Homophobes In The House!!

Yesterday, the so-called "moderate" or quasi-"mainstream" candidate from the Republican Clown Car, Willard, told a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire, he favored repealing that state's marriage equality law. He told a 63-year old gay Vietnam vet-- remember, Romney was a draft-dodger who fled to Paris to preach Mormonism during the war-- that “Actually, I think at the time the Constitution was written marriage was between a man and a woman and I don’t believe the Supreme Court has changed that.”

A few days ago, in researching Heath Shuler's record we stumbled onto the only 5 Democrats to score "perfect" ZEROES on the ProgressivePunch ranking of House Members on issues involving LGBT equality this year. Shuler was one and the other 4 were Mike McIntyre and Larry Kissell, his conservative compadres from North Carolina, plus Mark Critz (PA) and Mike Ross (AR).

I don't want the disgrace of those 5 Democrats to get lost in the fact that dozens and dozens of Republicans also scored a ZERO this year on LGBT equality. In fact, only 13 Republicans scored better than that-- a combination of conservatives who represent heavily gay districts, like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Miami/Key West) and Mary Bono Mack (Palm Springs)-- each with a mind-boggling low 14.29%-- or libertarian types like Ron Paul (28.57%).

ProgressivePunch scored every Member of Congress on 30 roll calls this past year, many of them having to do with the GOP attempts to prevent the abolition of Don't Ask Don't Tell from being implemented. One deranged Republican, Buck McKeon (R-CA), is so extreme in his Mormon-based homophobia that he is threatening to use his power as House Budget chair to block any kind of Pentagon budget this year unless Obama alters plans for implementation.

One might expect right-wing Republican fanatics who have built their careers on bigotry, hatred and tearing people apart-- the Michele Bachmanns, Virginia Foxxes, Steve Kings and Paul Brouns of the world-- to always automatically vote against anything to do with equality for anyone. And they do... along with most of their colleagues. But what about Republicans who go out of their way to try to claim that they're not radical hatemongers and that they represent mainstream conservative thought? If they're correct, mainstream conservative thought has moved so far right that it's no longer distinguishable from fascism-- at least not when it comes to LGBT equality. New Hampshire may have passed marriage equality but both the so-called "mainstream conservatives" who represent the state in the House, Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta, vote in lockstep with hatemongers like Bachmann and Foxx. Bob Dold represents a very moderate suburban district just north of Chicago and he claims, at every opportunity, that he's a moderate himself. But he managed to score the same ZERO that every anti-gay fanatic in the Republican delegations from Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina scored. Same story for Michael Fitzpatrick and Jim Gerlach, who represent moderate suburbs of Philly, Charlie Dent, just north of their, from the Lehigh Valley, Leonard Lance (rumored to be a bit of a closet case himself) and Chris Smith from the central New Jersey suburbs, Michael Grimm (Staten Island and Brooklyn), Dana Rohrabacher (suburbs south of L.A.), Brian Bilbray (suburbs north of San Diego), and Fred Upton (moderate western Michigan). Mainstream? Not any more. The progressive, pro-equality Democrat opposing Dold's reelection, Ilya Sheyman, wasn't surprised. "Rep. Dold's right-wing voting record on LGBT equality shows once again that his moderate rhetoric doesn't match up to the party line votes he casts in Washington, D.C. On issue after issue, Bob Dold says one thing in the District and then votes the other way in Congress."

And then there are the confirmed closet cases-- not just hysterical homophobes like Trent Franks (AZ), Patrick McHenry (NC) and Adrian Smith (NE), but the so-called "mainstream conservatives" who wink and nod about their own homosexuality, in certain circles, like David Dreier (CA) and Aaron Schock (IL)-- who vote against equality because it helps keep them in their dark, miserable closets. One of the Blue America candidates, Ed Potosnak, is openly gay and running against Leonard Lance, mostly on economic issues, like jobs and the environment. But he wasn't shy about discussing Lance's reprehensible record on LGBT equality. And he found the same kind of mindset in Lance that Ilya Sheyman found in Dold.

My opponent, Congressman Leonard Lance, has changed since going to Washington. On issues he had shown tendencies to be good on, like the environment and job creation, he has turned bad. On issues he had mediocre positions, like gay rights, he has been awful. But what is worse, is that back home in NJ he speaks to our neighbors and pretends he is on the right side. It is sickening. Recently, Lance was the first Republican to record an "It Gets Better Video" with other Members of the NJ Congressional Delegation. It is great that he sit in front of camera and speak against bullying. Unfortunately, when it really matters and he is voting on the House Floor he makes it worse for LGBTQ youth. Voting to continue the discriminatory DADT policy that institutionalizes bigotry and hatred and forces our military to lie about who they love.

In Congress, I will fight to make life better for every American and ensure all families are recognized and receive the same protections. Lance had his chance to make it better for LGBTQ Americans and failed. I've had enough of his hypocrisy.

Blue America has a relatively new page dedicated entirely to replacing Congress' worst homophobes, regardless of political party. Heath Shuler's primary opponent is on there-- and so are pro-equality candidates running against homophobes like Steve King (R-IA), Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Sandy Adams (R-FL). Please consider giving us a hand with this one and keep in mind we'll be adding more congressional hate-mongers in January. Suggestions welcome.