in 2004, in the decision that would (indirectly) launch my blogging career, Log Cabin passed up an opportunity that Richard Grenell yesterday seized with relish–the chance to articulate the role for gay conservatives within a party whose  entire agenda we do not support.

By failing to endorse George W. Bush (and making a spectacle of their non-endorsement), they failed to show their commitment to the broad principles of the GOP, particularly those relating to national security.  The organization’s leaders could have said although we disagree with President Bush on the Federal Marriage Amendment, we support his leadership in the War on Terror and share Ronald Reagan’s view that “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.”

“Like many voters,” Grenell wrote yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, “I rarely agree with a candidate’s every position. I can support Mr. Romney for president but not agree with all of his stated policies.”  In 2004, Log Cabin could have well served gay conservatives by offering a similarly succinct statement supporting the reelection of George W. Bush.  In so doing, they would have made it a lot easier for skeptical (and non-doctrinaire) social conservatives to help us find welcome within the party’s ranks.

The good news is that the current executive director of Log Cabin, R. Clarke Cooper, (as did his immediate past predecessor) appears to share that view.  His rhetoric (alas!) may from time to time ape that of the gay left, but his commitment does seem to be finding a place for gay Republicans in the GOP.  (He has even used to his Facebook page to praise the man his organization once maligned — George W. Bush.)

It’s nice to see Log Cabin on the same page with Richard Grenell who, despite the Romney campaign’s awkward handling of his appointment, has shown a strong commitment to an imperfect GOP.  And has given greater voice to a notion we have been pushing at GayPatriot at least since Bruce launched the blog — and that I have promoting since I first joined Log Cabin in 1995.

What Log Cabin Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper giveth in one release on Thursday, with his strong statement on Obama’s fundraising pitch to the gay community, he taketh (partially) away in another that very day with a threatening language  directed against his own party’s presidential nominee:

Marriage equality has captured the nation’s attention, and the response to President Obama’s announcement is evidence of the tide turning in favor of equality for all. . . .

Governor Mitt Romney’s statement in opposition to not just marriage but civil unions jeopardizes his ability to win moderates, women and younger voters, especially as a large majority of Americans favor some form of relationship recognition for their LGBT friends and neighbors.

Equality for all?  What’s that mean?  It’s certainly not a conservative slogan, but one more familiar to a Mr. W. Smith.

Clarke is right to criticize Romney for his “opposition to not just marriage but civil unions”, but his tone is counterproductive.  Moderates, women and younger voters won’t vote against him because of his stand on gay marriage.  They will, however, vote against him if he makes that stand central to his campaign.  They’re not going to decide their vote exclusively on gay marriage.  He would have served himself (and the cause of his organization) better had he merely expressed disappointment with Romney’s position.

Clarke is not the only non-left gay leader to offer intemperate remarks about Romney this week.  Our pal JimmyLaSalvia, Executive Director and Co-Founder of GOProud, “With his speech at Falwell’s Liberty University, it is clear that Governor Romney’s message to Goldwater conservatives is: drop dead.”  Earlier today, Governor Romney delivered the commencement address there.

While we would rather the Republican nominee not have to make a courtesy call at Jerry Falwell U (as have all Republican candidates “in recent years“), Romney’s speech hardly amounted to a repudiation of Goldwater’s small government ideals.  Indeed, his talk barely touched upon government’s role in society, save to remind the graduating students that “Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution“. He focused instead on the importance of family and faith.

And he did say, what we already know him to believe, “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.” He offered nothing new on social issues — and didn’t attack gay people or advocate policies anathema to libertarians. (more…)

R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Executive Director has not joined the heads of other D.C.-based gay organizations in praising the president for putting forward the same position yesterday as Dick Cheney offered twelve years ago:

Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch. This administration has manipulated LGBT families for political gain as much as anybody, and after his campaign’s ridiculous contortions to deny support for marriage equality this week he does not deserve praise for an announcement that comes a day late and a dollar short.

Some gay leaders see this move for what it is, a “calculated announcement” following “his campaign’s ridiculous contortions.”  Kudos, Clarke for your solid statment. Something’s changed at Log Cabin.  Wonder why that could be.

