Arnold is an object lesson for Log Cabin Republicans

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The gender equality in marriage bill (same sex marriage) passed in California but will soon be vetoed by Arnold.

In the Assembly Democrats supported the bill 41 to 4 to 2. Republicans opposed 31 to 0 to 1. The 2 and 1 were no voters. In the Senate it was Democrats 21 to 1 in favor and Republicans 0 to 15 against. In short, not one single Republican favored the gender equality bill for marriage. Remember this is California.

According to LCR members places like California should be perfect experiments for having Republicans embrace gay rights. Yet here not one out of 48 elected Republicans could find it in them to vote for this bill and nearly all of them actually voted against. The simple fact is that even in places like California Christian conservatives are a huge part of the Republican coalition and even if every single gay and lesbian in California were to switch to the Republican party tomorrow they still would find themselves out numbered by Christian conservatives who hate their guts.

I am willing to conceed that Arnold, left to his own devices, would have signed the bill. But he, like any other Republican isn't left to his own devices. In order to win primaries or elections they have to appeal to Christian conservatives.

This is a moderate state with a supposedly moderate Republican party and for all the effort of the LCR's not one single solitary Republican voted for this bill. If this isn't an object lesson I don't know what is

[papercut]

1. Well put. Bravo.

[bluedawg12]

2. Ruled by Fundybots and Maria- the Fundybots win out. n/t

[kweerwolf]

3. I just watched the documentary "Gay Republicans" the other night

It's amazing to see the lengths the Log Cabinites go to in order to justify supporting Republicans. Talk about a textbook case of cognitive dissonance!

The documentary covers the internal battle LCR went through on deciding whether to endorse Bush in 2004. Some of the people in the documentary are just extreme fascists and I bet their political believes come not from their heart but from feeling like the LGBT community rejected them. So their support for Bush is more an extended middle finger to the gay community. It was interesting that one guy said he was more comfortable in a room full of Republicans than in a room full of gay. He also said he felt accepted by Republicans and didn't have to reveal his homosexuality unless he wanted to. (My response to that was, "Oh Mary! With your frosted hair, swishy walk and ability to spew yards of chiffon every time you open your mouth, I don't think you're fooling anyone!")

The documentary also covered the other side ... most notably the Arizona Congressman (Kolbe, if I recall) who not only refused to endorse Bush, but announced his endorsement of Kerry.

On the whole it's a fascinating documentary, but it's hard to watch without wanting to throw something at the TV when some of the LCRs are interviewed.

[bluedawg12]

4. There most be a bit of self loathing to stay where not wanted n/t

[swimmernsecretsea]

5. I was channel-surfing this weekend, and saw

some sort of conference. The speaker was from the Log Cabin Republicans and addressing the concept of freedoms in LGBT families. Here he was, being articulate and interesting, and addressing the similarities between straight households and LGBT families, not saying anything different from what anyone else might have said, but the whole time, I kept wondering, "Do you even know that you're working against your own goals? That you sound like a democratic liberal?"

[homaffectional]

6. It's just not just the Log Cabins...

but California's "premier" GLBT organization, Equality California, that needs to learn a well-needed lesson. I heard so many statements from EqCA (and others) claiming that Ah-nold was "more responsive" to gay rights than Gray Davis? Since when? Davis signed many bills that were far more sweeping, and continued to do so in the interim between Total Recall date and the day he had to leave office and hand it to Shmuckenegger.

When I found out that they were foolish enough to give Shmuck a "100" rating, I called them and said that they should try to give him something lower, like a 90 (personally, I would say he doesn't even deserve more than a 50 until he proves himself). I was practically hung up on for suggesting it.

EqCA have apparently been dealt a coup from the California Log Cabins and it's not surprising they are now as ineffective as the Uncle Tom gay Republicans.

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7. In all honesty I had no idea that equality California had

endorsed him and dissed Davis, the same Davis that signed a gay rights law in addition to the other things he did. I hope that they have finally learned their lesson. After all Wilson said he would sign gay rights legislation only not to do so.

[Rowdyboy]

8. EqualityMississippi is just as bad.....They've endorsed lousy Republicans

to prove their "non-partisanship". By and large, they're well-to-do, closeted and conservative. I lost all respect for them years ago.

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9. Sweet Jesus

I am glad NC equality is not doing this crap. I honestly can't imagine any Republican in MS being close to worth endorsing. Even the Democrats were often marginal at best. I usually voted for Democrats based on other issues such as education or taxation.

[Rowdyboy]

10. I had a lengthy e-mail exchanwith their state director, Jody Renaldo....

when they endorsed an extremely conservative Republican for mayor of Jackson against an incumbent moderate Democrat (both candidates were black). His justification? The current mayor wouldn't hold a formal meeting with EqualityMS and he was "certain" that the Republican would.

Our exchange was about what you'd expect from a Log Cabin Republican (not sure he is one, he just parrots some of their lines).

It left me so disgusted with the whole organization that I blocked all future e-mail messages from them.

[MsUnderstood]

11. Great explanation of the problem with moderate Repubs in CA

I live in one of several black holes in california--deeply conservative Fresno County.

There are several regions in California with super conservative, bush-loving, democratic-hating populations that fuel the drive to make republicans Christian conservatives rather than fiscal conservatives.

Heck, getting gas the other day I saw the bumper sticker "While Blanco cried, Thousands died" indicating that Blanco (Lousiana Gov. did nothing and her citizens died). Even though the president takes responsibility, the freepers still focus blame on the governor. . . but I digress.

Anyway my point is that there may be some "good republicans" (ick did I say that out loud) like Ah-nold, but his desire to be a fiscal conservative will always trumped by the need to be elected by these Christian conservatives who are highly motivated and organized as we homosexuals saw at the passage of prop 22.

While the liberals/gays sat back and said "that is crazy California would never pass that" and didn't FIGHT to prevent this measure, we became early victims of the christian conservative rage. Meanwhile that same prop is used to support every ANTI-GAY statement out of Sacremento.