Weirdly Mixed Night For Gay Republicans

There aren't going to be all that many Democratic freshmen next year. Seth Moulton's win in MA-06 yesterday was one of the bright spots. The district is the northeast corner of the state where the 495 and the 95 join up and head up into New Hampshire. It starts in the Boston's northern outer suburbs-- Lynn, Saugus, Wakefield, Burlington and Bedford and shoots north to Salem, Gloucester, Ipswich, Newbury and Merrimac. It's been John Tierney's district since 1997 but Moulton beat him in a primary on September 9. Although every poll showed Tierney winning, Moulton had closed to within 3 points the weekend before the election and then won 36,575 (50.8%) to 28,915 (40.1%). Last night he won 149,449 (54.65%) to 111,848 (40.90%), beating Tisei far more convincingly than Tierney had in 2012 (48-47% with less than 4,000 votes separating them).

On their October 15 FEC reports Moulton was seriously out of cash compared to Tisei-- $109,572 for the Democrat and $714,104 left for the Republican. The biggest outside expenditures on behalf of Tisei were $997,339 from a right-wing operation calling themselves the American Unity PAC; $700,212 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; $256,237 from the National Association of Realtors; $494,832 from the NRCC's Congressional Leadership Fund; $151,158 from a shady Big Oil funded 501c called Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. Meanwhile Moulton's biggest backers are the VoteVets PAC ($4,036,122), and the DCCC and their House Majority PAC (for a combined $782,570). VoteVets spent $3,001,776 last week.

The last 2 polls, one by Emerson College and one by Republican polling firm ;Øptimus, both last week, showed an extremely tight race with Tisei ahead but within the margin of error.

One of the oddities of this race is that the Republican, Richard Tisei came out of the closet and campaigned as openly gay. The rabidly homophobic National Organization for Marriage, a regular part of the Republican coalition, endorsed Moulton, not because they like him but to stop Tisei. NOM president Brian Brown told his members and supporters to vote for Moulton because it's better to have a Democrat-- even a pro-gay one with a gay brother-- than a gay Republican in Congress who opposes "the values of marriage, family, and life." Moulton told NOM to take their endorsement and shove it up their asses.

“Seth Moulton fundamentally disagrees with everything NOM stands for and has long said that equality is the civil rights fight of our generation,” said Carrie Rankin, Moulton’s communications director. “Fighting against groups, like NOM, that deny equality as a basic human right will be a priority of Seth’s in Congress.” Rankin noted that Moulton has a gay brother and Moulton has said, “It’s fundamentally wrong that he and I don’t share the same rights just because of who he is.”

The other openly gay Republican who ran-- Carl DeMaio in San Diego (in a D+2 district)-- ousted New Dem Scott Peters, 50.26- 49.74%, despite two gay sex scandals breaking about him within a month of each other and despite homophobic GOP congressmen urging Republicans to vote against him.

What About Party Discipline?

John Barrow, from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party

Yesterday we saw that most of the 17 Democratic House Members from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party who voted for Darrell Issa's strictly partisan resolution to hold Eric Holder in criminal contempt were defeated in 2012. Among the few remaining 3-- Bill Owens (New Dem-NY), Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT) and Mike McIntyre (New Dem/Blue Dog-NC)-- picked retirement this year over certain defeat at the polls. That leaves John Barrow (Blue Dog/New Dem-GA), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN) and Nick Rahall (Blue Dog-WV). The DCCC isn't punishing them for their vote against Holder; Blue Dog Steve Israel is rewarding each with millions of dollars in campaign ads.

• Barrow- $1,160,000 in ad reservations
• Peterson- $1,500,000 in ad reservations
• Rahall- $1,225,000 in ad reservations

And it isn't just the criminal contempt vote against Holder. All three have horrifying voting records. According to ProgressivePunch they are three of the 10 most Republican-voting Democrats in the House, each voting more frequently with the Republicans than with the Democrats on crucial roll calls. Barrow's the worst, voting in the 2013-14 session just 26.87% of the time for progressive legislation, followed by Peterson (33.92%) and Rahall (40.97%). Why not give them even more millions?

