As the Republican Party continues to find ways out of its electoral grumpy, old white men quagmire, some in the party are bucking the trend by encouraging Republicans to support same-sex marriage. A new PAC formed by some of the party’s wealthier donors called American Unity PAC – including Paul Singer as first among equals…
I cannot believe in the current political climate that the Republican National Committee (RNC) decided to reaffirm their commitment to oppose same-sex marriage. As some of their members have decided to come out for marriage equality, the RNC has decided to dig their heels in. Can someone help me understand why a political party would…
In promoting the “Gang of 8” immigration bill, Sen. Marco Rubio emphasized one point: “This is not amnesty.” Whether you use Rubio’s definition – “the forgiveness of something,” or Merriam-Webster’s – “the act of an authority by which pardon is granted,” I agree. This is not amnesty. Forgiveness and pardon suggest that any debt is…
When Rick Santorum ran for president, people asked if I was offended as a gay man. My reply, “No, I’m offended as a Pennsylvania native.” Similarly, the Supreme Court arguments on marriage equality didn’t upset me as a gay man, but the suspicious use of data offended me as a scientist. Let’s start with Justice…
The oral arguments on Proposition 8 (Hollingsworth v. Perry) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, United States v. Windsor) are over, and the pundits have had a week to sift through the transcripts ad nauseum. I think it’s only fair to take a look at what Politically Aware got right and wrong. https://lgbtweekly.jeffjungblut.com/?p=35247 First,…
The Voice and Viewpoint piece attacking District 4 City Council candidate Dwayne Crenshaw was homophobic. It was vitriolic. It was contemptible. Journalistically, however, it wasn’t the most sinister thing published about Crenshaw last week. That award goes to Voice of San Diego, for “The Candidate and the Troubled Non-Profit.” Say what you want about the…
Next week, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8. Only two things are certain. No decisions will be made, and activists and reporters will parse every word uttered to project how the Court will vote. To help you keep up with the rampant, pointless speculation,…
In 2010, political prognosticator Charlie Cook felt that Republicans might win back the Senate, unless they nominated far right candidates who would lose to moderate Democrats. As his prime example, Cook used Kentucky, where ophthalmologist Rand Paul was the Tea Party choice against the establishment favorite, Secretary of State Trey Grayson. (In Cook’s defense, this…
BY ALEX ZADEL Alex Zadel is an intern at Political Research Associates. The two most prominent LGBTQ organizations in the conservative movement, GOProud and the Log Cabin Republicans, are getting the cold shoulder from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Since 1973, CPAC, hosted annually by the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF), has attracted thousands…
I spent last weekend in Washington, D.C. lobbying and learning with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest LGBT civil rights organization. I returned with a few stories to share. The last time I visited room 2410 in the Rayburn House office building with an HRC folder I got a forced smile from a staffer…
