Wall St. Journal Highlights GOProud’s Formation
Big kudos to Chris Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia for this outstanding coverage of the formation of our new gay conservative organization, GOProud.
William McGurn writes in his WSJ column today:
Some of these issues are explored at GayPatriot.org, whose founder, Bruce Carroll, is also on the board of GOProud. From the disastrous economic policies of Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Barney Frank to the outing of gay Republicans to the importance of male sexual monogamy, this conservative site offers a perspective you just won’t see anywhere else. Even on hot-button social issues, it can make for some strange bedfellows.
Take abortion. Christopher Barron, GOProud’s chairman of the board, points to an example from a few years back, when a Maine state legislator introduced a bill that would have outlawed abortion for a child thought to be gay, in the event genetic testing ever reached that point. That politician, Mr. Barron says, received virtually no support from gay groups. Though he himself is pro-choice, he says, “I want pro-life gays to know they have a home here.”
Whatever else it is, these are not your father’s gay Republicans. To the contrary, GOProud springs from a growing dissatisfaction among some gay Republicans that the Log Cabin Republicans, the traditional gay advocacy group within the party, has drifted to the point where its positions are indistinguishable from those of the left. It didn’t help when the Washington Blade chimed in with a report that Log Cabin’s biggest contributor, Tim Gill, is a Democrat.
Messrs. LaSalvia and Barron are themselves former officers for the Log Cabin Republicans. They know they belong to a defeated party that has no clear leaders but is now making decisions that will determine that party’s future in the years to come. They say they have formed GOProud in part to participate in that conversation — as conservatives who want to contribute to the team.
The ironies are legion. Since the loss of Congress and Mr. McCain’s defeat in November, any number of people have come forward to suggest that if the party ever wants to win again, it has to abandon its conservative principles. What does it say about the Beltway’s established ideological boxes that it is the gay wing of the Republican Party which is now advocating for a return to the party’s Reaganite roots?
We are now the “gay wing” of the Republican Party. Awesome. Thanks for the recognition of our new group, Mr. McGurn.
I hear a lot of gay liberals heads exploding today. Andrew Sullivan’s brain matter is probably on the floor, too.
*pop*Â *pop*Â *pop*
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
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POP! POP! POP!
Doesn’t matter if they all end up like Orville Redenbacher’s, Bruce. There’s more substance in a kernal of popcorn than there is in a liberal’s mind.
GOProud 2010 – starting with Capitol Hill!
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 12:49 pm - April 14, 2009
“Tantrum Throwers”
“Rightwing terrorists”
“Joos for Hitler!”
Just hardening you up for the inevitable left-wing epithets.
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 1:02 pm - April 14, 2009
LOL. Another irrelevant right gay group that sold its soul. Pathetic.
Comment by buckeyenutlover — April 14, 2009 @ 1:12 pm - April 14, 2009
#3 – See #1 above.
The shoe fits, Imelda. Wear it.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 1:21 pm - April 14, 2009
You guys don’t really out gay Republicans, do you? I don’t think you do this or advocate it, but it’s a little unclear from the WSJ piece… it is, after all, sandwiched between two other issues with which you apparently agree. I’m a gay conservative, and while I would really like to be out in the future, for complicated personal reasons, I’m not yet, beyond some family and friends. I think that as long as a person isn’t being a hypocrite (ex. supporting FMA, speaking out against homosexuality, etc.) he or she should be able to come out (or not) in his or her own way. Some people do not want to be defined by their sexuality any more than a straight person would be, and they might never want to come out; it is a private matter, period. I’m not really in this category, but I do want to come out on my own, not by having it broadcast by a third party.
Maybe you could clarify? Thanks.
Comment by Not out yet — April 14, 2009 @ 1:26 pm - April 14, 2009
What a great way to wake up that article was!
I emailed it to everyone I know.
Best wishes,
-MFS
Comment by MFS — April 14, 2009 @ 1:35 pm - April 14, 2009
The GOP does need to return to its Conservative roots. Way too often it gets involved in social issues. Sometimes, it is necessary to stop what the Democrats are doing, but, really, at a national level, these issues, like gay marriage, do not belong.
If states want to get involved, well, that is their right under the 10th. Still, these issues are best left to individuals and private groups, per the 9th Amendment. Not for the elected officials. They, and we, would be better off spending our time on (I can’t believe I am going to write this, as many times as I have mocked this talking point) on the issues that really matter.
No group should have more rights then any other, no matter what race, faith, or sexual orientation. We should all have the same rights.
How does someones gay marriage, or being gay, affect anyone else? It’s not my business unless someone makes it. This is America, where a person should be free to be who they are.
Roots. Limited taxation, limited federal government, States and individual rights, reduced social engineering. You know the hit parade.
With all due respect to the Social Conservatives, they are exactly one of the main problems with the GOP. True conservatism, ie, Classical Liberalism, has at its core limited interference in the Moral, Economic, and Political cores by government. Let’s take that back.
