Gay Lefties Call for HRC’s Solmonese to Step Down
Calling the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) “the nation’s largest gay Democratic Party front group,” left-of-center gay blogger Michael Petrelis echoes Andrew Sullivan’s criticism of its president, Joe Solmonese, and calls on the Obama Administration shill to resign:
I cannot accept the notion that Solmonese is among the best and the brightest gay leaders, worthy of following in any political battle before us. He was just okay during the Bush/Cheney years, but is totally unequipped to get assertive with President Barack Obama and his advisors.
Let Solmonese step down from HRC and go back to working on abortion rights. And, please, dear Gay Gods, let HRC find a new leader with a backbone and real pride, someone non-HRC donors can respect.
And someone who is more interested on advancing gay interests than denigrating Republican ones. Solmonese, a former “CEO of EMILY’s List, where he oversaw the effort to elect progressive [read: Democratic], pro-choice women across the country,” sees more interested in building “partnerships” with his erstwhile (and ever) allies on the left than in reaching out beyond the narrow confines of left-wing circles.
Now even left-wingers are finding Solmonese’s strategy to be a fail.
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Got an e-mail from HRC with the subject line Momentum is Building. Think that’s what it was about? ;P
Comment by ThatGayConservative — October 14, 2009 @ 6:19 pm - October 14, 2009
Abortion rights? As a pro-life gay man, I want to protect the rights of those about-to-be-born gays so that parents don’t abort them just because they don’t want a gay child. Gays should be among the most pro-life since gay children, along with Down’s Syndrome babies, are the most likely to be aborted.
Comment by Ashpenaz — October 14, 2009 @ 6:37 pm - October 14, 2009
He worked for EMILY’s List? Oh my. I don’t think I could any less respect for him than right now…
Comment by John — October 14, 2009 @ 7:01 pm - October 14, 2009
Oh yes you can, John.
Once you see what he did at EMILY’S List.
It’s nice to see that after almost three years of bitching about it, people are starting to pay attention.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — October 14, 2009 @ 9:30 pm - October 14, 2009
All I can say about the gay left beginning to wake up is: Schadenfreude.
Comment by Leah — October 14, 2009 @ 9:57 pm - October 14, 2009
I’m not surprised, NDT. I truly am not.
Gee, and think of all those accusations flung at conservative, liberatarian, or just plain non-Democrat voting gays by the liberals… Kinda puts things into perspective, no?
Comment by John — October 14, 2009 @ 11:29 pm - October 14, 2009
Color me unimpressed by a lefty blogger finally getting fed up with Solmonese’s stupidity.
It’s because most gay Americans share Petrelis’, uh, “progressive” politics that fools like Solmonese end up running orgs like HRC in the first place.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — October 15, 2009 @ 1:25 am - October 15, 2009
What the HRC needs is a strong conservative leader. I nominate B. Daniel Blatt!!!
Comment by Dave_62 — October 15, 2009 @ 4:39 pm - October 15, 2009
Why would you want to punish GPW that way?
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — October 16, 2009 @ 10:57 pm - October 16, 2009