After being sworn in as president three years ago, President Obama vowed to cut the budget deficit in half by the end of his first term. However, the deficit has instead ballooned out of control, with trillion dollar deficits for the pass three years. This is an example of just another broken promise made by the President.

When President Obama took office in 2009, the projected budget deficit for 2010 was approximately $1.2 trillion. By the end of the year, the actual deficit was close to $1.3 trillion. For 2011, the projected budget deficit was even lower, at $912 billion. However, the deficit was even higher than 2010 by $5 billion. This trend of promising lower deficits year-by-year but ending each year with a higher than anticipated deficit has continued.

The President hasn’t made good on his word of cutting the deficit in half. He’s not even close. A CBO estimate released at the beginning of February put the budget deficit at approximately $1.1 trillion for 2012. Log Cabin Republicans realize that in order to have an environment favorable to the interests of the LGBT community, economic matters must be dealt with carefully to ensure fiscal stability. President Obama doesn’t understand this though.

The President and congressional Democrats have proposed and passed a variety of new taxes. Still, the deficit is above $1 trillion and the economy sluggish. President Obama should take note of one of President Ronald Reagan’s statements on budget deficits:

Governments don’t reduce deficits by raising taxes on the people; governments reduce deficits by controlling spending and stimulating new wealth.

If the President and Democrats want to actually reduce the budget deficit, then perhaps cutting the out-of-control spending they have have perpetuated over the past three years is in order. Only then can we have a realistic chance of reducing the federal government’s overarching, trillion dollar budget deficit.

Posted: February 22nd, 2012 under Democrats, Elections, In Focus.

In a blow to the fight for equality, Virginia will most likely become the second state in the country to add a so-called “conscience clause” to its current adoption laws. The proposed clause would allow state-funded, faith-based adoption agencies to take religious and moral beliefs into account when determining whether or not to grant a couple an adoption.

As a result of the legislation, LGBT couples in Virginia could find themselves in a more difficult position to adopt. Many faith-based adoption agencies tend to place an emphasis on socially conservative  values, including “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, gay couples seeking to adopt may be passed over in favor of heterosexual  couples simply because they are gay without regard to their income, careers, backgrounds, and most importantly, their ability to raise a child.

Opponents of the clause, such as Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, a general counsel to Equality Virginia and a former chief deputy attorney general, contend that the clause goes beyond faith-based agencies and that religious and moral reasons more or less are fronts to keeping same-sex couples from adopting. Gastanaga recently stated:  

This is establishing a whole lot of new precedent that we have not had before or seen before.

Log Cabin Republicans firmly believe that excluding same-sex couples from being given the same opportunity to adopt children as heterosexual couples based on their “moral” beliefs is discriminatory. In addition to this, it is a measure that in the long run, would be detrimental to the family as children would be denied good homes that same-sex couples are able to provide.

Daniel Gri and James Abbott, both members of Log Cabin Republicans in Northern Virginia, adopted two sons Caleb, 14, and Alfred, 11, in California and are opposed to the proposed clause. Had Gri and Abbott sought to adopt their sons in Virginia under the clause, they would have faced considerably difficulty.

Despite support for the ability of gay couples to adopt children at 55 percent in Virginia, the adoption bill passed both the Virginia State House and Senate by votes of 71-28 and 22-18 respectively and is expected to be signed by the governor. Log Cabin Republicans opposes the passage of the clause and sees it as a bill that instead of preserving families, has the potential to destroy and reduce them.

Posted: February 21st, 2012 under Action Alert, In the News, In the States, Issues in Focus.

We get it. Any candidate running for their party’s presidential nomination has to appeal to the base before they can begin focusing on the general election. Unfortunately, some of this year’s crop of GOP presidential candidates don’t seem to get that the way to win the base in 2012 isn’t social conservatism, and that swinging hard to the right on these issues a) won’t fire up Republicans, b) risks alienating moderate and independent voters, and c) ultimately weakens any candidate against Obama by handing them ‘flip-flopper’ to use as a weapon. The majority of voters who will decide who wins the  White House this year haven’t started paying attention yet, but you can bet they’ll be turned off by a candidate who has a reputation for lacking conviction. Everybody knows the “flip-flopper” label is a weakness for Governor Romney. Here’s our advice on how to fight it.