If there is a Log Cabin/GOProud division among gay Republicans and conservatives, this blog clearly falls on the side of the newer group, in large part because we have doubted the commitment of the older organization to the Republican Party and its Reaganite principles — and because we have seen its leadership (at least prior to 2007) more committed to currying favor with the left-leaning gay groups in DC than in building with Republican-leaning organizations across the country.  And because we know (and like) the leaders of GOProud.  They’re swell guys.

That said, from following Log Cabin’s Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper’s posts on Facebook, it’s clear he is doing what all but his most recent predecessor have done, reaching out to build bridges to the GOP by identifying issues of common concern, namely economic ones.

Today, he linked a fundraiser benefitting the RNC.  He has also recently heralded Jeb Bush’s endorsement of Mitt Romney and that candidate’s victory in Illinois.

From those of us who attempted to work with Log Cabin in the 1990s and observed its operations in the first few years of this century, Cooper’s statements represent a step in the right direction.  It’s nice not to have to cringe when you’re reading a Log Cabin press release.  And nice to see, as it now appears, that Log Cabin has a leader who recognizes that a conservative economic message is the key to uniting Republicans this year.

For as long as I have been out and amongst gay Republicans, I have heard my partisan and philosophical peers clamoring for a conservative alternative to HRC and the other left-leaning gay groups based in our nation’s capital.

These iconoclastic gays were concerned that Log Cabin had become too cozy with these groups.  Many left the organization in the 1990s and stayed further away in the early to mid-2000s when the national board seemed more interested in securing the favor of the gay establishment than in standing for conservative principles.

This tension — between a Log Cabin board hesitant to distinguish itself from HRC et al. and (most) rank-and-file gay conservatives — came to a head in 2009 when Chris Barron laid the groundwork for GOProud.  Perhaps because of the success of this fledgling organization in attracting media attention (and financial support), Log Cabin, under Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper, started sounding increasingly Republican.

Gay conservatives and Republicans benefit wit two vibrant right-of-center gay organizations providing a free-market alternative to the various “equality” groups.

Instead, however, of allowing the tension between the two groups serve to spur each to promote more aggressively conservative ideas and demonstrate how such ideas benefit gay people, the national leadership of Log Cabin is ostracizing one of its chapters, ostensibly because the group invited GOProud’s leadership to its annual dinner:

Saying that the leadership of Log Cabin Republicans of Dallas, especially longtime chapter president Rob Schlein, have “engaged in a consistent pattern of behavior that detracts from the mission of our organization,” national Log Cabin Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper announced this week that the previous Dallas chapter has been de-chartered, and a new chapter created.

. . . .

Schlein said he believes “the Dallas chapter was kicked out after inviting [GOProud co-founders] Chris Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia to speak at our [upcoming] Grand Old Party.

Guess inclusion just don’t win when it comes to Log Cabin’s internal affairs.

What is old is new again!  The alleged “gay Republican organization” known as Log Cabin has once again decided it is more important to tear down our candidates rather than defeat President Obama’s America-destroying agenda.

Log Cabin – a fully bought-off affliliate of the Radical Gay Left’s Tim Gill – attacked Cain after the GOP candidate appeared this morning on “The View”.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Cain chose to divert attention away from a solid platform of greater liberty and smaller government by indulging in anti-gay rhetoric. Log Cabin Republicans sincerely hope that Herman Cain is open to hearing the evidence and changing his mind on these issues.”

Chris Barron has an awesome, and gosh…. FACTUAL…. response to this Cain smear campaign by The Professional Gays.

 Cain specifically says on The View that he hasn’t seen enough scientific evidence to prove that homosexuality isn’t a choice and he admits that others have drawn different conclusions.

Finally, far from attacking gay people, Mr. Cain has made it clear that he is willing to be a President for all Americans – including gay people.  Mr. Cain does not support a federal marriage amendment, will not reinstate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, supports policies like the Fair Tax, free market healthcare reform and social security personal savings accounts – all of which would benefit gay and lesbian Americans.

Back in June I wrote about the left, and in particular the gay left’s reaction to Cain:

For the gay left none of this will matter.  All that matters is the group hug.  For the gay left, it isn’t important whether the policies pursued by a candidate or a party actually improve the lives of gay people, all that matters is that they get the pat on the head – the assurance that they are ok.  I don’t need the group hug, nor do I need affirmation from the government that I am ok.  What I need is a President and a Congress that will pursue policies that will make life better for me and my family.