The Republicans are much more likely to discipline their members who evidence the kind of disloyalty these Blue Dogs and New Dems regularly display. Yesterday, writing at BuzzFeed, Chris Geidner, gave examples of how extreme right-wing GOP coalition organizations--National Organization for Marriage, Family Research Council, and CitizenLink-- are campaigning against Republicans they view as not right-wing enough. The funniest example is Carl DeMaio of San Diego, who's lame New Dem opponent, Scott Peters, has been endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce because of DeMaio's affiliation with Tea Party extremists. But these GOP groups find DeMaio is guilty of being too liberal gay. In fact another of the 3 Republicans they're fighting is Richard Tisei, another gay man. The third is some weird lady the Koch brothers dug up in Oregon, Monica Wehby.

“We cannot in good conscience urge our members and fellow citizens to support candidates like DeMaio, Tisei or Wehby,” the presidents of the three groups write. “They are wrong on critical, foundational issues of importance to the American people. Worse, as occupants of high office they will secure a platform in the media to advance their flawed ideology and serve as terrible role models for young people who will inevitably be encouraged to emulate them.”

DeMaio and Tisei are the only out LGBT federal candidates from the Republican Party to be appearing on the ballot this fall.

“The Republican Party platform is a ‘statement of who we are and what we believe.’ Thus, the platform supports the truth of marriage as the union of husband and wife, and recognizes the sanctity and dignity of human life,” NOM President Brian S. Brown said in a statement.

Brown called it “extremely disappointing” to see candidates supported “who reject the party’s principled positions on these and other core issues.”

Of the effort to urge people to oppose DeMaio, Tisei, and Wehby, he said, “We cannot sit by when people calling themselves Republicans seek high office while espousing positions that are antithetical to the overwhelming majority of Republicans.”

The letter was sent to House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Greg Walden, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, and others in Republican congressional leadership.

In it, the three conservative groups also warned that it is a “grave error” for the party to be supporting “candidates who do not hold core Republican beliefs and, in fact, are working to actively alienate the Republican base.”

The only left-leaning group that has ever done this-- at least in recent memory-- is Blue America, which ran the TV and radio ads that defeated Bobby Bright in 2010. Most Democratic-oriented groups buy into the DCCC/DSCC kool-aid that they need to support the lesser of two evils. This isn't supporting progressives against conservative in primaries-- which we do routinely-- but helping defeat bad Democrats in a general election. If we weren't so busy trying to help elect Shenna Bellows (D-ME), Rick Weiland (D-SD), Paul Clements (D-MI), Kelly Westlund (D-WI), Mike Obermueller (D-MN) and our other candidates, we'd be running ads against John Barrow in Georgia. He really needs to be disciplined and I hope Democratic voters stay away from the polls in his district in November. He certainly hasn't done anything to earn their voters… just their contempt.

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund-- Even Worse Than EMILY's List… Or Just As Bad

Rep Carol Shea-Porter (D) and Dan Innis (R)

So far this year, Blue America has only backed two incumbents on a special page designed for true-blue progressives who need electoral help this cycle. Each of them is an independent-minded and stalwart fighter for equality and for a shining progressive vision of America. Fortunately for Mike Honda, his Republican-lite primary opponent, Ro Khanna, isn't a gay guy who wants to cut Social Security. He's just a straight guy who wants to cut Social Security. If he was a gay guy who was campaigning on cutting Social Security, the self-styled Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund would be backing him. But they're not. Instead, they're backing Republican Dan Innis, a gay guy who wants to cut Social Security by beating New Hampshire progressive Carol Shea-Porter, who was fighting for gay equality long before the careerist hacks who use the so-called Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund to enrich themselves, were ever calling themselves the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