Governor Romney should play to his strengths, and being a social conservative simply isn’t one of them. Despite his clear opposition to same-sex marriage (a position Log Cabin Republicans strongly disagree with, for the record), the leaders of the fading social conservative movement consistently reject him in favor of candidates like Rick Santorum. No matter how many conference calls the governor participates in or what pledges he signs, he will never be able to appease the professional religious right while remaining true to his more mainstream positions in favor of nondiscrimination. Romney won’t win these voters by out-flanking Santorum and Gingrich on social issues – but like gay and lesbian Americans, evangelicals are not single issue voters, either, and what matters in 2012 is the economy.

Governor Romney’s strengths lie in his record as a successful businessman, his status as the lone GOP candidate with executive experience as a governor, and yes, in his perception as the electable Republican in the race. What some primary voters deride as moderate, general election voters see as mainstream. Romney can win the base by coming out swinging against Obama’s bailouts that propped up companies that were supposedly “too big to fail,” because Romney understands that failure happens in a free market, and that free markets, rather than oppressive government intervention, are the path to prosperity. Romney can win the base by talking about how nobody is better suited to attack Obama-care than somebody who has seen it tried in the laboratory of the states, as the Founders intended, and seen its failures. Most of all, Romney can win the base by remembering that the TEA Party stands for “taxed enough already” – but not if he acts like the Tea Party was more about beverages after church and at exclusively heterosexual wedding receptions.

Gay or straight, evangelical or atheist, even Republican or Democrat, voters in the 2012 general electorate are looking for solutions to the economy. They want to hear a plan from a credible source for creating a real job-creation climate. They don’t care about gay marriage, at least not when faced with the prospect of four more years under President Obama. Governor Romney can win the general – but only if he abandons the hopeless effort to out-social con the social cons. Be yourself, Mitt. It’s time to get down to business.

Posted: February 14th, 2012 under Elections, From the Right, In Focus, In the News.

In the debate over the freedom to marry, we frequently focus on the happiness and joy of the couples who are finally winning the right to legally form lifelong, committed partnerships with the person they love – and rightly so. But after watching so many of these debates in statehouses across the country, there is another side to this joyful story, and that is how good it feels to be the lawmaker able to stand up and take that vote in favor of freedom for all.

Yesterday, Washington State Representative Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla) gave one of the most eloquent, heartfelt and funny speeches ever in support of the freedom to marry before yesterday’s vote.  Speaking about her daughter, she said, “and some day by God I want to throw a wedding for that kid. I hope she will not feel like a second class citizen involved in something called a domestic partnership, which frankly sounds like a Merry Maids franchise to me. ”

New York State Senator Jim Alesi couldn’t have looked happier at this rally, where he said, “I’m a Republican, I was born that way….Passing marriage equality is the most important thing that I think I can do in my 20-year history as a legislator. I am proud to be a Republican. I will also be proud to be the first Republican voter to vote for marriage equality in this state.”

Maryland State Senator Alan Kittleman was the lone Republican to vote for the freedom to marry in that state last year, earning him Log Cabin Republicans “Uncommon Courage” Award. Speaking to our national convention in Dallas, he explained that, while it might make him the only person in that chamber to be attacked by the AFL-CIO and the National Organization for Marriage, he was just doing what he thought was right.

And finally, Minnesota Representative and Iraq War veteran John Kriesel has become a warrior for the freedom to marry, first voting against putting a marriage amendment on the ballot and now continuing to fight that amendment.  He said, “This amendment doesn’t represent what I went to fight for…If there was a ‘hell no’ button right here, I would press it.”