It is time the gay community put real policy before emotional theater, and that is exactly why gay people should be willing to listen to and consider the candidacy of Herman Cain.

The Gay Left, including their paid-off Log Cabin affiliate, are too invested in the Obama Democrats to have a rational response to the Cain candidacy.  Too bad.  But their hatred of conservatives is too blatant to ignore these days.  So at least there is that.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Unlike his predecessors at Log Cabin, R. Clarke Cooper, the current executive director, has distinguished himself by regularly defending Republicans who hold firm to Reaganite principles.  It does seem the success of GOProud has reminded the older group it needs do a better job establishing its Republican bona fides.

They still alas have retained a residue of the old organization, with occasional paeans to the statist ideology of the gay left and a noticeable failure to consider gay issues in light of conservative ideals, where the government neither serves as the agent of social change nor acts as a barrier to such change.

Yesterday, however, Log Cabin did join the mainstream conservatives in heralding the debt deal as a start, not a solution, a notion which tracks nicely with Datechguy’s description of the deal as turning “the ship so it is facing in the right direction” without yet steaming forward in said direction.

“Speaker John Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell,” Cooper said

. . . set a clear goal, refusing to approve President Obama’s request for blank check unless it was accompanied by spending reforms and cuts larger than the amount of the debt limit hike. That goal has been achieved, but nobody should believe that this is more than a stopgap measure. The culture of spending in Washington must fundamentally change going forward. This is only the first step in a course that will dramatically alter how our government approaches the budget and will provide fiscal stability for Wall Street and Main Street.

Nice to see Log Cabin standing firm against the culture of spending in Washington and reminding gay people of Republican efforts to contain the growth of the federal government.

News this evening coming down that the 9th Circuit Court has, once again, decided it knows better how to defend America than do our own Armed Forces, elected officials, or duly appointed and confirmed leaders of the DoD.

Still looking online for something official from the court, but the short story is that they’ve decided that, since DADT repeal is chugging along just fine, it’s time to screw up the entire process.

It seems that the court has used the continuing success of an orderly process combined with a lawless Administration which refuses to do its job to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” with respect to DOMA as its basis for deciding to run the US military regardless of what’s best for National Defense.

With former SecDef Gates predicting certification (the needed step for implementation of the end of DADT) occurring within the month, and current Secretary Panetta stating in his confirmation process that he supports repeal and will work to implement it upon certification, I’m still puzzled why LCR continued their suit.

No, I’m not puzzled as to why they said they were continuing: Because they don’t trust, apparently, the military and/or the Administration to actually do what they said they’d do (let alone follow the law). Naturally, having witnessed the current Commander in Chief in action lo these two long years, I can understand why you’d want to see the cash first. But there have been zero indications that there would be any problems with the repeal coming to fruition. Even the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps told his troops to “get over it” and press on with our duties to implement the new policy.

It boggles the mind, then, why anybody who respects the military and our mission would insist on pressing forward with this case. Let’s review the facts:

The whole purpose of passing the law last December was because everybody (except, apparently the 9th Circuit Court and the glory hounds at LCR) realized that we needed an orderly transition from the DADT world to the non-DADT world. As that process continues, it’s not any less important that it take place orderly. Any disruption is unnecessary and needlessly dangerous. (more…)

While I still have some quibbles with the rhetoric Log Cabin Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper uses on gay issues and his support of policies at odds with the conservative freedom agenda, I am pleased that unlike the first two executive directors of the group, he has shown a clear commitment to electing Republicans, challenging the big-government policies of the Democrats and helping build the GOP.

Just today, we learn that the Republican National Committee (RNC) tapped Clarke for “its Finance Committee, where he will be playing a critical role in raising funds for the party’s efforts to elect Republicans to the White House and across the country.”

We may not agree with Clarke on all issues, but it’s nice to see a Log Cabin (national) leader committed to building the GOP.

