Former McCain Campaign Chief and 2009 Log Cabin Republicans National Convention speaker Steve Schmidt continued his argument that Republicans and conservatives should pick up the banner of supporting gay marriage. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Schmidt said:

There is a strong conservative case to be made in favor of gay marriage. Marriage is an institution that strengthens and stabilizes society. It is an institution that has the capacity to bring profound joy and happiness to people and it is a matter of equality and keeping faith of one of the charters of the nation, the right to live your life.

 More and more conservatives are saying that opposition to gay marriage would not be a litmus test for membership in the GOP. And more conservatives are making the case that no more do you want big government conservatives in the bedroom than big government liberals telling you how to live your life.

This echoes his message to Log Cabin Republicans in April, 2009, where he said:

I, and I believe most people, believe you are born with your sexuality. It is not a choice. It should offend us as Republicans and Americans when gays are denigrated as degenerates or un-American or undeserving of the government’s protection of their rights. And the Republican Party should give voice to genuine outrage when anyone belittles the humanity of another person. It is offensive in the extreme to the values of this nation, and we should be in the forefront of rejecting such truly un-American prejudice. Moreover, if you believe we are born with our sexual orientation, it is hard to deny the inequality under the law that exists when people of one sexual orientation are allowed to marry and people of another are not.

Even though a majority of Republicans remain opposed to it, we must respect dissent on the subject within the party and encourage debate over it, and should not reject out of hand and on specious grounds the question that the party might be in the wrong on the question. We should publicly affirm that gays are entitled to the same respect and protections we accord heterosexuals to be secure from discrimination in their employment and the places they choose to live; to enter into contractual relationships with another person that grant them the same benefits and privileges allowed married couples, such as tax advantages accorded married couples or the responsibilities to make end of life decisions for one another.

Schmidt will be joining former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, Mary Cheney, Ambassador and Nicole Wallace, former Congressman Michael Huffington, former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor Bill Weld, former FEC Chairman Michael Toner, Fox News Contributor Margaret Hoover and many more at a fundraiser to benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that is seeking to overturn California’s Proposition 8. 

Posted: September 1st, 2010 under GOP Progress, In Focus, In the News.
Comments: 1

Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper was featured Sunday in the New York Times discussing the GOP’s efforts to reach out to a broader base.  When asked about reconciling tension between social and fiscal conservatives, he answered:

Any tension between mainstream conservatives and social conservatives is less of an issue within Republican circles during the 2010 election cycle than previous cycles. Why? We lost and we lost big in 2008, which forced all Republicans to re-evaluate strategy, tactics and messaging with voters.

Many in party leadership came to realize that any sort of identity politics or wedge social issues had a diminishing political return and cut into our party’s broad base. Log Cabin Republicans has long advocated that the Republican National Committee focus on the core conservative principals of individual liberty and individual responsibility. From those two basic conservative principals, the L.C.R. helps the Republican leadership advance candidates and policies supportive of a free market economy, fiscal responsibility, immigration reform, strong national defense and a confident foreign policy.

Mr. Mehlman’s recent revelation that he is gay is actually good news for the party. He joins a growing chorus of elected Republican officials and well-known Republicans who support full civil rights, including former Vice President Cheney, former Solicitor General Ted Olson, former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as my former State Department colleagues Ambassador John Bolton and Ambassador Mark Wallace.

Inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do – it is also smart politics. Today’s voters believe that people should be judged by the content of their character, not by their sexual orientation. This is entirely consistent with the traditional Republican respect for the individual. Promoting that value will help us win in at the ballot box. Also, openly gay Republicans running for office like L.C.R. member, Richard Tisei, candidate for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, and former L.C.R. Board Member, Steve May, candidate for the Arizona Legislature, help personify diversity in the party.

Fortunately, the Republican National Committee and the campaign entities, the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee are making strong efforts to focus on common conservative themes. These entities have reached out to Log Cabin Republicans to help revitalize the party. Inclusion will help Republicans rebuild the party base and regain a majority in Congress that can benefit all Americans.

