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Loading ...McCain adviser meets gay Republicans
09.04.2008 11:57pm EDT
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) The McCain campaign’s senior adviser Steve Schmidt met with Log Cabin Republicans Thursday, a day after the gay GOP group endorsed John McCain for president.
“I want to pay my respects to your organization on behalf of the campaign. Your organization is an important one in the fabric of our party,” Schmidt told the organization at a lunch in Minneapolis hosted by Log Cabin to honor openly gay convention delegates.Schmidt has served as day-to-day campaign manager since early July.
“Keep fighting for what you believe, because the day is going to come,” Schmidt told the group.
“The Campaign’s efforts to reach out to Log Cabin members are reflective of Sen. McCain’s inclusive record and indicative of the type of campaign he is running,” said Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon. “Log Cabin is proud to support Senator McCain in this important election.”
Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter also spoke at the event.
Log Cabin’s endorsement of McCain was not unexpected, but prompted a rebuke from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT rights organization.
“[McCain] actively campaigned for a constitutional amendment that would have banned marriage and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in his home state of Arizona,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
“He went so far as to appear in television commercials for that campaign, is now supporting an amendment to strip marriage equality from California couples and has said that he would vote for a federal marriage amendment if laws already banning marriage equality were to be struck down by federal courts,” Solmonese said.
Log Cabin Republicans endorsed then-Governor George W. Bush in 2000, but declined to endorse President Bush in 2004—largely over the president’s push for a federal anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment and his decision to use gay people as a wedge issue in winning re-election.
I finally have to aprt ways with the LCR. It was easy for me, a political conservative, to vote Republican when neither party supported gay rights to any meaningful exten, and it will be easy for me to vote Republican again when both parties do.
Until then, though, my worth as an American, and hteneed to recognize my basic civil rights, to be married, to serve in the military openly, to be free from discriminaiton in the workplace and from bullying in the schools has to outweigh my conservative political shading. We can endure 4 years of governance by the Democratic party – that has happened a lot over the past 120 years and the Republic hasn’t crumbled. I cannot vote to perpetuate the power of those who deny that I am their equal.
John: I am an economist by training. A lot of the things Obama has proposed in terms of economic policy are completely absurd. But non-economists (e.g. all or nearly all of the people who comment here regularly) would not know that.
McCain isn’t much better, which is why I’m not entirely sure who to vote for, to be perfectly honest. Either way, neither candidate understands economics and neither candidate will get us out of the mire people think we’re currently in.
I don’t like President Bush, but that doesn’t mean Bush is responsible for high prices for food and gasoline or for any portion of the population’s lack of access to health services. Neither candidate has proposed means to deal with the high price of gasoline besides off-shore drilling because, in all seriousness, there’s not much you *can* do to affect prices from a public policy perspective that doesn’t end up with really negative side-effects. Prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand, not by politicians who get into office. The same thing goes for food.
In particular, the prices have been rising due to increasing demand in East Asia. One might also say that OPEC acts monopolistically in the marketplace, and perhaps that ought be investigated as well. Even if both were true, there’s little we can do to curtail increaed demand for oil in China short of bombing them into the stoneage, and I really hope no one thinks that such an absurd possibility is a good idea.
gew: Regarding Republicans bringing same-sex marriage to California and Massachusetts, yes, actually. In California, the majority opinion for the court in the In re Marriage case was penned by the Chief Justice Ronald George, a Republican. I don’t have information on her party affiliation, but Margaret Marshall, the Chief Justice of Massachusetts, was appointed by a Republican governor (and therefore probably is a Republican herself).
Jim: I didn’t really read your post, since you included a reference to the Nazis. My only response to that is Godwin’s Law. You automatically lose the discussion, regardless of what your opinion was.
For the record, if anyone is interested, I’m a registered Democrat and usually vote Democratic. But I hate fanaticism. A lot.
Reagan said it best — “There he goes again.” Bush promised inclusion of all through “compassionate conservatism.” Now McCain’s campaign says “‘Keep fighting for what you believe, because the day is going to come,’ Schmidt told the group.”
Yes, our day of total equal rights will come but we will get NO help or encouragement from McCain. If you honestly believe differently, I’ve got a great bridge in D.C. I’ll sell you at a rock bottom price.
Republicans claim the economy’s downturn is imaginary while also claiming they’re the ones who’ll repair it. In other words, there’s no tumor there, but by golly, they’re gonna cut something out. Whether you’re gay or not, it makes no sense to vote for them unless you’re a multimillionaire or you think dinosaur bones are just God’s way of testing your faith.
Sadly, about half of the American people, including a lot of gay guys, fall into at least one of those two categories or are still waiting to be part of the first one.
Pity to all the Log Cabin Uncle Toms!