Earlier this month, reflecting on the dismal employment numbers, Log Cabin Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper chided Democrats for pursuing the wrong path to economic health:

It is time the Obama administration got the message. The solution isn’t big government programs, but a strong prescription of spending cuts and tax relief for American job creators. As House Speaker John Boehner said, ‘One look at the jobs report should be enough to show the White House it’s time to get serious about cutting spending and dealing with our ailing economy.

Spending cuts, though, won’t be enough.  We also need regulatory relief.  That said, it is nice to see Log Cabin taking issue with Democratic policies and standing with Republicans on issues of common concern.  On this, at least, Cooper’s leadership represents quite a contrast to the early days of Log Cabin and the middle years of the George W. Bush presidency.  Kudos, Clarke.

He recognizes the ideology that is been consigned to history’s trash can.  Now, if we could only get more gay people to pay attention.

For the moment in 1995 when I had my first leading role in Log Cabin, then in the Capital Area Club, my fellow gay Republicans approached me wondering why the organization didn’t take on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).  They all wanted to see an alternative to that left-leaning organization.  And even as HRC became increasingly partisan in the George W. Bush era with its then-President Cheryl Jacques producing billboards and stickers with the slogan “George W. Bush, You’re Fired”, the then-Executive Director of Log Cabin refused to criticize her, having “instituted a new policy inside Log Cabin: If you speak ill of another LGBT group, that is grounds for dismissal.’”

In order to curry favor with the gay groups, Patrick Guerriero was ignoring his own base — or potential base.   He could have grown Log Cabin if he showed that his organization was the HRC alternative for which many gay Republicans (and a good number of gay independents) were clamoring.

And because R. Clarke Cooper, the Executive Director of Log Cabin, has been so quick to criticize HRC for prostrating itself before the president, I have decided that come next Tuesday at a Log Cabin/LA event, I will renew my membership — which had lapsed.  I encourage you all to join Log Cabin even if you, as I, disagree with them on a few issues. We need to show that they benefit by criticizing HRC’s partisan pandering.

Now, if we could only get them to call out GLAAD for countenancing hate speech against gay conservatives.

* (more…)

Log Cabin is not letting up in its attack on HRC, the Democratic front group the gay and lesbian advocacy organization, that recently endorsed President Obama’s reelection roughly nine months ahead of the first primaries.  In an e-mail to the group’s mailing list, Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper speculates as to what kind of “message” this endorsement “sends to Barack Obama”:

Feel free to take gay voters for granted. Don’t bother pushing for ENDA or DOMA repeal. There is no need to “evolve” any further on marriage. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal doesn’t even have to be certified. You’ve done enough.

We don’t think so.

Endorsements, especially from our community’s (nominally) nonpartisan advocates, should be made on the merits of the candidates. Unfortunately, HRC has a history of endorsing Democrats too soon out of blind faith. They endorsed Bill Clinton, only to have him then sign the Defense of Marriage Act. Shamefully, the endorsement remained.

Log Cabin Republicans are proud of our record of standing up for our friends and standing up to Republicans who cross the line. Can HRC say the same about Barack Obama? After this, can HRC truly represent the interests of LGBT Americans?

(Emphasis in original.)  No, it doesn’t, but the president certainly thinks HRC represents gay Americans.  And now that he has HRC’s endorsement, Obama will assume he’s taken care of those pesky homosexuals and can start vacuuming up their cash, with the reassurance that he doesn’t need do anything else to placate gay Democrats.  No worries any more about running afoul of some of his religious supporters averse not just to state recognition of gay marriage, but to civil unions as well. (more…)

Except for its leadership’s insistence in aping the “equality” rhetoric of the gay organizations, under the helm of Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin is sounding more and more like a Republican organization.  Like us, he took the Courage (sic) Campaign to task for demanding that Orbitz pull its ads on FoxNews and defended that “most trusted news source” in his statement:

If these armchair activists ever actually watched FOX News, they would know that there is a vibrant debate on the issue of LGBT equality occurring, with conservative champions like regular commentator Margaret Hoover speaking out in favor of freedom for all. FOX News’s legal analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano, has argued against DOMA and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Even Glenn Beck, speaking on The O’Reilly Factor, expressed his opinion that gay marriage was not any sort of threat to American values.  These tactics are short-sighted, uninformed, and unfair to corporations who have stood by our community through thick and thin. Our friends deserve better than to be condemned for simply doing what is best for their businesses by advertising on some of the most watched media available.

