GayPatriot

The Internet home for American gay conservatives.

Open Letter to South Carolina Voters, GayPatriot Readers and GOProud Members

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It is with mixed feelings that I announce my resignation this morning from the gay conservative group GOProud that I helped found in 2009.  I was recently elected Vice Chairman of the organization in order to concentrate on expanding GOProud’s chapters and grassroots strength nationwide.

Last week, speculation grew in South Carolina and on social media outlets about my interest in challenging incumbent US Senator Lindsey Graham who has been in Congress for 18 years.

In the spirit of transparency and honesty, I informed my fellow GOProud board members that I could not dedicate the time to the organization while I seriously considered the effort it will take to challenge Senator Graham in the 2014 Primary.  

I felt it best to resign from GOProud in advance of the CPAC conference this week so that my position in GOProud would not be a distraction from my serious deliberations regarding my potential future plans in South Carolina public service.

I wish only the best to my colleagues and fellow supporters of GOProud moving forward and I’ll always do what I can to be helpful from the crowd.

Over the next few weeks, I will be studying the resources, time and effort it would take to do my part in holding Lindsey Graham accountable for his voting record and his attitude toward the voters in South Carolina.  

This is important: I do not make major decisions hastily; I will take adequate time to realistically look at all of the evidence (pro and con) and consult with a diverse group of people that I trust and that also have the best interests of South Carolina at heart as I do.

If I believe I could provide a serious alternative to Senator Graham for the voters of South Carolina, and I can find the financial and moral support to join me in that effort, then I will take those next formal steps needed to do so.

Someone needs to be the Conscience of South Carolina’s Voters during the 2014 Primary.  I hope I can accept that challenge.

Sincerely,

Bruce M. Carroll Jr.
York, South Carolina

National Review favors inclusion of GOProud at CPAC

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Busy with a number of projects today, including entertaining Bruce with whom I just had a nice lunch and to whom I just showed a gas station selling a gallon of regular for over $5, but did want to remind our readers despite the CPAC dustup, many conservative institutions favor the inclusion of gay conservatives.

Shortly, after returning home (from spending my early afternoon with Bruce where CPAC came up), I caught this headline on the National Review’s homepage:

Screen shot 2013-02-25 at 3.09.09 PM

On Sunday, Bruce reported that “nothing has changed [since] The CPAC Board voted before CPAC 2012 to remove GOProud as a sponsoring organization.” Today, the flagship conservative magazine offered “Five reasons CPAC should embrace the gay conservative group.”

CPAC’s decision to exclude this gay conservative group is not sitting well with all movement conservatives. Daniel Foster, the National Review’s news editor, makes a strong case for inclusion:

GOProud is consistently big-C “movement” conservative on the important issues — especially on fiscal policy and the size of government, but also on social issues such as abortion. After all, GOProud was founded by a couple of Log Cabin Republicans dissatisfied with that group’s Main-Street-partnership-style centrism. This alone is a pretty good reason for their inclusion at CPAC. But arguably more interesting, and more important for a powwow that’s ostensibly about making conservative advocacy more effective, is GOProud’s lower-case conservatism.

Read the whole thing.  Foster holds that “the move against GOProud does seem to be all downside.” Indeed.

Just another reminder about the broad-based conservative movement.  The current organizers of CPAC don’t speak for all conservatives.

GOPROUD & CPAC – Update

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I have been getting some emails and commenters have written about the situation regarding GOProud & CPAC this year.

Actually, nothing has changed.  The CPAC Board voted before CPAC 2012 to remove GOProud as a sponsoring organization.  There has been no news since then.

The recent Twitter fury about the issue resulted from a blogger noting that Chris Hayes, MSNBC host, was invited to be on a panel by CPAC.  She noted how odd it was to have a liberal commentator included, but GOProud still excluded.

That’s it.  But I thought it was worth a mention.

-Bruce (@GayPatriot)

Full Disclosure:  I am now Vice Chair of GOProud.

