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November 02, 2007
The missing pink elephant
Posted by: Chris
Reuters published a helpful story today, reminding us that the Log Cabin Republicans are still in existence. The story focused mainly on how more gay Republicans, like the happy South Carolina gay couple above, are coming out and joining up.
It's a hopeful sign and also to be expected as the social climate even in conservative parts of the country becomes accepting of gays, at least on the personal level. (It brings to mind my grandfather's memorable reminder to me as a young boy about black people. "Not all of them are n***ers," he said, peeling away the first layer of bigotry anyway.)
The Reuters article notes in passing that Log Cabin won't be endorsing a candidate for president in this election cycle. If true, that decision is as much a head-scratcher as the attack ad the group released on Mitt Romney, which avoided all mention of his flip-flips on gay rights issues.
I understood and agreed with Patrick Guerriero's decision in the 2004 election cycle to refuse to endorse President Bush, given his support for a federal constitutional amendment banning states from marrying gay couples. But three of the top four candidates in the GOP primary — Giuliani, McCain and Thompson — oppose that same amendment.
And one candidate — Rudy Giuliani — backs workplace protections, hate crime laws and domestic partner recognition. He has also said he's in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," although he has backed off that pledge during the campaign, saying a time of war is no time to make such a change.
There are all sorts of disappointments in how Rudy has handled gay issues during the campaign, but there's also little surprise, given that Log Cabin has been virtually invisible, and there's no sign that they've encouraged or pressured or had any contact whatsoever with the Giuliani campaign.
The Log Cabin Republicans have been forever the subject of much grief within the gay community because of the GOP's horrendous gay rights record. But as former president Rich Tafel was fond of saying, the movement needs them there at the table, making the case for our equality within the Republican Party. And to be at that table, Log Cabin has to continually pay its dues, which means backing Republicans whenever it can, even though that's enormously unpopular within the gay activist crowd.
Rudy Giuliani, for all his faults, has by far the best record of any serious GOP presidential candidate, much less frontrunner. Log Cabin ought to be vocally supporting him and prepared to endorse him.
For a complete news summary of gay issues in the Republican presidential primary, click or bookmark: gaynewswatch.com/gopprimary
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Comments
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I found this line from the Reuters story humorous:
"The Log Cabin Republicans ... takes its name from Abraham Lincoln's humble origins ..."
Um, no. They take their name from their credence in the scholarship that suggests Lincoln was gay or had gay tendencies. Unless you conflate "humility" and homosexuality.
As for Giuliani, I don't know how much Log Cabin has been pressuring him, but I can tell you that they definitely support him -- at least, quietly.
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Journalist Capehart sent all GOPs invitations for an interview, including Giuliani, and they did not respond. You're painting Giuliani as too gay-friendly, when all throughout his campaign he has been separating himself from us like the plague. The only reason why he cooperated with NY LGBT-relevant bills is because the state itself is more or less liberal, not to mention that it has a high gay population, thus meaning votes.
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By the way, I don't know if Brent is being ironic, but there was nothing about that FreeRepublic link that shows those cretins "embracing" gay Republicans.
Yes, the Reuters story was posted, but the guy posting it immediately ranted about how he doesn't trust "homosexual activist groups." And it only goes downhill from there: It is almost impossible to find a comment that is not the typical spittle-flecked, knuckle-dragging Freeper bilge.
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"Rudy Giuliani, for all his faults, has by far the best record of any serious GOP presidential candidate, much less frontrunner. Log Cabin ought to be vocally supporting him and prepared to endorse him."
This is a very naive attitude. Log Cabin knows exactly what they are doing. To opnely endorse Guiliani now would tremedously damage his conservative credentials and in essence force him to speak out even more forcefully against the gay agenda.
Log Cabin is indeed going to endorse Guiliani but they are waiting until he gets the GOP nomination first. They have cut a deal with Guiliani's staff and that was not negotiable. Log Cabin has to lay low or otherwise risk damaging a candidate. No frontrunner in the GOP wants to be known as a favorite of the SF values crowd.