And he defended the House GOP economic plan — while taking a swipe at Washington Democrats:

Republicans have put forward a plan to kick-start the private sector engines of our economy by fostering innovation and investment. By contrast, Senate Democrats remain A.W.O.L. on the economy, having failed to pass a budget for a mind-boggling 757 days.

Nice to see a Log Cabin executive director actually taking on another gay organization and standing up for conservative ideas.  It helps that Log Cabin tapped a guy with an actual background in Republican politics — in a state where the GOP is right of center.  Cooper worked with such Republican stars as Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ambassador John Bolton and my guy for 2012, Governor Jeb Bush.

And it also helps to have another right-of-center gay group around.  GOProud has shown that gay conservatives can get mileage in criticizing the gay left — and standing up for unifying conservative principles.

So patent is HRC President Joe Solmonese’s pandering to Democratic politicians it’s almost as if he were prepping a skit for Saturday Night Live. Left-of-center lesbian blogress Pam Spaulding once compared his interaction with the White House to that of Sally Field winning an Oscar, seeking reassurance that the president’s team still likes him, right now, they like him.

Well, Joe took a step yesterday showing that he is still eager to win the White House’s affection, endorsing Barack Obama for re-election before the Republican field has even been set (and more than seventeen months before the actual election).  Let’s hope he has better luck with his endorsement than did Elizabeth Birch, one of his predecessors who, in 1996, endorsed an incumbent Democratic president for reelection only to have their endorsee sign the Defense of Marriage Act not long thereafter.  Lot of good that endorsement did.  Despite Clinton’s taking gay voters from granted, HRC did not rescind the endorsement.

And while this endorsement (just like that one) comes as no surprise — Joe’s blind devotion to the Democratic party has long been clear — something happened yesterday that comes as an incredible surprise, shattering the firmament of the gay political establishment.  No, it wasn’t the swift response from our friends at GOProud whose executive director Jimmy LaSalvia, within an hour of HRC’s announcement, said the “pre-emptive endorsement” shows HRC to be “little more than a puppet of the Democratic National Committee“.  Since their founding, our friends at GOProud have not hesitated to criticize HRC’s blind allegiance to the Democratic Party.

The real shocker was that not long after GOProud’s LaSalvia issued his statement, Log Cabin’s, yes, Log Cabin‘s Executive Director followed suit.  Yep, R. Clarke Cooper did something one of his predecessors instructed his staff never, never to do.  He criticized not just the executive director of another gay organization, but that organization itself.  And he didn’t mince words in doing so:

By prostrating themselves before Barack Obama eighteen months before the 2012 election, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has effectively told the president that he doesn’t have to do anything more to earn gay and lesbian votes. (more…)

In the past few months since R. Clarke Cooper took over at Log Cabin Executive Director of Log Cabin, the group actually started sounding like Republicans, standing up for fiscal responsibility and clarity in world affairs.  Cooper did something that two of his predecessors seemed reluctant to do, criticize Democrats.  He didn’t seem as eager as they to curry favor with the gay left.

But, now Log Cabin has joined the unhappy Barney Frank in signing on to a big-government piece of legislation at odds the conservative idea of freedom.  Today, the ostensibly Republican outfit issued a release calling “for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)“:

“Americans know that advancing employees by merit is what wins for business. Passing ENDA will take discrimination off the table, and ensure that the best of the best are hired, promoted and retained in their jobs.  . . . Discrimination should have no place in our workforce, and where it exists, it undermines American productivity, innovation, and our ability to compete,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director.”

Now, I agree that private employers should not discriminate against gay people, but it is not the government’s business to tell them as much.  Yes, indeed, Americans know that advancing employees by merit is what “wins” for business.  And that is why most employers don’t discriminate against gay people.  Once again, government shouldn’t be telling entrepreneurs how to run their enterprises.

They don’t need a nanny state to tell them as much. If a company discriminates against quality gay people, it will suffer in the marketplace, with a lower caliber of worker and a reduced efficiency of operation.

Alas that Log Cabin cannot put forward a conservative position on gay issues and still feels instead it just has to join the gay groups in looking for solutions to the perceived problems in our community.  With increasing social acceptance of gay people, with more and more corporations adopting non-discrimination policies and offering domestic partnership benefits, ENDA is a solution in search of a problem.  And conservatives would do well to oppose it.