“Marriage Rights” and Motives

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Two events in the past few days have gotten me thinking, again, about the arguments for gay marriage.  On the one hand, there was the statement by GOProud on its support of gay marriage as an issue nationwide. And on the other, there was a recent article in The Atlantic on “The High Price of Being Single in America.”  The Atlantic article intrigues me because, in my reading of the article, it indirectly undermines some arguments for gay marriage by making the case that, for single people, at least, policy makers and other institutions haven’t necessarily been “fair” in granting special status to heterosexual marriage.  The “marriage isn’t fair to singles” argument, however, if fully unleashed, could have the potential to derail the case for gay marriage: after all, there are more singles (both straight and gay) than there are gays and lesbians in committed partnerships.

The Atlantic article is seriously flawed in both its methodology and its conclusions, but that is not why it interests me.  It interests me because, by making the “marriage isn’t fair to singles” argument, it unintentionally illustrates how far the “mainstream” case for gay marriage has deviated in recent years from the more thoughtful and high-minded case that was made for the issue at the time the first serious arguments for gay marriage began to appear widely in the popular press.  And the evolution (though perhaps devolution is the more apt term) of the argument in this way is completely apparent from the way in which those on the gay left greeted the GOProud announcement.

I believe that the push for gay marriage comes partly from two different places philosophically: one is the desire by gay couples to have the same sorts of legal and financial privileges as straight, married couples, which is a consequence of having written laws and policies designed to provide special status to married couples; but the second place it comes from is what has been called “the politics of recognition,” i.e., the desire of gay people to have their worth recognized or validated in some sense  through public policy. The second push comes more from a psychological need which might be emotionally appealing, but which doesn’t  necessarily qualify it as good policy. The first comes from a more legitimate grievance against a government with an interest in deciding which sorts of relationships are “more equal than others.” (The first motive–and kind of argument–is also, incidentally, key to winning over more  conservative and libertarian kinds of voters.)  The two different strands of the argument can exist together in a kind of symbiosis, but separated, they are potentially at odds with each other.

[Read more…]

GOProud Board Announces New Officers,
Expansion of GOProud’s Mission to Include State Work

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FYI.

Statement of the GOProud Board of Directors

(Washington, D.C.) – On Saturday January 12th, the GOProud Board of Directors met in Washington, D.C. At the conclusion of this meeting, the Board of Directors issued the following release:

“This weekend, the GOProud Board of Directors elected new officers for 2013. Lisa De Pasquale was elected to a full-term as the Chair of GOProud’s Board of Directors, Bruce Carroll was elected Vice-Chair and Jessica Lee was elected Secretary.

“The GOProud Board of Directors also voted unanimously to expand the organization’s mission to now include state work. Over the next few months, GOProud will be chartering state affiliates to help carry out the important work of the organization on the state and local level.

“GOProud has seen significant growth in the three and a half years since our founding. The GOProud Board has 100% confidence in the management team – led by Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia, and we look forward to continuing to work with our conservative and libertarian partners to improve the lives of all Americans – including gays and lesbians.”

I am thrilled to expand my role with GOProud and am looking forward to helping grow our grassroots capabilities all across the United States.

-Bruce (@GayPatriot)

GOProud Statement on the Aftermath of the Sandy Hook Shootings

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From GOProud today:

(Washington, D.C.) – “Words fail to describe the horror of the massacre at Sandy Hook. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims of this incomprehensible attack.

“As policy makers begin to look at how we can prevent further tragedies like this, we felt that it was important for us to weigh in as an organization. GOProud is an organization of constitutional conservatives – gay and straight alike. We believe that our Constitution is a sacred document and that the rights it grants should be protected and defended.

“In the weeks and months ahead, policy makers in Washington and in state capitols around the country will look to find ways to prevent another Sandy Hook from happening – these will be important and necessary debates. We hope that as they debate issues like preventing gun deaths, the impact of violent video games, and the role of our mental health system in this country that they will also remember our 1st Amendment right to free speech, our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, and our 5th Amendment right to due process.

