One of the most bizarre assumptions behind the LCR's campaign against Romney in the primaries was that any of the other candidates were any better on the issues LCR cares about. They all pretty much opposed any legislation with anything LGBT in it, with a few details about whether they'd support an FMA (which would never pass and they don't even get to decide on) or whether LCR would have "access" to the campaign.
Well, here's the logical extension of that primary campaign:
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a rather unflattering "comprehensive report on Sen. John McCain's record on GLBT issues." While we respect our friends at HRC, their report isn't a fair representation of Sen. McCain's entire record. Log Cabin has had a long relationship with Sen. McCain, going back to our national office's opening in the mid-90s. He has had an open door to us at Log Cabin and has a record of inclusion.
We understand the general election starts today and Log Cabin will do its part to educate gay and lesbian voters about Sen. McCain in the weeks ahead. Contrary to what many Democrats are saying, Sen. McCain is not George W. Bush. Most gays and lesbians understand that fact. Sen. McCain isn't going to use gay people as a wedge issue. He won the GOP nomination with no help (and with outright hostility) from many so-called "social conservatives." This is a significant achievement for all gay and lesbian Americans.
HRC glosses over McCain's principled stand against the anti-gay federal marriage amendment. As I pointed out in this column for the Washington Blade, McCain didn't just vote (twice) against the marriage amendment. He put himself on the line, bucked his own party leadership and President Bush, and took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to speak against the proposal. In 2004, he gave one of the most impassioned speeches from the Senate floor on the issue. That isn't insignificant.
Is his record perfect? No. But it's inclusive and shows positive signs. We will hear more about his priorities and record in the months ahead. Stay tuned...
"Positive signs"? Sure, if that were the best we could do, but not when there's another candidate who's showing more positive signs.
Entire books could be written about the psychology behind LCR's support of John McCain, but how they came to the conclusion that he's somehow not tied to the Religious Right is beyond me. He's sought the endorsements of more homophobic Religious Righters than can be written about here and will keep on doing it to try to excite the base. That he's not as openly hostile to us as GWB was is a win for queer activists, not McCain.
The only "principles" McCain has are making more war and getting money, but whether he actually cares about the social conservative stuff is neither here nor there. Why he supports homophobic and transphobic policy is a nice discussion question, but when it push comes to shove, he's against us in pretty much everything.
Besides supporting nothing LGBT at the federal level (no ENDA, no eliminating DADT, no expanding couplehood rights beyond same-sex marriage) and supporting the Arizona ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships, he's indicated that he's not going to back off homophobia and that he'll appoint judges along the lines of Alito and Roberts.
What's left to educate people about, I have no idea. There'd be quite a bit less cognitive dissonance going on here if they just stuck to local races this cycle instead of splitting hairs about differences between McCain and GWB.
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12 Comments
Yeah, I'm really surprised to hear that a handful of LGBT people are intending on voting Republican this election. I understand that its not mandatory to be a Democrat while queer, but the evidence for celebrations of equality and freedom of expression carries much more weight with the Democrats.
Life is not all about oil and money!
Alex | June 9, 2008 4:10 PM
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In the human race, people show signs of being delusional for many reasons and on many subjects. The LCR rich, white, gay men are just another example of how some humans can be dilusional. We see it all the time in other LGBT humans, so why should they be emmune to it?
MonicaHelms | June 9, 2008 5:02 PM
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Denial.
Serena Freewomyn | June 9, 2008 5:03 PM
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If you've got a secure, high paying job, that you've held for years, plus the connections to get another secure, high paying job if you ever lost your current one, then ENDA isn't a high priority.
If your not in the military and don't have any friends or family in the military, then DADT isn't a high priority.
If getting married will give you a couple more rights that your lawyer hasn't already drawn up for you, and might save you $1000 in taxes, then it might be pretty nice, but...