ASSIGNMENT (to help our critics understand what freedom means): Could California Gay Bar Be Required to Serve Man Wearing “I Hate Fags” T-shirt?

How times have changed.  It’s now becoming an almost common practice for Log Cabin to do what Republican organizations are wont to do:  criticize a Democratic office holder — and with good conservative reason.

Just received this statement in my in-box:

Log Cabin Republicans call into question the mission and purpose of a United States role in coalition operations to secure the United Nations mandated No-fly Zone over Libya.  There remains no clear objective to Operation Odyssey Dawn, Congress was consulted late in the process and now President Obama has relinquished command and control.

“It is not clear if the United States mission is to liberate the Libyan people from the shackles of the deranged dictator, Moammar Gaddafi.  What is clear to foreign governments President Obama often lies prostrate before is that military actions are secondary to diplomatic perceptions. Noting such dithering and weakness, Americans should not be surprised to learn Brazil concurred with China to call for a cease fire instead of supporting the United Nations Security Council resolution for a No-fly Zone.  This occurred within hours of Obama’s ballyhooed state visit to Brazil.  Further, Russian officials are calling the cobbled together operation ‘a medieval crusade.’  Without a clear mission and objective, Libya will likely devolve into another Somalia where United Nations presence remains to this day.  The Commander-in-Chief owes an explanation to the American people, especially our service members, of what our role is in Libya,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director.

Nice to see Log Cabin sounding like other right-of-center outfits.

In the twelve years following Log Cabin setting up shop in Washington, D.C. with a national office, its leadership did little to correct the false impression many gay people have of the GOP as a party whose guiding principle is maintaining straight while male privilege.  Indeed, to some degree, it contributed to that inaccurate impression by focusing its attacks not on big-government Democratic initiatives on Republican politicians.

At the same time, the national office did little to convince rank-and-file Republicans of the organization’s commitment to conservative principles of limited government, judicial restraint and a robust national defense.  That began to change in 2005, when Log Cabin signed on to support the Social Security reforms then-President George W. Bush was promoting.  Not only did this show the group’s commitment to conservative reforms, but Chris Barron, then its political director, showed how those conservative reforms would benefit gay people.

Now GOProud, the new gay conservative group Chris spearheaded, is pushing for similar reforms, calling on Congress to include personal savings accounts in any Social Security reform proposal. Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia explains:

Personal savings accounts would provide gay and lesbian couples with the same opportunities as other Americans to provide for their retirement security. . . . Personal savings accounts are not just good for gays and lesbians; by creating wealth, empowering individuals to control their own retirement and improving the American economy, they are good for all Americans. [As] the property of the individual, they would . . . allow gays and lesbians to pass their hard earned money on to whoever they choose.

And as GOProud has shown how conservative ideas benefit gay people, Log Cabin has (finally!) begun to articulate a conservative approach on gay issues.  In taking issue with Speaker Boehner on the constitutionality of DOMA, R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin’s Executive Director praised the Ohio Republican in keeping the focus on fiscal discipline:

Americans sent Republicans to Congress to address our challenging economy, and thus far under Speaker Boehner’s leadership our party has kept its eye on the ball, cutting spending and beginning to confront the deficit. Now is not the time to fall for the president’s ploy to distract Republicans with divisive social issues like the Defense of Marriage Act. . . .  While Log Cabin Republicans firmly believe that DOMA is an unconstitutional intrusion on states’ rights and a violation of individual liberty, we agree with Speaker Boehner that the constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts, not by the president unilaterally. (more…)

Perhaps current Log Cabin Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper’s background in Republican politics will serve to save the organization.  Before helming the ostensibly Republican organization, he served in the George W. Bush Administration.  Unlike all previous heads of the organization, he had actual experience working with Republicans outside Massachusetts.  He at least has experience working with more mainstream Republicans.

Alas that most heads of gay conservative organizations, particularly Log Cabin, have had little background in the conservative movement.  The Bay State (until recently) was hardly a hotbed of small-government activism (well, at least not in the Twentieth Century).

