Log Cabin Republican Executive Direotor Clarke Cooper with Mitt Romney
Today the
Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Mitt Romney. This recieved more than it's share of
groans,
cat-calls and
heckling from the vast majority of the LGBT community.
Bil Browning over at The Bilerico Project was just one of many people to notice the Log Cabin Republicans released two versions of their endorsement. The one posted to their website says, "Log Cabin Republicans have elected to issue a qualified endorsement for Governor Romney for president." And goes on to say what really matters is Congress and repealing the Defense of Marriage act (a piece of legislation that President Romney will swiftly veto... so huh?).
But version Log Cabin Republicans released to the press says nothing about the endorsement being qualified.
Well, whatever. The two versions of the statement is probably just an homage to their candidate, with the LCR—like Mitt—attempting to straddle two positions at once.
Moreover, Browning traces the steps that, like the rest of the Republican Party, the Log Cabiners are regressing right along with them. At least in 2004 they had the self-respect to decline to endorse Bush due to his stumping for a Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage equality, a position Romney shares.
Now, I don't like to pay attention to the Log Cabin Republicans much, because frankly, they really don't matter that much. Like African-Americans and Latinos for Romney, they just aren't a bit part of the electorate. And the LCR really don't have enough money to influence a House election, let alone presidential. Their national PAC has spent $35,000 this cycle. To put that in perspective, the Sierra Club has spent more than a million. And the Koch Brothers spend more than that before lunch every day.
The media fascination with them is a novelty act like with Ann Coulter, not a reflection of their true influence. Wouldn't it be nice to see Sierra Club members on our TV machines as often as gay Republicans?
Anyway, another shoe dropped and this story got interesting to me.
Ben Adler has a report up at The Nation: "Romney's Private Promises to the Log Cabin Republicans."
Seems Adler followed up with LCR's Executive Director Clarke Cooper on why the group felt confident they would be able to work with Romney on workplace discrimination legislation, popularly known as ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act).
Adler quotes Cooper as saying: “Romney been clear in his opposition to workplace discrimination.” But Adler correctly points out that Romney has been silent on ENDA and never expressed support or opposition to the legislation.
As I continued to press this point, Cooper blurted out, “Have you met with Romney’s domestic policy team?” And therein lies the answer to how Romney secured LCR’s endorsement. His advisers have privately assured LCR that Romney supports ENDA, even though he so fears the wrath of the religious right that he will not adopt this position in public. (Although ENDA polls very well, major social conservative groups, such as the American Family Association, continue to oppose it and demand that Romney do the same.)
Indeed the topic of workplace discrimination protection for LGBT people polled at
73 percent according Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research fielded the poll of likely 2012 voters in April 2011 commissioned by the Center for American Progress.
And also correct that the Religious Right hates, hates, hates the idea and don't care that 73 percent of America disagrees with them, the gays are NOT going to get this.
And sure enough, the grand poohbah of the American Taliban, Bryan Fischer is now having a full-blown hissy fit at the prospect that Mitt spoke to gay people. This is combined from a series of Tweets from @BryanJFischer's Twitter account:
Ben Adler of the Nation called me at quitting time today. Said he had been given assurances by Log Cabin Republicans that Romney's camp has privately promised them he will support ENDA AFTER he's elected. ENDA will be the official end of religious liberty in America. Will trample on the 1st Amendment rights of every Christian businessmen in the country no freedom of religion, conscience or association. Will do to every Christian business what ObamaCare has done to Catholic hospitals. Would be wrong and politically disastrous for Romney to support. What we need is a flat emphatic, unambiguous denial from Romney himself. Please clarify for us all, Governor.
I will agree with Fischer is IS like Obamacare in that nothing will happen. handful of states have these laws already, and Christianity seems to be carrying on just fine in California, New York and Illinois.
But, Fishcher seems determined to extract his own promise from Romney:
Sounds like Mitty's got some 'splaing to do.
Yes, Bryan Fischer is crazy and awful and horrible.
But last time he got really ticked off it was when Romney hired a gay staffer. Fischer went on a week-long jihad on his daily radio about how Romney had betrayed the family values crowd.
And he wouldn't shut up until Romney fired the guy and Fischer declared victory.
So, stay tuned, Fischer won't let this go. Although it's entirely possible Romney will have denied this report from The Nation and Clarke Cooper by the time I hit "publish."