If your making six figures. If republicans will give you four or five figure tax breaks, or lucrative government contracts, or cause your Haliburton stock to double. If your "access" to a presidential candidate gets you invited to all the important parties to further extend your network and connections into the really elite. Well, little things like marriage, ENDA, and DADT might not be so important.
While I reject the "we're just like you" mantra, the fact is that some gays do have more in common with the oppressive power elite than they do with us. And being gay might expose them to some homophobia, but downplaying it is key to being able to keep and extend the power they get from every other oppressive system on the planet.
Tobi Hill-Meyer | June 9, 2008 6:20 PM
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Shorter LCR on McCain: "Be grateful... at least he won't spit on you and call you Sodomite!"
Wilson46201 | June 9, 2008 10:50 PM
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What blows my mind are all of the people (not necessarily gay) who've been getting screwed behind the scenes by the right-wing, yet continue to be delusional (yeah, that's a pretty good word that you guys have been using, we'll go with that) in their continued support of the Republican Party. These are the people who own small businesses (one or two-person lawyers offices, small specialty retail stores, stuff like that) who are too small to come anywhere close to earn enough that the tax breaks or deregulation changes or environmental law rollbacks that benefit the big guys would actually benefit them in the slightest. Yet, because they WANT to become one of the big guys someday, they don't want a "tax-and-spend" Democrat taking their hard-earned money away in taxes that'll just be given to some welfare mother somewhere once they DO "make it" to the big leagues. Of course, meanwhile, they're paying higher tax rates than almost any other class in the country, and that's actually thanks mostly to the right-wing policies (not that they've raised the tax rates for the middle-classes per se, but by giving their tax breaks to the upper-classes, and having no more that they can squeeze out of the lower-classes, the middle-class stays up there, shoulering most of the burden).
They don't realize that they won't in their lifetime (or even their children's lifetime) become one of the big-guys that will benefit from the right-wing policies, but you just can't convince them of that. None of the other social issues are of any importance to them, because none of that actually affects them, personally, so screw everyone else, they just want there to be a tax-break for them when they finally "make it"! Hence, they vote, and continue to vote, for Republicans.
JWSwift | June 9, 2008 11:19 PM
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Bingo!
On top of this, they think they shouldn't have to pay taxes --- any taxes --- yet they support a war without the slightest explanation about how it should be paid for! ... Yet the campiagn letters from the RNC roll in, and the political donation checks roll out.
I better shut up at this point, before certain family members of mine recognize that I am talking about them specifically.
A. J. Lopp | June 10, 2008 2:24 AM
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There's nothing positive about McCain's record on any social issues. No, he isn't Bush. He's probably worse, because he actually has a brain - and still supports the Iraq war, tax cuts for the rich, saying no to social reforms.....McCain is your choice: a threat, or a menace.
A GLBT person voting for McCain, or anyone else Republican, is the same as a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.
I used to be a Republican. My parents were moderate Republicans, I was raised that way. My party left me when Reagan got in bed with Jerry Falwell. The last Republican President I respected was Gerald Ford. The last Republican Senator I respected was Jim Jeffords. As it stands now, I can't consider voting for a Republican even for a city council seat. They're all Reichers.
Polar | June 10, 2008 3:09 AM
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McCain is better on LGBT issues than Bush.
But so is Bob Barr - and I wouldn't vote for him either. I hear Mel Gibson is gay friendly too, but I wouldn't put my vote there either!
Bil Browning | June 10, 2008 7:14 AM
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i dunno, Mary Cheney says that Bush doesn't actually have too many problems with the gays...
Alex Blaze | June 10, 2008 9:32 AM
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And, you believe the daughter of the most hateful VP in history?
"Yes, Daddy. I'll say anything you want me to say. Just keep my Haliberton trust coming in."
MonicaHelms | June 10, 2008 9:59 AM
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He won the nomination with no help from "social conservatives" and that is a victory for us?
Deeds not words are a victory for us.
Robert Ganshorn | June 10, 2008 10:27 AM
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