Comment by William Teach — April 14, 2009 @ 1:59 pm - April 14, 2009
The l-i-b–e-r-t-a-r-i-a-n POV Teach expresses exists only in the context where there is both a strong set of cultural values and social mechanisms other than government to enforce them.
Currently, our culture is so steeped in moral relativism that there are no shared moral values. And because people are not allowed to be “judgmental,” there are no strong social mechanisms to enforce them. Activist social conservatism is primarily a pushback against the amorality and secularization of modern culture.
As for gay marriage, if a man moves into a neighborhood of families and runs a house of ill-repute, how does this affect the neighbors? In theory, it should not, but in the real world, it will have a corrosive and degrading effect on the morality and social norms of the neighborhood.
Since gay marriage advocates want only the privileges and trappings of marriage, but are unwilling to make lifelong commitment and exclusivity … the values that make marriage socially valuable … required conditions, the effect on the institution is corrosive.
And, for the record, straights ought to also make those values a condition of marriage, if they are serious about preserving the institution.
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 2:17 pm - April 14, 2009
Liberty produces conservatism, not vice-versa. Government intervention usually produces the need for more government; likewise, small government (liberty, in this case) produces more self-reliance, meaning the necessity of conservative choices such as facing the consequences of one’s decisions. Modern liberalism is the mitigation of consequences in the form of other citizens bearing their social burden and more specifically of other taxpayers bearing their financial burden.
If a “shared moral value” is that government does not exist to take care of people, other moral values usually take care of themselves.
Comment by Ignatius — April 14, 2009 @ 2:55 pm - April 14, 2009
#5 – “You guys don’t really out gay Republicans, do you?”
If you are talking about the true conservative patriots on this blog, the answer is NO. I can’t say anything about the pathetic, whiny, perpetually indignant liberals on this board (hello, NDJ and Nutty Lover).
Anyone who outs another without his/her consent is just as guilty of bigotry as the others they claim to disdain.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 2:55 pm - April 14, 2009
I wonder how LCR will handle you guys. Will they stay classy? Or will they whisper insults straight from the Gay Left? (or perhaps shout them)
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — April 14, 2009 @ 2:58 pm - April 14, 2009
This really is good. I wish I’d had this kind of support when I was a teenager coming to terms with my sexuality. I hope young gays will see that there’s more than one way to be gay, and at least one of those ways is moral, faithful, and healthy. Imagine the scene–a young man speaks to his parents: “Mom, Day–I’m gay. And here’s how you can save on your taxes.”
Comment by Ashpenaz — April 14, 2009 @ 2:58 pm - April 14, 2009
I think it’s more of a rump, actually, and will be treated as such by the homophobic Republicans whose respect you’ll never get.
Comment by Terrible Leftist — April 14, 2009 @ 3:00 pm - April 14, 2009
Yeah, Terrified Leftist. It’s a good thing the good progressives in the entertainment media would never ridicule gay stereotypes for the sake of a cheap laugh.
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 3:07 pm - April 14, 2009
(Funny how gay leftists delude themselves that their progressive plantation owners have any actual respect for them.)
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 3:08 pm - April 14, 2009
#13 – That is a big-ass PWN in my book, V. Kudos!
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 3:08 pm - April 14, 2009
Woops, there we go, a Typical Leftist Moonbat calling all Republicans homophobes. You know a lefty has completely lost an argument when they resort to this type of idiocy. The purpose is to put Conservatives on the defensive. But, I will say to all the lefties out there, which side treats homosexuals as people, and which treats them as a grievance group?
Comment by William Teach — April 14, 2009 @ 3:10 pm - April 14, 2009
#16 – Right on. You have just encapsulated one of Peter’s Principles of Politics #16 which states the following undeniable truth:
Conservatives appreciate you for WHO you are. Liberals appreciate you for WHAT you are.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 3:19 pm - April 14, 2009
Thank meow, Pete.
BTW, I note that GOProud was formed just in time to be labeled a right-wing terror group by the Obama DHS.
I exaggerate… a little… but imagine meow Olderdouche, Madcow, and Kos would have exploded if Bush had labeled non-violent left wing political groups as potential terror threats, and returning veterans as violent sociopaths.
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 3:37 pm - April 14, 2009
#18 – V, are you kidding??
Can you imagine the collective caterwauling from the LeftLibs if the Bush Administration had a file about “Left-Wing Extremism” and then-DHS Secretary Chertoff had called attention to “Left-Wing Radicals” in such a fashion? The calls for impeachment, who knew and when did they know, surpressing free speech, etc. would be in the news cycle for months!
And then the whole discussion on PMSNBC, PBS, CNN, etc. would be centered around calls for the immediate resignation from Bush Administration officials and it would be deafening.
But now? Nary a peep. They are just good little Stalinist tools who (in the words of Chrissy Matthews) “want to do everything to make this presidency work.”
Bias? What liberal media bias?
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 3:58 pm - April 14, 2009
I hear a lot of gay liberals heads exploding today.
Not this gay liberal. Good luck and best wishes on GOProud!