Posted: August 30th, 2010 under From the Right, GOP Progress, In the News, Log Cabin In Focus.
Comments: none

Log Cabin Republicans issued the following statement regarding former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman’s disclosure of his sexual orientation:

“Log Cabin Republicans is very supportive and appreciative of Ken’s coming out. Being gay and being conservative are not mutually exclusive,” said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper.  “As a fellow Bush alumnus, I also look forward to Ken helping me and our colleagues build a stronger and more inclusive Republican Party. Nothing presents a better argument for the equality of gay and lesbian citizens than the reality of our lives as responsible members of society.  I am happy that Ken has come to a place where he can take a stand with integrity, and I welcome him as yet another conservative, common-sense voice to join with Log Cabin Republicans and all Americans in this important dialogue.”

“The process of coming out, and certainly coming out in the public eye, is never an easy one, but I am glad that Ken has decided to take this step and am glad that he is doing so on behalf of the fight for equality,” said former Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe. “As somebody who took my own journey and came out later in life, I have a great deal of respect for him doing this on his own terms. Ken joins a chorus that includes Laura Bush, Dick Cheney, Ted Olson, and countless others advocating for the American value of inclusion. This is not a time for playing politics; it is a time for us all to join together–Republicans and Democrats–to repeal the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, to pass workplace non-discrimination, and to recognize all committed relationships. The responsibility for making this happen lies with the Democratic leadership in Congress and in the White House who set the legislative agenda.”

Posted: August 25th, 2010 under From the Right, GOP Progress, In the News.
Comments: 2

Continuing a tradition established by former Governor Jon Huntsman, current Governor Gary Herbert has invited Utah Log Cabin Republicans to join him and First Lady Jeanette Herbert at a reception for the Utah gay and lesbian community.

The first reception was in 2007 during the governorship of Republican Jon Huntsman, who made several strides in reaching out to Utah’s gay and transgender community during his time in office, going so far as to publicly support civil unions. The reception, said LCR President Mel Nimer, was part of Huntsman’s effort to promote the group within his party and to “build some bridges” between Republicans and gays.

After President Obama appointed Huntsman as U.S. Ambassador to China in 2009, Gov. Gary Herbert kept up the tradition. In fact, Nimer said that Herbert called him shortly after taking office to let them know they’d be invited to the governor’s annual reception.

“He wanted to carry on Huntsman’s tradition as part of his open door policy,” he said. “Being a Republican organization representing the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community we do have the ear of the Governor and Lt. Governor.” And even though both officials aren’t always supportive of pro-gay and transgender legislation, Nimer added that LCR’s leadership know they can talk to them and that ‘they see we’re just regular people.’

…

Some topics of discussion at the reception, said Nimer, are those that have recently received widespread attention among Utah’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population, and which QSaltLake has recently covered.

“We’re hoping to work with the governor on dealing with the suicides and drug use and those kinds of issues both within our LGBT community and within the Utah community in general,” he said, refering to the suicides of three young, gay Utah men in July and the widespread use of methamphetamines, particularly among men who have sex with men in the state.

Gov. Herbert and Lt. Gov. Greg Bell will speak at the event. Clarke Cooper, the newly-appointed executive director of the national Log Cabin Republicans, will also be in attendance.

Read more about the reception at QSaltLake.com.

Posted: August 20th, 2010 under GOP Progress, In the States.
Comments: 1

QUOTES OF INTEREST

Mark Halperin:  (Time Magazine, 7/19)

“Democrats also fear that Biggs’ admission will impact the flow of donations from corporate interests and lobbyists, who tend to want to bet on the party more likely to win the majority. Open musing about a Speaker John Boehner, House Democrats believe, will drive mercenary donors to shift their support to the GOP.”

Cook Political Report:  (Meet the Press, 7/18)

“…identifies 64 House seats now held by Democrats that could fall to a Republicans.”