In statehouses across the country, there have been Republicans speaking out for the idea that freedom means freedom for everybody. By taking the hard vote, the politically tough vote, they’ve shown the rare virtue that is political courage. Today, Log Cabin Republicans want to encourage more Republicans, in Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Illinois, Rhode Island and beyond, to take that courageous vote. In Rep. Kriesel’s words, we’ve got your back. Look at Rep. Walsh, and the freedom she had taking that vote last night. It feels good to be on the right side of history. Join us.

Posted: February 9th, 2012 under GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the States, Issues in Focus.

Wall Street is one of the last places one would expect to find people openly speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage. However, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein became one of the first and most prominent Wall Street executives to come out in support of marriage equality. Speaking on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign, Blankfein encourages viewers of the HRC clip to join the growing number of Americans that support same-sex marriage and to support equal rights for all Americans.

Goldman Sachs joins a long line of major corporations speaking out for the freedom to marry. Starbucks, Microsoft, Google, and Nike among others are just a few of the name brand corporations whose executives have recently issued statements affirming their support for gay rights, playing an important role as Washington State moves forward toward marriage equality.

Blankfein speaks for much of corporate America today. Not only is supporting equality the right thing to do, but it also is the logical thing to do. LGBT individuals who know their employers are reaffirming of their sexual orientations are more comfortable in their jobs, and people who are happier and more comfortable in their workplace, work harder, longer, and are more dedicated and prideful in what they do. This results in greater efficiency and productivity in the work place that as a whole, benefits businesses tremendously in ways that could possibly help get the economy moving in the right direction once again. Also, support for gay rights by employers can potentially attract more applicants for jobs from individuals that may have previously questioned a company’s workplace credentials for openness and acceptance.

In a recent blog entry for Microsoft’s official blog, the company announced its support for Washington state’s same-sex marriage bill currently in the legislative process while also reiterating the idea that support for the bill will help Microsoft better compete for talent in saying,

Marriage equality in Washington would put employers here on an equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. This in turn will help us continue to compete for talent.

Log Cabin Republicans have long supported workplace non-discrimination policy and well as increased support and protections for LGBT employees. The business community’s growing support for such measures reaffirms LCR’s mission to promote LGBT acceptance in what is traditionally a more conservative sector of the economy. Growing support for gay rights and marriage equality by both publicly traded and private corporations is a sign that embracing such righs is simply good business that in the end, will not only create a more inclusive and tolerant society, but also a more successful American business community and economy.

Posted: February 8th, 2012 under From the Right.

The Congressional Budget Office last Tuesday came out with a grim report on the deficit projection for the new fiscal year. The report states that the deficit will remain above $1 trillion for the fourth consecutive year, coming in at $1.079 trillion for 2012.

The likelihood that the Bush-era tax cuts will be extended at the end of the year in addition to the fact that Democrats continue to block significant spending cuts to the federal budget led the CBO to refigure their numbers for 2012. News of the refigured number is a cause for concern for both the White House and congressional Democrats in an election year. More importantly, another trillion dollar deficit could mean serious problems for the economy in the near future, including higher unemployment, staggering inflation, as well as higher prices for goods.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) had this to say upon the news of the CBO’s new projection:

…we will not solve this [deficit] problem unless both sides, Democrats and Republicans, are willing to move off their fixed positions and find common ground. Although the economic recovery is strengthening, it is clear the economy remains fragile.

Posted: February 6th, 2012 under In the News.

As passage of a bipartisan marriage equality bill in Washington State appears certain, those of us who are fighting for the freedom to marry should take a lesson from the long and winding road that led to this victory. To be sure, the battle in Washington State is not over – even after the governor signs the bill, the opposition is already threatening to strip away marriage rights at the ballot box and to exact revenge against Republicans who vote in favor – but at this point it is clear that the incremental process through which Washington has moved to legislate marriage equality deserves serious consideration, by other states and on the federal level.

