Pro-Gay Groups Find New Allies in the GOP

[sabra]

Source: Roll Call

After years of sending in their regrets, Republicans are RSVPing yes to gay causes more than ever.

Prominent GOP lobbyists, activists and Members of Congress will attend or lend their names to two big gay rights events tonight, including one co-hosted by Ken Mehlman, the former Republican National Committee chairman and George W. Bush campaign manager who recently announced he was gay.

In his first gay rights political event since going public with his sexual orientation, Mehlman is hosting a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which is spearheading the court battle for gay marriage.

The cocktail reception in New York City also features Ted Olson, one of the two lawyers who successfully argued the case before a federal judge in California to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage. Olson was solicitor general under Bush.

The fundraiser has also drawn a bipartisan host list that includes Mary Cheney — the openly gay daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney — and Steve Schmidt, a senior presidential campaign adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_28/lobbying/50098-1.html

[xchrom]

1. I have to thank Ted Olsen - but mehlman would kill and eat his own mother. Nt

[h9socialist]

2. And that's why they filibustered the DADT repeal?

[tomm2thumbs]

4. uh, but that was business, and this is pleasure

them Pub'cans know when the lights are on and off, and what happens in the dark is their little secret

[Raster]

5. They like our money and will fight to the death for campaign contributions from gays...

...but they won't fight for our civil rights or for our right to honorably serve in the military and die for our country. Hypocrisy, thy name is G.O.P.

And quite frankly, the Democrats are not that much better. "Just one song and a two-minute prayer."

[No Elephants]

11. Log Cabin Republicans did get DADT declared unconstitutional by a lower federal court.

They first filed the suit in 2004, too.


Agree that overall, both Parties have been pretty shameful.

[groundloop]

3. GOP will be pro gay - until November 3rd

They'll pretend to be pro-everybody right up until the election.

[demigoddess]

6. exactly, just as I thought too!

eom

[COLGATE4]

9. Absolutely!!! Call them on it for the bullshit it is!!

[No Elephants]

14. Are we going to call both Parties on their anti gay bullshit, or are we bullshit

partisan hypocrites?

[David Zephyr]

10. Thank you for posting that. That's all this is at this time.

What an evil group of people. These are door-mat homosexuals who embrace that status, who have prospered because of their pasts.

This gay guy needs only to look at how every friggin' Republican in the Senate voted yesterday. This is the party that Karl Rove whipped up anti-gay hysteria against for decades.

[No Elephants]

12. How dare Rethugs stall repeal of Clinton's abomination?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. I hope that they are jamming up the phone/fax lines

and yelling at Republican Senators over their filibuster on the defense authorization bill/DADT Repeal yesterday.

The Republicans, at least the ones holding political office don't seem (to me) to be more receptive to gay causes than they were before, especially now that they have to be constantly on the watch for the possibility of being "teabagged".

Sure, some high-profile NON-office holders might be more sympathetic to gay causes than their congressional counterparts and that's terrific but unless they're putting more pressure on Congress and/or seriously challenging the fundies, what are they accomplishing (except for Ted Olsen, of course)?

:shrug:

[ProSense]

8. Here is

Steve Benen on the Roll Call article.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. This is just too rich. It seems that all these new converts, seem to

have the title "former" in front of his/her name. Why now? When they had the power, they were using this issue to bludgeon the opposition. Expect the moral majority to weigh in loudly on this one, I just just think they'll wait until after the mid-terms. Very clever.

[sofa king]

15. Spider Invites Fly for Cider, Devouring of Liquefied Innards

[Mz Pip]

16. Mary Cheney, Ken Mehlman

Steve Schmidt and Ted Olson may be Republicans but none of them are elected to anything nor are they running for anything. They'd have a hard time really getting much support as candidates for any elected position with their pro-gay positions.

When a republican senate or house candidate strongly comes out in support of gay rights then I'll believe this.