They're also backing Richard Tisei again against another strong LGBT ally, Democrat John Tierney of Massachusetts. We covered the Tisei vs Tierney dynamic a lot last cycle (as you can see at the link above). Let's just concentrate on Carol Shea-Porter's race. It's far more serious because she's heavily targeted by the Republican Party and she's in a shaky Republican-leaning seat with a PVI of R+1. Obama won the district last year, but only with 50% of the vote. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund could tilt the balance against her, against a woman who said "As long as our LGBT brothers and sisters are denied the right to marry who they love, or they are denied equal protection under the law, we still have work to do." Against a woman who fought to help end Don't Ask Don't Tell. Against a woman who was an original cosponsor of ENDA and who signed the historic amicus brief regarding the unconstitutionality of DOMA. Why would any straight LGBT ally ever want to work with these people at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund if this is how they treat their allies?

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund specializes in supporting conservative gays. They refused to help openly gay progressive Democrats Ed Potosnak (D-NJ) and Trevor Thomas (D-MI) when that support could have helped them against their conservative opponents. Long ago, I pegged them as another worse-than-useless insider suck-up outfit that was 90% about the career aspirations of the management and 10% about equality for the LGBT community. They exist on massive contributions from a small handful of gay millionaires and they are contemptuous of the LGBT grassroots. These are their donors. I wonder which one made them back Tisei and Innis over Tierney and Shea-Porter. From what I can tell all these donors have given hugely and generously to Democrats and Democrats and more Democrats... except Weston Miliken (but he hasn't given to any Republicans either).

VAN AMERINGEN, HENRY
NEW YORK, NY 10011
VAN AMERINGEN FOUNDATION
02/08/12
$75,000

BOHNETT, DAVID
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212
BARODA VENTURES LLC
05/02/12
$50,000

HORMEL, JAMES C
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94101
EQUIDEX INC.
04/19/12
$50,000

HARMSWORTH, ESMOND V
BOSTON, MA 02116
ZACHARY SHUSTER LLC
02/08/12
$50,000

MILIKEN, WESTON F
CHICAGO, IL 60660
SELF
03/30/12
$50,000

JOHNSON, JAMES M
NEW YORK, NY 10013
JOHNSON FAMILY FOUNDATION
04/24/12
$30,000

MILIKEN, WESTON F
CHICAGO, IL 60660
SELF
04/03/12
$30,000

ELMENDORF, STEVE A
WASHINGTON, DC 20009
ELMENDORF STRATEGIES
03/14/12
$25,000

ANSIN, RONALD M
HARVARD, MA 01451
RETIRED
01/31/12
$10,000

When Barney Frank broke with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund last year, he explained that his "So my support for John Tierney over Richard Tisei is based only in part on the fact that if the Democrats take back the House we have a very good prospect of legislative victories, while if Mr. Tisei succeeds in keeping John Boehner as Speaker, we have not. It is also because I do not think it is appropriate for us to go to John Tierney and others, solicit their support-- and in the case of John, receive it wholeheartedly-- but tell them that we may withdraw our support for them not because of anything under their control but because they have the wrong sexual orientation."

Irony: NRCC Backing Gay Candidates While Steve Israel's DCCC Gives A Big Push To A Virulent Homophobe

LGBT activists in Ohio were shocked when they heard Steve Israel was recruiting virulent homophobe Jennifer Garrison to run for Congress. Israel is now pressuring pro-equality Democrats in Congress-- including gay members-- to contribute money to Garrison's campaign. She isn't a garden variety anti-gay politician. She built her entire political career on intense homophobia. It's how she was first elected to the state legislature (where she was able to kill a workplace anti-discrimination law and where she stopped an anti-bullying law). This is literally the most contemptible human being Israel ever picked to run for a congressional seat. Of course, it's important to remember that Israel himself is an "ex"-Blue Dog and pal-ed around with all the Democratic homophobes who vote against hate crimes legislation in years past. In 2007 when the House finally passed a hate crimes bill that included LGBT citizens, 25 Republicans crossed the aisle and voted with the Democrats. As they crossed, they passed 14 of Israel's closest allies going in the other direction. Of the 14 Democrats who voted against the Hate Crimes bill, almost all were subsequently defeated for reelection. The only ones left in the House are Israel cronies Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC) and Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN), both of whom Israel is determined to protect with DCCC money, some of it given by gay donors who are specifically told their contributions would go towards insuring LGBT equality.