Posted: July 21st, 2010 under Elections, GOP Progress, In Congress.
Comments: none

The following is a guest commentary by Sen. Roy Ashburn originally posted at GayPolitics.com

Startled by the blurry reality of a red light glaring in my rear-view mirror at 2 am on the morning of March, 4, 2010, I knew my life was about to change.  The California Highway Patrol stopped me as I was driving drunk after leaving a gay club in Sacramento, California’s capital.   With my arrest and the media inquiry that followed, my deeply-held secret was no longer my own business.  My private life as a closeted gay man was now the public’s business, and I had a lot of explaining to do.

I should begin with an apology.  I am sincerely sorry for the votes I cast and the actions I took that harmed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Just as important to me, I am sorry for not stepping forward and speaking up as an elected official on behalf of equal treatment for all people.  For nearly 26 years, the voters in my area of California trusted me as their elected representative.  I look back now knowing there is so much more I could have done to inform the public about LGBT  people and to fight for equal rights under the law.  Regrettably and selfishly, I took another path in my life and political career—I chose to conceal who I truly am and to then actually vote against the best interests of people like me.  All this was done because I was afraid–terrified, really–that somehow I would be revealed as gay.

My past actions harmed gay people.  In fact, all people are harmed when there is unequal treatment of anyone under the constitution and laws of our country.  I do not believe in discrimination, and yet my votes advanced unequal of treatment of gay people and promoted the suspicion and fear that limits people from being forthright and accepted in society.

Now, from what I have lived and learned, I want to do the best that I can to advance equality and freedom for all people.  Given the shame and confusion that many feel over their sexual orientation, perhaps my situation can serve as an example of both the harm that can come from denial and fear, and the opportunity to try to make things right.

Gay people being treated with respect and having the same opportunities for a good life regardless of sexual orientation should not be topics of political debate.  How can it possibly be that there is a partisan political divide over equal rights in America?  At a time when our country is deeply divided over the proper size and scope of government, when people are hurting in a bad economy and when we face real threats from terrorists determined to end our way of life, shouldn’t we be united on at least one principal–that equality for all Americans is fundamental to who we are as a nation of freedom-loving people?

Now, I am somewhat of a novelty in politics.  I am a gay Republican.  I have always been a Republican, even as an eight-year-old boy with an intense interest in campaigning, elections and government.  To me, Republican principles hold that each individual is special and unique; each individual should have the maximum freedom and opportunity under our Constitution; that government has no business in the private lives of our citizens.

If these truly are the guiding values of Republicans—how did we ever get into the situation where my party is viewed as the anti-gay-rights party?  Well, maybe because Republicans, including myself, have voted and acted to oppose equality and freedom for gay people.

It’s time for fair-minded Republicans to speak up for what our party really stands for—individual freedom and limited government.  If we truly believe the greatness of America is founded on the individual achievements of ordinary citizens acting with the maximum amount of personal liberty, then there should be no debate over where Republicans stand on the rights of LGBT Americans.

We stand for equality as well as opportunity.  We stand for individuals living their lives without fear or limits imposed by a powerful government.  We stand for a government of limited powers over citizens, including not being involved in the private lives of people.  These tenets of Republican ideology call for bold action by our party when confronted with the real-life issues of discrimination against LGBT people.

I am no longer willing, nor able to remain silent in the face of unequal and hurtful treatment of my community.  It may have taken me a strange, incoherent and long path to get here, but this is where I find myself as a gay Republican Senator.  It’s time for Republicans to find our way and fight for equal treatment for all people, especially the freedom to be unique and have our rights acknowledged and protected.

Roy Ashburn, a California State Senator, is in his final term in office representing District 18, which includes portions of Kern, Tulare, and San Bernardino Counties.

