Patrick Guerriero, head of the lead gay Republican group Log Cabin Republicans, BLASTED the GOP today for feigning outrage over Mary Cheney being mentioned in the presidential debates when the GOP has been attacking gays and lesbians EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
This is the REAL story and it's one we need to get out there. We need to demand the media cover the GOP's gay-baiting in this election and demand that the president stop bashing gays to get votes from far right religious extremists. Bush and Cheney are using Mary Cheney and her lesbianism, just like they've used for the past for years, to screw our community - first to sucker gay Republicans to vote for this anti-gay administration, then to feign outrage over mentioning some is gay when THEY have been beating the crap out of gay Americans for the past four years, and are even gay-baiting in their own campaign for the presidency.
I've been told by three very good sources that a VERY senior employee of the RNC has a gay son. This would be an employee who has a direct say over the anti-gay ad campaign the RNC is running to get religious right votes. I seriously hope that person is listening, because the time for playing nice is over. If we're going to be publicly and falsely accused of criticizing your gay children, then we might as well actually do it and at least get some benefit from the attack, as we're already being charged with it anyway.
[Guerriero] said Republicans "who are expressing outrage at the debate comments really have been outrageous themselves."
"The reality is the type of outrage that is being expressed by some Republicans should be expressed at themselves. They've decided to use gay families as wedge issues across America in swing states -- that is truly outrageous," he told CNN's "American Morning."....
Guerriero said members of his group are "insulted by a campaign that has attempted to amend the Constitution, and in too many states we've seen discriminatory amendments that would deny hospital visitation and domestic partnership legislation."
He also pointed to fliers that the Republican National Committee sent to voters in Arkansas and Virginia, which say "banned" over a picture of the Bible and "allowed" over a picture of a man apparently proposing marriage to another man.
The fliers warn: "Liberals want to impose their values" on the state.
Guerriero said the fliers "equate gay and lesbian families with those folks who would want to ban the Bible."
Republican officials have said the fliers were expressing concern over what Bush calls "activist judges." But Guerriero called the mailings part of "low-ball politics."
"The big story in this election is that Karl Rove has decided to strategically use gay and lesbian Americans in a number of swing states," Guerriero said. Rove is Bush's chief political strategist.
"The same people who are feigning outrage about what happened in the debate should speak out against that type of political gamesmanship," Guerriero added.... he said, "the president and Karl Rove should stop attacking gay families on the campaign trail."