Clearly, gays and lesbians should not be giving a nickel to the DCCC or to anything Steve Israel is involved with. That said, the NRCC is worse than the DCCC, a lot worse. How an organization can be worse, let alone a lot worse, than one that is already graded an "F," is worth a separate discussion. For now, let's remember that while the NRCC was trying to teach congressional Republicans how to talk to women voters without insulting them, they don't offer similar tutorials yet on how GOP elected officials could approach Hispanics, Blacks or gays without insulting them!

“Let me put it this way, some of these guys have a lot to learn,” said a Republican staffer who attended the session in Boehner’s office.

There have been “multiple sessions” with the NRCC where aides to incumbents were schooled in “messaging against women opponents,” one GOP aide said.

While GOP party leaders have talked repeatedly of trying to “rebrand” the party after the 2012 election losses, the latest effort shows they’re not entirely confident the job is done.

So they’re getting out in front of the next campaign season, heading off gaffes before they’re ever uttered and risk repeating the 2012 season, when a handful of comments let Democrats paint the entire Republican Party as anti-woman.

Individual Republicans have continued to give Democrats plenty of ammunition about being insensitive to women’s issues. From Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) talking about rape and pregnancy at a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, to House Republicans passing a 20-week abortion ban in June, to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) blaming military sexual assault on “hormones,” there have been repeated instances where GOP lawmakers have come off as tone-deaf to female voters.

…[T]he longtime “gender gap” between the parties continues to be pretty stark for the GOP. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney lost women to Barack Obama by 11 percentage points in the 2012 election, and the 2013 campaigns saw a similar trend. A series of recent polls show a continued double-digit lead for Democratic candidates among women, with the margin soaring to much higher levels among single female voters. The GOP-- which lost female voters by large margins in every competitive Senate race in the 2012 election-- also saw a 10-point increase in its unfavorability rating to among women to 63 percent, according to an October ABC/Washington Post poll.

So it makes sense that some Republicans want to try to learn how to talk to women voters without alienating them (even if most GOP congressmen are deriding that whole idea and refusing to participate). And when it comes to gays, the Republicans won't even try. In fact, despite NRCC attempts to portray the party as an equal-opportunity committee, most Republicans in Congress are committed homophobes and are consumed with fear of and hatred for the LGBT community. Let's take 6th term Virginia conservative Randy Forbes for example.

Forbes, a former Sunday School teacher, isn't known in Washington for having accomplished anything legislatively. In fact, since his election in 2001 the only thing he's done aside from collecting a paycheck, warmongering and talking smack about gay people is founding the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

Even though the Republican-controlled Virginia legislature tried making Forbes' swing district safer by cutting out black-majority Petersburg and putting it into an already D+27 district, voters in Chesapeake, Powhatan and the Richmond 'burbs he represents, only gave Romney the same narrow margin over Obama that they had given McCain-- 50-49%. VA-04 is a winnable district even if Steve Israel refuses to allow the DCCC to go up against Forbes. Due to Israel's sheer incompetence, there is no multi-cycle DCCC plan to defeat Forbes and he knows he is free to act out the most extremist right-wing positions without any fear of electoral accountability. And his latest escapade involved attacking the NRCC for being… pro-gay!

Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee-- and a future arms manufacturer and war contractor lobbyist (his family already started the firm for him)-- wants to put his crony Mac Thornberry (R-TX) in as his successor. But Forbes wants that job. McKeon, himself a virulent homophobe who was the conduit for millions of Morman dollars flowing into California's anti-gay Prop 8 battle, has been conducting an especially nasty whispering campaign against Forbes who is determined to get that Armed Services chair (and is less likely to allow pork to flow through McKeon's lobbying firm). What McKeon's operatives did was get Politico to expose Forbes' insane homophobia and blow it up into a Belway scandal-in-a-teacup.

Even as Democratic congressmen keep donating wads of cash to the DCCC despite the Jennifer Garrison recruitment, Forbes has said he will withhold his NRCC dues if the NRCC supports gay candidates, which they are doing in two instances. Politico is covering for McKeon by saying he isn't the only source:

Forbes has waged a lengthy crusade to convince his colleagues and the National Republican Congressional Committee brass they shouldn’t back some gay candidates. His efforts on Capitol Hill were described to Politico by more than a half-dozen sources with direct knowledge of the talks.

The issue is particularly acute because House Republicans have two promising openly gay candidates in 2014 vying for seats held by Democrats. Richard Tisei, who narrowly lost to Democratic Rep. John Tierney in 2012, is running again in northeastern Massachusetts. And in San Diego, Carl DeMaio, a former city councilman, is trying to knock off Democratic Rep. Scott Peters.

On Wednesday, Forbes told Politico he thinks “GOP leaders can do whatever they want to do,” in terms of giving money to gay candidates.

He said he is more concerned about members being asked to contribute to the campaigns. The NRCC is partially funded by collecting tens of millions of dollars from House Republicans, who pay dues to the organization.

“There would be a different situation if they tried to force other members to give money,” Forbes said.

Asked whether he would have a problem with the NRCC donating money to DeMaio, Forbes said, “That’s a little different situation.”

“I don’t think they’ve done that yet,” Forbes added.

When asked if he would withhold political contributions to the NRCC if they backed DeMaio, Forbes said, “I’m not going to be hypothetical on what we would or wouldn’t do at this particular point in time because you’ve got a lot of scenarios. I don’t think we’ve had primaries and nominations to nominate people. So I don’t want to prejudge.”

The mirror image of this came in DCCC-ville this week when Steve Israel requested contributions for homophobic fanatic Jennifer Garrison-- that's her with her phony smile on the right-- from Democratic members. Do any have the guts to just say no? We're watching. Needless to say, Steny Hoyer is as attracted to Garrison's across-the-board, right-wing perspective and he's already given her $5,000 and is pressuring unions, other Members and his lobbyist cronies to fund her.

It's worth mentioning that it isn't only GOP closet cases who refuse to go to bat for LGBT equality. Fearful and mentally ill gay closet cases like Patrick McHenry (R-SC), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Lindsey Graham always vote against equality but even openly gay Republicans leave much to be desired in that realm. Take Carl DeMaio for example. He's running against conservative corporate whore, New Dem Scott Peters and I could care less which one wins. But when DeMaio couldn't decide what to run for, he was briefly a mayoral candidate this year. He went out of his way to make sure voters knew LGBT equality would not a priority for him and pledged to not advocate for social issues while in public office. While DeMaio says he supports same-sex marriage, he was publicly silent when Proposition 8 was put on the state ballot and has accepted campaign contributions from deranged homophobic backers of Proposition 8. During last year's mayoral campaign, the Union-Times pointed out that the LGBT community wasn't backing DeMaio. "During the mayoral campaign," they wrote, "DeMaio has been booed at various LGBT-centric events, including a mayoral debate in Hillcrest, a rainbow flag-raising ceremony for the community and the annual Pride parade in which he walked alongside his longtime partner. Meanwhile, Filner drew loud cheers at the debate and parade and won every voting precinct in Hillcrest-- the heart of the city’s gay community-- in the June mayoral primary.