Well, despite the “pro-equality” rhetoric in its releases and on its web-page, in recent days, Log Cabin has been sounding a lot more Reaganite than it had under its first two executive directors.  In a largely anodyne release on CPAC, the organization did at least celebrate conservatism.  Then, on Monday, Cooper showed his teeth, lambasting the president for his spendthrift budget:

Our nation is at a breaking point and the president’s budget proposal simply isn’t a serious response to the challenges facing our country today. . . . The American people are facing a Federal debt of over $14 trillion dollars, and the President needs to join with Congress to make significant cuts.  His proposal adds $8.7 trillion in new spending over the next decade—that’s not just irresponsible, that’s reckless.  Americans are tightening their belts and making difficult decisions, and it is time that our government does the same by addressing the real problems dragging down our economy – overblown entitlements, wasteful government spending and a tax code that stifles small businesses and innovation. Republicans in the United States House of Representatives, led by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, have taken the first step at addressing this crisis by cutting $100 billion this year.  Ryan’s proposal is a great first step, but if we are serious about getting our house in order, there’s more we all need to do.

Whoah, sounds a lot like your humble blogger!  Nice to see a Log Cabin leader issuing releases on issues other than gay ones and showing his commitment to core conservative principles.

Perhaps, GOProud’s prominence pushed Cooper to speak out on such issues.  Whatever the case, it’s welcome sign that Log Cabin leaders are becoming more outspoken on issues of concern to all conservatives.

The reason Log Cabin had such a problem establishing its credibility within Republican circles was that too often it gained media exposure by attacking fellow Republicans and dwelling on gay issues.  For all too many years national office did not regularly take stands on the small-government agenda pushed by Reaganites or the ideas of judicial restraint long championed by Republicans.

They didn’t come around to endorsing the Contract with America until long after Congress voted on its provisions nor did Log Cabin leaders remind voters of the Republican focus on fiscal issues in 1994 and national security matters a decade later.  No wonder some on the right remain skeptical of a gay conservative group, even a new one like GOProud without the baggage of Log Cabin.

One of our readers, my occasional sparring partner and friendly correspondent Lloydletta alerted me to Erick Erickson’s piece on GOProud’s participation in C-PAC.  While that conservative blogger finds it “well and fine” that many on the right are willing to give this fledgling group “a seat at the table”, he remains skeptical of their goals, noting particularly their opposition to a federal amendment defining marriage, their support of DADT repeal and of legislation giving “health benefits to gay couples.”

Perhaps, Erickson has also expressed skepticism about former Vice President Cheney’s commitment to conservatism, given that he holds near identical positions to those of GOProud, particularly on same-sex marriage where he (like this new group) favors a state-by-state approach.

Finally, Erickson notes the group’s silence on a number of key conservative issues: (more…)

Log Cabin still doesn’t get it.  In an e-mail sent out last week (full text below the jump), they attempt a new kind of fusion, welding core Republican principles to the gay organization’s elusive quest for equality.  Not once in their e-mail do they mention the animating ahead behind GOP victories in 2010 (and 1994 and 1980 & 1984 as well as 1860 & 1864):  liberty.   Heck, they even call their 501 (c)(3) the Liberty Education Forum.

Well, Chris Barron of GOProud does now how to talk Republican and is unafraid to discuss gay issues in a manner not pre-approved by HRC, NGLTF and Barney Frank.  And it was GOProud who promoted the stat that 31% of gay people voted Republican last week.

Unlike Log Cabin in 1995, they didn’t wait until six months after the House approved the Contract with America to endorse the party’s reforming agenda.  While they have not endorsed the GOP’s “Pledge to America,” they have made clear (as Chris did on CNN), that they support its underlying principles.

I would argue that because ideas similar to those in that pledge defined the GOP’s fall campaign, the party did so well, well, did so well east of the California Coastal Ranges.  The party, by and large, ignored gay issues and captured a majority of the popular vote — not to mention one-third of the gay vote.

Because GOProud’s Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia know how to talk Republican — and have done so in public fora — they should find doors in Republican offices opening more readily to them.  If the leaders of HRC and NGLTF want access to the offices of the majority leaders on the House side of the Capitol, they’d do well to learn how to talk to Chris and Jimmy. (more…)