Kari – It’s that there can be only ONE thing on the plate at a time? Come on, it’s descrimination, period. Justify it any way you want, but I doubt Jews for Hitler would have been very popular either. LCRs just don’t get it. How can they continue, again and again, to suckle up to the pig that again and again, votes against GLBT interests at every turn?
Stupidity comes to mind.
“The Campaign’s efforts to reach out to Log Cabin members are reflective of Sen. McCain’s inclusive record and indicative of the type of campaign he is running,” said Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon. “Log Cabin is proud to support Senator McCain in this important election.”
Really, Patrick? If that’s the case, then do tell us why LGBT voters weren’t mentioned or acknowledged by anyone at the convention if we’re an important part of the fabric of the GOP? You call that inclusivity? You also paint Palin as gay friendly? So why did she not mention us this week? Its pretty obvious to me that we are NOT respected, let alone recognized by your party, the party of hate.
This is so disappointing as a Gay American. When are the LCR going to realize that it is only a matter of time before they feel the impact of their hypocrisy!
I get that gay Repubs say the economy is more important than human rights. It’s sick, but I get it. But is this Republican-generated economy really what we want more of? Skyrocking national dept, inflation, foreclosure crisis, plummeting stock market, severe trade deficit? What I don’t get is why they still think Republicans are strong on the economy. Aside from promises to lower taxes (just what we need with rising spending), what is the Republican economic plan?
Josh, Senator Obama’s position on same sex marriage requires a closer look. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Obama is opposed to amending the California State constitution to prohibit same sex marriage. So, in California, Obama is for maintaining the current ability of same sex couples to marry and thus in favor of same sex marriage in California. McCain is not. Their positions on same gender marriage are different, it just takes a little bit of intelligence to see this.
Lemme see now…
The Log Cabin Republicans hope to bring reform for the GLBTA community by working from within.
They came into existence in the late 70’s I believe. That’s what, roughly 40 years?
Now, were those Republican appointed Republican judges in Massachusetts and California who passed laws permitting same-sex marriage in both those states? I forget.
And I’m curious as to what OTHER strides they’ve made amongst their right wing Christian fundamenatlist Republican brethren?
And just who is it again exactly who so vociferously opposes gay-straight alliances in schools, and legislation protecting queer youth from bully and harassment in schools and seem ignorant of the high rate of teen suicide amongst queer youth?
Just how much of an impact in the last couple of elections did the LCRs, working tirelessly and at full throttle no doubt, have in preventing same-sex marriage from becoming a wedge issue?
I mean, just how long are they giving themselves to invoke REAL change in GLBTA issues before they determine a different approach must needs be taken.
How many queer youth have to die, or drop out of school in fear of their life or property, or get kicked out of homes and etc. etc. etc. ?
I mean, is there a certain number of dead and abused that must be reached, you know, a certain percentage point before anyone with any degree of conscience within the LCRs decides enough is enough?
I mean, it’s all well and good to have a spiff ol’ ideology and all, but at what expense. Why is a human life still sold so cheaply?
When do the so called moderates, finally decide to quit BEing so moderate and stand up to this inhumanity and CALL the perpetrators, who are more interested in their right to condemn than actually be a force for healing and good, on it; tell them they’re WRONG? Flat! Out! Wrong!?
And Kari, economic prosperity is exactly why we should vote for Obama. Were you better off under President Clinton when we had a booming economy, a surging stock market and rising wages and home values, or the last 8 years under the failed ecomonic policies of George w. Bush. McCain will be more of the same tired old Bush economic policies that have given us the mortgage meltdown, $4.00 a gallon gas, higher food costs, lower home values, more and more expensive health insurance with less coverage even if you can qualify for it. End these failed Bush economic policies by rejecting McCain, and voting for real change and better economic opportunity with Senator Obama. On top of all that, Obama has a vision of equality for us, and McCain does not. McCain doers not even support plain and simple protections against job discrimination for LGBT Americans. If you can’t work, you can’t make a living. That also is a pretty strong economic argument to vote for Obama.
Del: Gay equality isn’t the only issue on the plate. Our supposedly-weak economy seems far more important to me than getting marriage equality right now.
If we don’t have marriage equality, we suffer. If the US has a weak economy, we suffer financially, but so does the other 90% of the population. Utilitarianism would dictate that, if forced to choose between the two, economic improvements are more important.
@Del; Obama is against Same-Sex Marriage as well. In case you forgot.
We are legally married and John McCain is clearly against our equality as American Citizens, as a legally married couple and as an American Family. The LCR and the RNC are highly disrespectful of all Americans by their endorsement of McCain, to even claim that McCain is anything near a moderate on GLBT Equality – he is clearly anti-American, anti-marriage and anti-family!