HRC Revokes Endorsement Following Racist Comments of Senator Mark Kirk
Source: Human Rights Campaign
Today, HRC announced it is revoking the endorsement of Senator Mark Kirk. HRC has also endorsed Tammy Duckworth for Senate and is contributing the maximum to her campaign.
HRC President Chad Griffin released the following open letter to members and supporters explaining this decision:
After careful consideration, HRCs Public Policy Committee of the Board of Directors has taken the unprecedented step -- a first in our 36-year history -- of revoking an endorsement. We are a bipartisan organization and our staff and board make endorsement decisions based on a proven record of LGBTQ equality and a candidates ability to drive legislative change. We will not continue to make progress and pass the Equality Act without Republican support. Its vitally important that we continue to build bipartisan coalitions so that we may continue to move equality forward. We endorsed the sitting senator, Mark Kirk, because he has been a strong supporter of our cause time and again, scoring a 100 percent on HRCs most recent Congressional Scorecard. But events this week have gone beyond the pale for our standards of leadership.
Leadership is about more than the legislation one sponsors and the votes one casts. On Thursday night, Senator Kirk's comments about his opponent's heritage were deeply offensive and racist. His attempt to use Congresswoman Tammy Duckworths race as a means to undermine her familys American heritage and patriotism is beyond reproach. Yesterday, Senator Kirk tweeted an apology that failed to adequately address the real harm and magnitude of his words. So today, following a vote by our boards committee, the Human Rights Campaign withdrew our support of Senator Kirk.
Read more: http://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-revokes-endorsement-following-racist-comments-of-senator-mark-kirk
mucifer
(23,576 posts)I wonder how the Human Rights Campaign felt when The Chicago Trib endorsed Tammy and they didn't. I wonder if they were looking for an out.
He sure gave them one.
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)NBachers
(17,149 posts)TeamPooka
(24,264 posts)it was premeditated racism.
IronLionZion
(45,562 posts)of her missing legs. Kirk has been called out for lying about his service.
sheshe2
(83,953 posts)Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)like DU require exact headline and use headlines for their political propaganda.
Some media is very good at creating a press release, creating a news story as "breaking news" with the objective as a carefully crafted headline. Headlines are the only thing many cellphone users/people read.
I don't think HRC planned their headline but perhaps in future they should start to use their full name because Hillary will be our next President soon.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Ligyron
(7,639 posts)Thanks. I did not know that
rusty fender
(3,428 posts)Their continued pestering for money is so obnoxious
Move on, HRC, equality has been achieved
Hekate
(90,865 posts)....given events in the news and given Trump's presidential campaign.
Human Rights Campaign and similar groups are still needed. If you don't like their requests for support, don't support them. But don't try to tell us their work is done.
rusty fender
(3,428 posts)It's my opinion, and you are not entitled to it
ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)I'm sure racism is over too, yeah?
Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)And 21 states are attacking trans & other gender non-conforming children...
Besides, there's no proof HRC ever had much usefulness to start with (other than providing jobs for people who have no clue what intersectionality is).
rusty fender
(3,428 posts)HRC exists primarily to enrich it's head honchos. Perhaps some of their lobbying has paid off, but private party lawsuits that have reached the supreme court have been the biggest movers of gay rights.
Behind the Aegis
(54,013 posts)27 States do not protect LGBT in housing (it is legal to discriminate against LGBT people in providing housing)
16 States do not protect LGBT in employment (it is legal to fire people for being gay)
17 States do not record hate crimes against the LGBT (crimes against the LGBT are not added to the national data base)
There are also issues with conjugal visits, medical issues, and adoption issues which actively, and currently are legal, discriminate against the LGBT community.
So, no, "equality" hasn't been "achieved" by any stretch of the imagination.
Lucretius
(18 posts)they meant to say reproachable, since "beyound reproach" means blameless.
Chellee
(2,102 posts)I'm glad I'm not the only one who did a double take at that.
BTW, welcome to DU.
Sand Rat Expat
(290 posts)And I facepalmed. I catch errors like that all the time in media sources, and it always makes me wonder if proofreading is a thing that happens anymore. I suppose not. Welcome to DU, by the way!