In a statement released late Tuesday,
the Log Cabin Republicans endorsed the campaign of Senator John
McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for president and vice president. Despite being a gay
group.
An observer would note that McCain is
not a pro-gay guy. Still, the Log Cabin Republicans say they believe
McCain is the better choice for president on a number of issues –
like fiscal conservatism and a strong defense – most of which are
not gay related at all.
This is the same group whose $1,000
campaign contribution was returned by Bob Dole's presidential
campaign in 1995, when it was disclosed that it came from a gay
group. The group endorsed Bush in 2000, but refused to do so in 2004,
citing the Party's use of gay marriage as a political wedge issue to
attract evangelical Christian voters to the polls. It's widely
believed that the anti-gay strategy – devised by Karl Rove – helped win
Bush the White House. Rove continues to advise Republicans,
including McCain.
“Sen. McCain showed courage by
bucking his own party's leadership and the president – twice voting
against the [federal anti-gay-marriage constitutional] amendment. He
gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, calling the amendment
'antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans,'”
Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Sammon said in a prepared
statement. “On the most important issue that LGBT [Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender] Americans faced in the last decade ...
John McCain stood with us. Now we stand with him.”
Gay group Stonewall Democrats, who have
endorsed the Obama-Biden campaign, responded negatively to the Log
Cabin Republicans' McCain-Palin endorsement, and made certain to
highlight McCain's anti-gay record.
“John McCain and Sarah Palin continue
to push a radical, anti-equality agenda at the request of the special
interests which control their campaign and the Republican Party,”
said Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley. “The
Mccain/Palin ticket opposes adoption by same-sex couples, supports
constitutional discrimination regarding the freedom to marry,
supports legal discrimination in the workplace based on gender
identity and sexual orientation, opposes comprehensive hate crimes
legislation and is willing to jeopardize our national security by
barring qualified servicemembers simply based on their sexual
orientation alone.”
The Log Cabin Republicans, 20,000 strong, estimate
there are two dozen openly gay delegates attending the Republican
National Convention.