“We urge lawmakers to heed the words of Benjamin Franklin, who cautioned: Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

-Bruce (@GayPatriot)

“Let’s Not Get All Crazy, Now!”
OR “Bruce’s Rebuttal to Dan’s Log Cabin Post”

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Dan wrote a post the other day reminding our readers that while he is the mainstay of content here at the blog, I have become “the Twitter guy.” He also underscored and that we are two different people though we agree a lot.

Today, we disagree!

I appreciate Dan’s enthusiasm with the Mitt Romney “qualified” endorsement by Log Cabin Republicans, but I’d like to throw some very cold water onto the parade and express my own views.

First, as always, I fully disclose that I am a founding board member of GOProud — a national organization of gay and straight Americans seeking to promote freedom by supporting free markets, limited government, and a respect for individual rights.

I supported the creation of GOProud specifically because Log Cabin Republicans had become a spokestool of the Gay Left. I’m glad that some are excited by their more recent move to embrace Republican candidates, but that hardly makes LCR a “conservative group.”

To the contrary, from the moment this blog was founded in 2004, I have documented the close ties that Log Cabin Republicans had, and still maintains, with Tim Gill — an ultra-left wing progressive activists whose Gill Foundation is a documented recipient of grants from George Soros.

So while I appreciate Dan’s nostalgia for the ideal of wanting Log Cabin Republicans to be what he and I hoped it would be — the fact remains it is not.

This endorsement of Mitt Romney is about as useful as handleless screwdriver. Sure looks like it will do the job, but you will never get anything done. That’s what Log Cabin promised in their “endorsement” — nothing. No action. Nada. Zip. Sitting on hands. Kaput. Zero.

In fact, the truth is at least one Log Cabin Board Member was threatening to quit if Log Cabin even brought the Romney vote to the board. Further, two local Log Cabin chapters urged their national board NOT to endorse Romney.

So while Dan has an affinity with Clarke Cooper that I don’t understand, the Log Cabin board are still bought and paid for shills of Tim Gill.

This is how Log Cabin’s “qualified endorsement” is being reported by the Associated Press.

A lengthy explanation released by Log Cabin Republicans under the banner “We Are Americans First” was part endorsement, part rebuke to a Republican Party whose standard-bearers the group said “appear to be caught up in an outdated culture war.” The group argued that Americans of all sexual orientations have suffered financially under President Barack Obama, and while Romney may not share all of their views, he could be worse.

“Mitt Romney is not Rick Santorum, and Paul Ryan is not Michele Bachmann. Otherwise, our decision would have been different,” the group said.

Damn. With friends like this, who needs enemies? Also, Log Cabin went out of its way to say it will not lift a finger to assist electing Mitt Romney. So what’s the point?

Far from reaching across differences to align with the conservative movement to defeat Barack Obama, Log Cabin has merely re-ignited the culture war meme that they claim they abhor. Hypocrites.

Let’s cut to the chase, the Log Cabin endorsement of Romney might as well be three words: I Love Lamp.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Simply put, Mitt Romney’s policies are better for gay Americans*

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On the abstraction notion of “gay rights” (turning to the government to craft gay-specific policies), the Democratic Party has long been superior to the GOP, but  it terms of supporting a broad spectrum of policies which benefit gay individuals, the Republican Party is head and shoulders above the president’s party.  Simply put, small government policies favor all Americans, including gay Americans.

We don’t need gay-specific legislation.  We just need the government to stay out of our lives.

Less government intrusion in our lives means we have more freedom to direct our own lives.  It means entrepreneurs, including gay and lesbian business owners, will find it easier to establish, maintain and build their enterprises.  Individuals will have greater choices.

And not just gay- and lesbian-owned enterprises.  We have seen how quickly private corporations have responded to social change, offering benefits to the same-sex partners of employees and adopting policies banning discrimination in their workplaces.

