meanwhile, Jebbushforpresident.com is likely to become one of the hottest sites on the Internet, and it probably won’t be because people want to learn more about Jeb.

 

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.