Posted: July 20th, 2010 under GOP Progress, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: 1

THE WASHINGTON POST

By Jeb Bush and Robert D. Putnam
Saturday, July 3, 2010; A19

On our national birthday, and amid an angry debate about immigration, Americans should reflect on the lessons of our shared immigrant past. We must recall that the challenges facing our nation today were felt as far back as the Founders’ time. Immigrant assimilation has always been slow and contentious, with progress measured not in years but in decades. Yet there are steps communities and government should take to form a more cohesive, successful union.

Consider what one leader wrote in 1753: “Few of their children in the country learn English. The signs in our streets have inscriptions in both languages. . . . Unless the stream of their importation could be turned . . . they will soon so outnumber us that we will not preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious.” Thus Ben Franklin referred to German Americans, still the largest ethnic group in America. A century later, Midwestern cities such as Cincinnati and St. Louis were mostly German-speaking. So worried were their native-born neighbors that Iowa outlawed speaking German in public and even in private conversation.

Proponents and opponents of immigration agree on one thing: Learning English is crucial to success and assimilation. Yet learning a language as an adult is hard, so first-generation immigrants often use their native tongue. Historically, English has dominated by the second or third generation in all immigrant groups. Most recent immigrants recognize that they need to learn English, and about 90 percent of the second generation speak English, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Research by sociologists Claude Fischer and Michael Hout published in 2008 suggests that English acquisition among immigrants today is faster than in previous waves.

Residential integration of immigrants is even more gradual. Half a century ago, sociologist Stanley Lieberson showed that most immigrants lived in segregated enclaves, “Little Italy” or “Chinatown,” for several generations. This segregation reflected discrimination by natives and the natural desire of “strangers in a strange land” to live among familiar faces with familiar customs. Only with suburbanization, encouraged by government policy in the 1950s and 1960s, did the children and grandchildren of the immigrants of the 1890s and 1900s exit those enclaves. That many of today’s immigrants live in ethnic enclaves is thus entirely normal and reflects no ominous aim to separate themselves from the wider American community.

Immigrant intermarriage, then and now, also demonstrates steady progress over generations. In the 1960s, more than half a century after Italian immigration peaked, about 40 percent of second-generation Italians married non-Italians. This pattern characterizes today’s immigrants: 39 percent of U.S.-born Latinos marry non-Latinos, according to the Pew Research Center. Intermarriage among second-generation Asian Americans is even more common. Today’s immigrants are, on average, assimilating socially even more rapidly than earlier waves.

One important difference, however, that separates immigration then and now: We native-born Americans are doing less than our great-grandparents did to welcome immigrants.

A century ago, religious, civic and business groups and government provided classes in English and citizenship. Historian Thomas P. Vadasz found that in Bethlehem, Pa., a thriving town of about 20,000, roughly two-thirds of whom were immigrants, the biggest employer, Bethlehem Steel, and the local YMCA offered free English instruction to thousands of immigrants in the early 20th century, even paying them to take classes. Today, immigrants face long waiting lists for English classes, even ones they pay for.

Why is this important? A legal immigration system is the not-so-secret edge in a competitive, interconnected world economy. Immigrants enhance our ability to grow and prosper in the dynamic global marketplace. We will need every possible advantage to expand our economy amid its fiscal challenges. Moreover, the aging of our population places a premium on young, productive workers, many of whom must come from immigration.

To improve their integration into our American community, we should:

– Provide low-cost English classes, in cooperation with local civic and religious groups, where immigrants build personal ties with co-ethnics and native-born Americans. These connections foster assimilation and help newcomers navigate our complex institutions.

– Invest in public education, including civics education and higher education. During the first half of the 20th century, schools were critical to preparing children of immigrants for success and fostering a shared national identity.

– Assist communities experiencing rapid increases in immigration, which is traumatic for those arriving here and for receiving communities. Schools and hospitals bear disproportionate costs of immigration, while the economic and fiscal benefits from immigration accrue nationally.

Assimilation does not mean immigrants shed ethnic identities. Our national experience with hyphenated identities shows that good Americans can retain a strong sense of ethnic identity.