Today, our friend Jimmy LaSalvia, the Executive Director of GOProud, takes up that theme in a piece at the Daily Caller, arguing that gay Americans should vote for Mitt Romney:

Governor Romney supports cutting taxes for middle-income Americans and simplifying our overly complex tax code. Unlike President Obama, Governor Romney understands that the last thing we need in this troubled economic environment is higher taxes.

Romney has a plan to make American companies more competitive by lowering corporate tax rates, opening new markets to U.S. goods through new free trade agreements and reducing bureaucratic red tape by eliminating unnecessary and unworkable federal regulations.

Gay Americans, like all Americans, are suffering under Obama’s big government policies.  Drive along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood and note the number of storefronts with “For Rent” or “Available” signs decorating their otherwise empty display windows.

How many gay-owned businesses have gone under because the cost to comply with federal regulations was too great for hard-working entrepreneurs?  Mitt Romney knows what it’s like to build and sustain and enterprise.  His policies will help remove the barriers to entry that now make it difficult for creative individuals with a good idea and a little bit of capital to turn that idea into a business — allowing them to realize their dream while creating jobs for others.

* [Read more…]

Gay Republican and Conservative Groups Embrace Ryan Selection

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Back in the 1990s, nearly a full year lapsed between Republican Congressman and candidates signing the Contract with America and Log Cabin endorsing that document promising government reform.  The prominence Republicans gave to the Contract returning its focus to real reform and fiscal responsibility.  Having gained such prominence from attacking the GOP in 1992, the then-leadership of the ostensibly Republican organization was wary of embracing the GOP, even when it was not focusing on social issues.

How thing have changed.  Two days after presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced his selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, the current Executive Director of Log Cabin, wrote in the Daily Caller that

Congressman Paul Ryan is a strong choice for vice president, and his addition to the GOP ticket will help Republican candidates up and down the ballot. As chairman of the House Budget Committee and author of the Republican “Path to Prosperity,” nobody is more qualified to articulate a conservative economic vision to restore the American economy and stimulate job creation.

Unfortunately, Cooper used his opinion piece to make the case for statist legislation, but the fact remains that he has openly embraced the “conservative economic vision” that Ryan has promoted.  He even indicated on Facebook that he “liked” Paul Ryan for VP:

Clarke’s willingness to champion Republican politicians like Ryan and real conservative reforms has served to distinguish him from some of his predecessors. And Clarke is not the only right-of-center gay leader to herald Romney’s pick. Shortly after the Republican announced his choice, GOProud’s Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia called Ryan “a bold and inspired pick“: [Read more…]

Victory Fund partners with bully who directs “hateful remarks” against gays

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“As a mother,” said HRC Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz, Sarah Palin “should know to speak up when a child makes hateful remarks, particularly in this cyber age. Anti-LGBT bullying needs to stop and Sarah Palin should be a part of making that happen.”

The “hateful remarks” to which Mr. Sainz referred involved Mrs. Palin’s daughter using the word, “faggot” as a slur on Facebook. Mrs. Palin’s daughter has since pulled the insulting post.  Last month, Mr. Dan Savage used the same slur to slam gay people who supported a presidential candidate he opposed.  He has yet to apologize or rescind the offending tweet.

Today, we learn that instead of calling on Mr. Savage to apologize, a nation gay organization has partnered with the mean-spirited sex columnist.  According to GOProud, “The Victory Fund – an ostensibly ‘bipartisan’ organization – that works to elect openly LGBT candidates announced a partnership with the controversial founder of the It Gets Better Project, Dan Savage. Savage previously called gay Republicans “house faggots” and wrote a column where he compared gay Republicans to meth addicts.”

GOProud’s Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia wonders how the Victory Fund can . . .

. . . claim to work to elect openly gay Republicans while at the same time partnering with a man who called gay Republicans ‘house faggots’ and compared us to meth addicts? What kind of message does this partnership send to the openly LGBT Republican candidates across the country? What kind of message does it send to Republicans in general about the type of organization that the Victory Fund actually is?

What kind of message indeed.

Will only gay conservatives — and a handful of gay left bloggers — speak up against Mr. Savage’s hateful remarks?