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.
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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

Steve May, former Log Cabin Republicans National Board member and long-time warrior against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” appears to have succeeded in taking the first step toward returning to the Arizona State House of Representatives after his write-in campaign far exceeded the number of votes necessary to qualify for the ballot this November.  May served as a state representative from 1998 until 2002, during which time he was chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.

A successful businessman, former Army reservist (discharged under DADT) and firm advocate for the GOP values of fiscal responsibility and individual liberty, Log Cabin Republicans is proud to support Steve May for the Arizona State House of Representatives.  For more about his campaign, see here.

Posted: August 25th, 2010 under Elections, In the News, In the States, Log Cabin In Focus.
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Log Cabin Republicans ally Ric Grenell opines in the Huffington Post about a dirty little secret, Republicans are actually paving the way in the fight for marriage equality:

Immediately after the decision that California’s 2008 ballot initiative Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, the left started their partisan claims that electing liberal judges and Democratic politicians were the only sure ways to guarantee equal rights for gays and lesbians. The partisan group Equality California quickly warned Californians that they must elect Jerry Brown and San Francisco Attorney General Candidate Kamala Harris if they wanted greater equality. One by One, NPR hosts and MSNBC personalities speculated that the Republicans would surely use the ruling as a wedge issue in November leading viewers and listeners to believe the issue splits down partisan lines. And gay groups trumpeted congratulatory claims from Democrats and warnings from some Republicans that the issue was not settled yet.

But what you didn’t hear from the political left and mainstream media is that U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker was appointed by a Republican president and that the lawyer, former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who successfully argued the case on behalf of gays and lesbians, is a Republican.

If U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had had her way, Vaughn Walker would never have been a judge at all. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated Walker to the federal bench. Pelosi mounted an aggressive campaign against him and led two dozen other Democrats to oppose his nomination over what they called his “insensitivity” to gays and the poor. The hectoring liberal mob won and Walker’s nomination stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Pelosi had successfully maligned Walker, who happens to be gay, labeling him a homophobe. Luckily, Walker was nominated again by President George H.W. Bush in early 1989 and subsequently confirmed to the federal bench.

…

But the 2008 decision by California voters to pass Proposition 8 and deny marriage to gays and lesbians should have been a warning sign. California voters overwhelmingly voted for both Barack Obama and Prop 8. At best, this vote means California Democrats are ambivalent about gay marriage. So why do Democratic activists and their media allies continue to define the issue as a partisan divide? The issue is not as partisan as they would like you to believe.

Immediately following the ruling from Walker, Fox News conducted an online and unscientific poll asking people to vote whether or not they believed the Judge had made the right decision. With more than 225,000 votes, 63% of the respondents said “Yes, Prop 8 violates the Constitution.” And 32% said “No, Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman.”

Some people think the issue is merely generational and that as young people mature the opposition to gay marriage will dissipate. But Dick Cheney and Laura Bush are both seasoned Republicans who support gay marriage. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both Democrats with enormous support from young people, are opposed to it. This week’s ruling by a Republican-appointed judge shows that the current stereotypes promulgated by gay civil rights leaders, their Democratic allies and the media are outdated and part of the reason the issue is destined to stay a political wedge.

Read the rest of Grenell’s column at the Huffington Post.

Posted: August 6th, 2010 under From the Right, In Focus, In the News, In the States.
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Log Cabin Republicans ally Ric Grenell opines in Politico about the recent ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker, striking down Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage.

The Democrats have done nothing to give equal rights to gays and lesbians in the 18 months they have controlled the Senate, the House and the White House – despite promising they would. They have worked hard to keep the issue as a partisan political issue whereby they can decry Republicans lack of support while doing nothing themselves. The simple fact is that a Republican group brought the lawsuit to overturn Prop 8, it was argued as unconstitutional by Republican Ted Olson and was ruled unconstitutional by a Republican-appointed judge. And let’s not forget that President Obama and Hillary Clinton is against gay marriage and Dick Cheney and Laura Bush are for it.

Read more at Politco.

Posted: August 6th, 2010 under From the Right, In Focus, In the News, In the States.
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While appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Fox News Host and syndicated columnist Bill O’Reilly took on a usual foe in President Obama, this time taking the President to task for the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy and the discharge of Lt. Dan Choi.