We’ve lived our national motto, “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of Many, One”), better than any other country. But we ought not to airbrush our ancestors’ difficulties in assimilation, nor fail to match our forebears’ efforts to help integrate immigrants. Government, churches, libraries, civic organizations and businesses must cooperate to address this challenge, as they did a century ago.

Jeb Bush was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin professor of public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

View all comments that have been posted about this article.

Posted: July 16th, 2010 under GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the News.
Comments: none

In Boston last week a federal judge made two significant rulings in favor of gay marriage and striking down aspects of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, yet couples who wed were prohibited from Social Security  benefits, joint tax returns, and leaving work to care for a sick partner. The Boston judge ruled that the government must treat Massachusetts gay married couples the same way as heterosexual ones.

Almost as significant as the judge’s decision, was the fact that Judge Joseph Tauro was an appointee of Richard Nixon. Conservative judges and courts across the country are ruling in favor of equal rights, including Iowa’s ruling allowing gay marriage and other court decisions in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Another major case in California over Prop. 8 is being considered by conservative appointed Judge Vaughn Walker. Conservative judges are the ones stepping up in the name of equality across the nation. Read more from The Boston Globe on this story.

Posted: July 15th, 2010 under From the Right, GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the States.
Comments: none

Representative Ahn ‘Joseph’ Cao was shown to be a primary and general election leader by a recent survey released. Dr. Verne Kennedy of Market Research Insight surveyed 400 participants to discover the findings for Cao in the upcoming election. Representative Cao has been a supporter and key Member for the work that Log Cabin Republicans strives for. These survey results prove that “Inclusion Wins” in the Republican Party. A Republican takeover of Congress is not possible without the party being inclusive of all its members, Rep. Cao knows this. 

Key Findings from the Survey:

“The survey, conducted May 27 – June 2, 2010, shows Rep. Cao leading Cedric Richmond 51%-26% and Karen Carter Peterson 49%-30% in head-to-head matchups. When voters were asked if they would vote for Rep. Cao or “someone else,” Cao led 46%-29%. The Congressman has name recognition of 94%, 54% holding a favorable opinion of him and only 9% holding an unfavorable opinion.”

“The survey of 400 voters provides a survey error factor of 5.0% at a .95 level of confidence, meaning that if every voter in the Congressional District were interviewed, instead of this sample of 400, there is a 95% probability that results would be within 5% of those in this poll.”

For Additional Information:

 “Please contact Dr. Verne Kennedy at (850) 384-7040 or e-mail vkennedy@mri-research.com for more information. For additional comments, please call Bryan Wagner, Senior Campaign Advisor, at 504-616-6318.”

Posted: July 14th, 2010 under Elections, From the Right, GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In Congress.
Comments: none

Republican Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) have all publically stated that they will not support a filibuster on the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that is planned for the Senate floor in the coming weeks. Yet if the wavering southern Democrats take a position against repeal, a filibuster could still be reached. Several Senators have not released their formal positions on the policy and how they will vote when the Defense Authorization Bill reaches the floor, with a repeal of the policy in the bill. Some Republican Senators understand that repeal is crucial and favored by a large majority of Americans, but others are still lacking.

Frum Forum writer Jonas Stankovich questions, “Why Republicans will spend energy on opposing a repeal overwhelmingly supported by the American voters is puzzling, when considering the necessity of saving political capital to fight upcoming Democratic bills on cap and trade, and another pork-filled “jobs” bill.  Republicans are wasting precious ammunition needed to stop a continued European-style liberal economic onslaught, just to make sure that our fighting men and women who are gay stay closeted.”

 The last fear soldiers defending our freedom need is the fear of being discharged because of their sexual orientation. When the Defense Bill reaches the floor, Senators have a decision to make; agree with 74 percent of the nation for repeal or waste time and energy to oppose repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Posted: June 9th, 2010 under From the Right, GOP Progress, In Congress, In Focus, Issues in Focus.
Comments: 1