Comment by Pat — April 14, 2009 @ 4:19 pm - April 14, 2009
I was hoping to see one of those famous WSJ images of Bruce. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen any images of Bruce.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — April 14, 2009 @ 4:40 pm - April 14, 2009
Thanks Pat!!!
Comment by Bruce (GayPatriot) — April 14, 2009 @ 4:41 pm - April 14, 2009
#20 – Careful, Pat – one of your less-than-enlightened brethren on your side of the aisle may construe that remark as high treason! 😉
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 14, 2009 @ 5:50 pm - April 14, 2009
From the straight and married person who is a reader here :), I want to say congratulations for making this move.
Since I have been coming and reading I have a lot of respect for those truly conservative members of the group.
As a Christian, I stand by what I have always been taught. However, I believe that any Christian sect that teaches its members to go out and bash those who are gay, is not doing God’s work. I believe that the violence is wrong – I have been shocked about some of the bashing deaths that have been reported, especially those that have been instigated by “Christians”.
In politics your sexual preference should not determine your voting pattern. The left wing loonies have been taking advantage of the situation. I think that the push that we saw in the past was serving the left more than it was serving the gay community.
I agree that straight people also have to accept certain moral values. In other words straight people have just as many problems with family units where one or other partner is not being faithful. Then there is the issue of the ones who have one night stands. None of it is healthy for society as a whole.
Sexual preference should not be a part of the workplace – except where there is a possibility of causing compromise – and it should not be a part of politics. Sexual preference within politics has been milking a group of vulnerable people.
I hope that your movement will help to dissolve this particular problem and that you will succeed. 🙂
Comment by Aussie — April 14, 2009 @ 6:27 pm - April 14, 2009
Bruce, one of the interns in our office took my paper, clipped the article, made copies and walked them over to the HRC office, the UofM’s GLBT office and the AA City Diversity Office and posted them on their bullentin board.
*pop* *pop* *pop* to you!
Comment by Michigan-Matt — April 14, 2009 @ 7:34 pm - April 14, 2009
Best wishes.
Comment by Jeremayakovka — April 14, 2009 @ 7:45 pm - April 14, 2009
Houndtenor also doesn’t want to admit that the democrats compained that President Bush didn’t spend enough.
Comment by The_Livewire — April 14, 2009 @ 8:17 pm - April 14, 2009
I’m a radical right wing Republican and I’ll be supporting GOProud as will my wife. You people are confusing Republicans with Social Conservatives, many of whom vote Democrat as the whole Prop 8 fiasco proved.
Sorry lefties, real Republicans don’t hate gays.
Comment by Rob Taylor — April 14, 2009 @ 8:34 pm - April 14, 2009
How did Aussie get the C-word past the filter?
Comment by V the K — April 14, 2009 @ 9:17 pm - April 14, 2009
#28 Thank you Mr Taylor. I’m a gay conservative who is against gay marriage but for gay unions. Hooooosaa for GOProud I’m hoping it is a big tent.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 14, 2009 @ 10:22 pm - April 14, 2009
You really think that being nuttier-than-thou will earn you respect from the wingnuts. If there was anyone in need of some drugs, GOProud’s the one.
Comment by Terrible Leftist — April 14, 2009 @ 10:35 pm - April 14, 2009
And what analysis is that conclusion based upon? Or is it merely based on your bigoted hatred?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — April 15, 2009 @ 1:11 am - April 15, 2009
#31 Terrible Leftist asks:
As a wingnut, I can assure you that merit is all that matters. If a person is hung up on being respected as a dust bunny, then he forfeits his right to being taken seriously. If a person is committed to conservative solutions to huge problems caused by liberal psychobabble and misfeasance then his personal, lawful, private life is of no consequence.
And a little gay child shall lead us is just fine with me.
Comment by heliotrope — April 15, 2009 @ 9:17 am - April 15, 2009
ILC
I hope that the present LCR will be civil and amicable. In 1984, I and several other members left LC and formed the Liberty Bell Club, a chapter of the California Republican League. The issue was that LC was not a chartered club by the County Central Committee, because the CCC does not permit clubs endorsing a candidate in contested primaries.
A gay friendly candidate would earn an endosement. Liberty Bell was chartered by CRL so we felt our endorsements carried weight. In a conference held by the CCC on minorities , both Log Cabin and Liberty Bell were participants and there was no animosity between us. Relations were very cordial. I hope the same will be true with GOPround and LCR.
Comment by Roberto — April 15, 2009 @ 11:43 am - April 15, 2009
Roberto – I know that on a local level, LCR clubs are good and on a personal level, LCR guys tend to be classy.
What I question is the state of LCR National. National has shown that it is capable of running ads against President Bush in a high-stakes general election (2004)… capable of taking Tim Gill’s money… what else are they capable of? That’s the question I had in mind. But, time will tell and I hope you are right.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — April 15, 2009 @ 10:18 pm - April 15, 2009
Greetings fellow Charlottean.
Here’s wishing you the best at fixing the Republican party.
It’s going to be a tough journey, but I have faith in you, and your mission.
Comment by The Rude News — April 18, 2009 @ 8:44 pm - April 18, 2009
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