“President Obama has the power to stop this ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ business. Just sign an executive order. So I don’t know why it’s taking so long….It’s not fair. We should stop this nonsense,” said O’Reily of the policy which prohibits open service by gay men and lesbians in America’s armed forces.

O’Reilly joins many conservative leaders who have come out against the policy, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, General David Petraeus, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and General John Shalikashvilli, also a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Posted: July 29th, 2010 under From the Right, In Focus, In the News.
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Associated Press July 23, 2010

“RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Lawyers for a Republican gay rights organization will ask a judge for an injunction to halt the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during their closing arguments in a federal trial challenging the law.

Lawyers for the Log Cabin Republicans say they will ask U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips on Friday to declare the law unconstitutional.

The case is unique in that it is not based on an individual’s complaint but rather is a broad, sweeping attack on the policy. It is the biggest legal test of the law in recent years.

The case has put the Obama administration in the awkward position of defending a policy the president wants repealed. Government attorneys have argued throughout the two-week trial that Congress should decide on the policy — not a federal judge.

They presented only the policy’s legislative history in their defense.

The Log Cabin Republicans’ witnesses included former officers discharged under the policy and other experts who presented studies of how openly gay troops do not affect unit cohesion or military readiness, as proponents of the law have argued. The group’s attorneys also submitted President Barack Obama’s remarks that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy weakens national security.

The plaintiff’s lead lawyer, Dan Woods, argued the policy violates the rights of gay military members to free speech, due process and open association.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or are discovered to be engaging in homosexual activity, even in the privacy of their own homes off base.

The group says more than 13,500 service members have been fired under the law since 1994. The 19,000-member Log Cabin Republicans include current and former military members.

Phillips is expected to issue her verdict in writing. Lawyers say she could take weeks or longer to make her decision.

Legal experts say she may hold off to see if Congress is going to repeal it.

The U.S. House voted May 27 to repeal the policy, and the Senate is expected to take up the issue this summer.

In deciding to hear the challenge, Phillips said the “possibility that action by the legislative and executive branches will moot this case is sufficiently remote.”

Woods, a Los Angeles attorney from the firm White & Case, said if Phillips rules in their favor and the government appeals, he will ask her to suspend the policy until the case is decided.”

Posted: July 23rd, 2010 under In Focus, In the News, Issues in Focus, Log Cabin In Focus.
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‘DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL’ IS A THREAT TO THE CONSTITUTION AND NATIONAL SECURITY.

The following quotes are extracted from Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper’s  Op-Ed on the DADT policy.

“Recent headlines lead many in the gay community to believe the fight to repeal DADT is over, but the policy and discharges remain fully in force.”

“As a veteran of the Iraq campaign and a current Army reserve officer, I can attest that DADT is a hindrance to servicemember integrity, readiness and security, and is a waste of tax dollars.”

“Further, striking the DADT policy and implementing repeal will be a force multiplier for the retention and expansion of much-needed personnel and resources to fulfill the expeditionary campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other training and peace-keeping missions around the globe.”

Read the entire Op-Ed at Metro Weekly

Posted: July 22nd, 2010 under In Focus, In the News, Issues in Focus, Log Cabin In Focus.
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Yesterday in Riverside California, the head of Servicemembers United Alexander Nicholson, testified in the Log Cabin Republicans lawsuit challenging the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.

Nicholson is the founder and Executive Director of the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans. He was one of the lead witnesses in the trial in federal court. Through testimony and facts, Log Cabin hopes to get DADT declared unconstitutional by the federal judge.

“I am especially honored to be the lead veteran witness in this case and to have the opportunity to represent all gay and lesbian troops and veterans on the witness stand today at this very important and historic trial,” said Nicholson, who was discharged under DADT.

“This unnecessary and bigoted law has caused untold harm to each and every person who has served under it, and that, in turn, has harmed the quality and readiness of our armed forces,” he said.

Read full testimony from the trial on Log Cabin Republicans’s website here.

Posted: July 21st, 2010 under In Focus, In the News, Issues in Focus, Log Cabin In Focus.
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