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Keith,
....Log Cabin has to lay low or otherwise risk damaging a candidate....
Why don't they just go away for good? Dissappear via an "Act of God"?
What's the point of having an organization if you can't even ride on the back of the bus?
Isn't it kind of funny, you want to support people(the GOP)who if they knew you were supporting them, would piss in your face.
I don't think Water Sports and Politics belong together.
Perhaps I'm confused.
(ok, that's the cue for everyone to attach HRC, who conduct business openly and honestly)
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Sorry. Typo. ATTACK, not attach.
You can attach yourself to HCR, that's cool too.
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"What's the point of having an organization if you can't even ride on the back of the bus?"
As Log Cabin officials like Rich Tafel have said over and over again that true civil rights will only come from the GOP. GLBT people can only affect change while being on the inside of these groups.
It is the exact same strategy of African-American groups who fund, work for, and support white power groups like Aryan Nation. Blacks are smart enough to know that they can't take the Democrat Party for granted. Only by pouring dollars and support into white racist groups and the American Nazi Party will they be able to achieve full equality by creating change from the inside.
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Abdul,
Thank you.
You've educated me and now, only now, I see the light.God Bless You!!! And all of Lincoln's Lovers.
Merry Christmas!!!!
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Somebody write this down. I actually agree with Double T on something. If Log Cabin is lying low because they're afraid that saying nice things about Rudy will hurt his chances, then they are acting like they are part of his campaign and not a gay rights group.The strategy may well be to stay quiet until after the race is decided, and then help Rudy tack back to the center. If so, then Log Cabin is making the mistake of putting the candidate's interest over their own. There's no point in having gay-friendly candidates if you buy into the notion that the only way they can win is if they run away from us.
Log Cabin ought to be pressuring all the candidates to be better on gay issues. Sure LCR's influence within the party is minimal, but that's not the point. LCR has been at its best when it leverages media coverage and moderate pressure on the GOP to be better on gay issues or, in the alternatives, show true homophobic colors.
Lying low is a recipe for nothing but irrelevance.
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Chris,
1)I'm as shocked as you that the two of us agree on ANYTHING.2)Here's the problem(please note, Reg. Dem. Speaking) If the Boys(and Girls) of the Log Cabin want to help, truly help.
They need to drag the GOP back to it's "roots". Classical Conservatism, Smaller Gov't. Individual Privacy and Less Taxes. And drive the party away from Religious Conservatives who believe the Bible and not the U.S. Constitution is our guiding document.
I don't agree with all of these things ( small gov't? as if )But here is where there strengths are.
Don't run and hide. Play to your strengths.
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Helen Keller, The Open Door (1957)
P.S. CC, have you made the “move” yet?
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Well, quoting Hellen Keller, a renowned communist, isn't the best way to appeal to most conservatives, DT *giggle*.
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Even though Rudy Giuliani has not publicly stated he would support an amendment to ban gay marriage, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council is saying Giuliani promised him privately he would support this amendment if the Defense of Marriage Act appeared to be failing or if multiple states began to legalize same-sex marriages.
All of the Republican candidates are running away from whatever gay positive positions they may once have had, including Giuliani.
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Yes, I know she went "pink", but I love the quote, and it's really true.
Takes a blind woman to teach the world to see.
What's not to love about that?
P.S. In all fairness to the lady, what she understood as communism isn't what we understand it as. (yeah, I'll get beat up for saying that )
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Kowalski,
...All of the Republican candidates are running away from whatever gay positive positions they may once have had, including Giuliani.....
And that's a tragedy, it's not Gay rights we want, just the same rights.
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She may be a good candidate. I believe she will do a big change.
The comments to this entry are closed.
Brent on Nov 2, 2007 2:37:48 PM:
At the top Republican site FreeRepublic, gay Republcans are even being embraced by those with family values. Times certainly are changing: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920092/posts