Washington State didn’t start by pursuing marriage. Instead, in 2007 the state legislature enacted a very limited domestic partner registry which only conferred eleven of the rights of marriage on same-sex couples. As these rights included hospital visitation, some state tax benefits and employee benefits, this initial bill was important to WA gay and lesbian families, but it was only a beginning. In 2008, the legislature expanded these domestic partnerships to include more than 170 rights and responsibilities. By 2009, the legislature had passed a bill intended to grant “everything but marriage” to these couples, and in a first, Washington voters upheld the legislation at the ballot box, defeating Referendum 71 by a margin of 53 to 46 percent.

Of course, domestic partnerships are not marriage, and there are those who condemn the “Washington model” as settling for less than our families deserve. Some have feared that civil unions or domestic partnerships, rather than being a stepping stone to actual marriage, would instead halt all progress. The successful evolution toward the freedom to marry in Washington appears to rebut that fear. Of course, in states like New York where support exists for full marriage equality, LGBT families do not and should not have to compromise. But Log Cabin Republicans have long since learned never to make the perfect the enemy of the good. For LGBT families in states like Illinois, Colorado, or even Texas, civil unions have made or would make a big difference in the lives of real people, and ideological purity cannot be an excuse to leave them behind.

The same idea applies on the federal level. Log Cabin Republicans firmly believe that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, an offense to the principles of federalism and the liberty enshrined in the promise of “equal protection under the law.” With our partners at Freedom to Marry, we are proud to have secured Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the first Republican co-sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, and we are working hard to win more. However, it is a mistake to overlook the chances to win incremental progress. There are other important bills we must work to pass to protect our families.

Legislation like the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, which eliminates the additional taxes imposed on same-sex partners who gain health insurance through their employers (also decreasing payroll taxes on employers which choose to offer these benefits), would make an immediate and significant difference for a lot of LGBT families. It is also an incremental step that lawmakers can take to support our community, even if they aren’t ready or able to support marriage equality quite yet. Because of Log Cabin’s efforts, this important legislation has already gained several Republican co-sponsors, including Reps. Judy Biggert, Bob Dold, Nan Hayworth, Richard Hanna and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Let Washington State’s long trip down the aisle be a lesson to us all – every journey begins with a single step. It’s time to get moving where we can.

Posted: February 1st, 2012 under GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In Congress, In the News, In the States, Issues in Focus, Log Cabin In Focus, Uncategorized.

If the Iowa caucuses are synonymous with evangelicals and New Hampshire speaks to libertarians, the Florida primary is a prime opportunity for the GOP to appeal to conservative Hispanic voters. In the Jacksonville debate on January 26th, both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich made a point of highlighting Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for her leadership on freedom and human rights. Given that the congresswoman is one of our strongest allies and is the first Republican to co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, we’re happy to see Ros-Lehtinen receive some richly-deserved recognition. Beyond highlighting strong Hispanic Republicans, former Florida Governor and co-chair of the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference Jeb Bush has outlined a path for the GOP to appeal to this important and growing voting block.

In an editorial for the Washington Post, Governor Bush presented four ways in which the GOP could win back Hispanic voters: emphasize the importance of the individual, promote policies that aid their aspirations, press for an overhaul of the education system, and think of immigration reform as an economic issue, not just a border security issue. (Noticeably and thankfully absent are the patronizing suggestions that conservatives play on Catholic values by attacking marriage equality.) Log Cabin Republicans see this strategy as a practical and necessary step to take in expanding the GOP’s base and regaining our status as a “big tent” party.

Republicans have had success before in reaching out to Hispanic communities. In the early 2000′s, the party put together an intricate electoral strategy aimed at attracting these voters, which in the 2004 presidential election, afforded President George W. Bush an impressive  44 percent of the Hispanic vote.  Never before had a Republican presidential candidate received more than the 37 percent of the Hispanic vote that President Reagan received when he was reelected in 1984. However, this success was short-lived, and in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, Hispanics threw their support to Democrats, with President Obama winning 67 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Republicans can win Hispanic voters back in the same way that Log Cabin Republicans believe the GOP can win LGBT support, by abandoning divisive rhetoric and emphasizing instead our shared values of entrepreneurship, independence, freedom and opportunity. Hispanics that either immigrated to the United States or those that are not that far displaced from their relatives that did immigrate appreciate the difficulties and the rewards of coming to America. The GOP must stand for the individual work ethic that these communities value, and demonstrate that far from the bigoted caricature created by the left, the Republican Party is open to everyone and our principles are in line with the dreams of a better life that attract immigrants to the U.S. in the first place.

When Log Cabin Republicans speak about how “inclusion wins,” that does not only apply to issues of LGBT equality. Republican losses with Hispanic voters stem from the same problem that drives away LGBT voters, their friends and allies. This voting block that showed such promise for becoming a part of the Republican base was turned off by harsh rhetoric against illegal immigration, and a general perception of xenophobia from within the GOP, however unfair that perception may be. Today, many Republicans, including presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, are looking to once again reach out to Hispanic voters. Log Cabin Republicans agree that this is a priority, and hope our party will follow Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s inclusive path to victory.

Posted: January 31st, 2012 under Elections, GOP Progress, In the News, Issues in Focus.

59 percent for full civil unions. Texas. Seriously.

Texas matches most of the rest of the country when it comes to increased rights for same sex couples: voters there are against gay marriage, but support some form of equality in the form of either marriage or civil unions. Only 29% say they think gay marriage should be legal, while 57% believe it should be illegal. But 59% support either gay marriage or civil unions with only 38% completely opposed to any legal recognition.

Check out the details here. We shouldn’t be surprised – after all, Governor Rick Perry’s anti-gay “Strong” ad went over like a lead balloon even in the Lone Star state. While Log Cabin Republicans firmly believe that civil marriage is the truly conservative answer, majority support for civil unions in one of the reddest states of the nation is exciting evidence that we are nearing a watershed moment for LGBT equality. We have always believed that, regardless of political affiliation, Americans are a fundamentally fair people who believe in freedom for all. While we’re not there yet, polls like this show that a day is fast approaching when committed, loving same-sex couples will receive the legal recognition they deserve.

Posted: January 27th, 2012 under GOP Progress, In the News, In the States, Issues in Focus.

Ken Mehlman, former Republican National Committee chairman and Log Cabin Republican, is in the “Live Free or Die” state today advocating for New Hampshire legislators to protect the freedom to marry. Ken, who with Log Cabin Republicans New York chapter and the New Yorkers United for Marriage coalition was a key part of winning marriage equality in New York last year, was published in today’s Union Leader:

“Live Free or Die” isn’t just the official motto for a great state. As the 62nd Republican National Committee Chairman, I think it’s a mantra our party should live by. I hope that New Hampshire legislators will remember this slogan and reject proposals to strip citizens of their right to marry.

The party of Lincoln and Reagan should stand first and foremost for freedom. It’s part of our heritage and ought to be part of our DNA. Freedom for Americans of all races is why our party was founded. And our greatest moments — from the unbelievable economic recovery unleashed by lower taxes and less regulation to the fall of the Berlin Wall — resulted when we promoted freedom.

Stripping away the right of adults in New Hampshire to marry the person they love is antithetical to freedom. If we really believe (and we should) that every citizen is endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness, shouldn’t this include the right to marriage?

Read the whole thing, and pass it on! The Republican Party has a proud history of standing for liberty, particularly in New Hampshire. It would be a shame to see that legacy betrayed by stripping away the freedom of Granite State residents to marry, especially after thousands of couples have chosen to make this commitment to one another. Marriage strengthens families, strengthens communities, and has made New Hampshire stronger. Polls show even New Hampshire Republicans have no appetite to change the law, much preferring to keep the focus on growing the economy. There’s no reason to turn back now, and Log Cabin Republicans salute Ken for his efforts.

Posted: January 26th, 2012 under GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the News, In the States, Issues in Focus, Log Cabin In Focus.