Why do Log Cabin Republicans stay loyal and never threaten to bolt the party?

[NNN0LHI]

Can't get one stinking Republican Senator to vote for repeal of DADT, yet I never hear about any Log Cabin Republicans threatening to replace them with someone who might vote in their best interest? Why is that? Anyone know?

Don

[GodlessBiker]

1. Stockholm Syndrome?

[Bumblebee]

2. The question should be why are they Republicans to begin with?

The answer to that would probably cover your initial question as well.

[Johonny]

3. because they don't vote based on social issues

They have mostly bought into the economic BS that is party republican.

They understand that the social value republican voters are (or at least suppose to be) just a show to keep the masses voting Republican. Do they really win with Republican economics? Does anyone.

It's clear they are trying to use their sexuality as a wedge to get more gays to bash the slow moving Dems. It's working and Dems have been painfully slow to react to the move. They aren't the only Republicans to completely sell out their social beliefs for the parties economic beliefs. Look how many Republicans profess Religious attitudes that they clearly don't really believe, or profess hatred of abortion they clearly aren't interested in as a political topic.

[Lucky 13]

4. Why do LGBT stay loyal and never threaten to bolt the Democratic party?

Same fucking question. Same fucking answer.

Neither party represents our interests or are willing to fight for us. Dem, Repub... what's the fucking difference? The result is the same. Our choices are "bad" or "worse". At least with the Rethugs you are expecting the knife in the back. With the Dems there's always this little hope that THIS time, THIS year will be the year when they stand up for us. Then... bam... knife in the back.

The Log Cabin Republicans did more this year to end DADT than our own party. So articulate to me why I shouldn't join up with them.

It's a tough argument to make these days.

[David Zephyr]

39. +1

Thanks for your comments.

I made the same point down thread, Lucky 13. :)

[tuckessee]

5. Because they don't vote with their sex drive.

They have practical political reasons for not supporting the Democrats - primarily that they are not socialists or communists.

How could any non-gun grabbing, non-hardcore command-and-control socialist person vote Democratic these days?

[whathehell]

15. ..Or their self-respect, apparently

Money over rules that, does it?..Enchanting.

And their " practical political reasons for not supporting Democrats" are "primarily that they are not socialists or communists"?

Hello?...Is that what you think "democrats" are?...Socialist or Communists"?...Duh.


Don't you have a republic to free somewhere?

:wtf:

[elocs]

6. My former GOP rep was a closet gay for most of his career until he was outed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Gunderson

Political career

Gunderson served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1975 to 1979 before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980. Representing Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district, he served eight terms in the House and did not seek re-election to the 105th Congress in 1996.<2> He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President's Commission on White House Fellows in January 2010.<3>
Opposed and then supported by conservatives

In 1994, Gunderson was outed as gay on the House floor by conservative then-representative Bob Dornan (R-CA) during the debate over the Federal Defense of Marriage Act,<4> making him one of the first openly gay members of Congress and the first openly gay Republican representative.<5> In the same year, Gunderson was the only Republican in Congress to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, and since leaving Congress he has been a vocal supporter of gay rights causes.

Concerning your questions, I always wondered that as well. But then why are there black people and other minorities who seem to be able to vote against the best interests of their groups?

[EFerrari]

7. Lemmings look loyal, too.

:)

[Gman]

8. The best I can figure is

they know the rest of the GOP would smile and say "bye bye!". So they know they're better off being a thorn in the GOP's side. Conservative leaning gays I've talked with are focused on economic issues where their own philosophy agrees much more with the GOP. They don't seem at all much interested in social issues.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Probably because they are doing well economically and don't want their precious tax cut nixed.

Just because they may be gay doesn't necessarily mean they aren't selfish, greedy bastards whose main priority are on economic issues over social issues. Even if putting such a priority means signing away some of their rights.

It's just more evidence that the true threat from the Republicans and the right are not necessarily the social conservatives but the so-called "economic conservatives" (i.e. corporatist laissez faire/Ayn Rand types, anti-regulation, anti-tax, etc.)

Some of the social conservatives may be small-minded and bigoted, but at least they let us know who they are. The "economic conservatives" who simply claim they want balanced budgets? A whole different animal, and very often it's not anything about balancing budgets and all about greed and getting as much for yourself as possible. Those are the ones we have to be truly concerned about.

[Motown_Johnny]

16. +1

[valerief]

10. Republican greed. nt

[OHdem10]

11. I heard one of the early leaders of Log Cabin Republicans

give a speech on C=Span. He seemed to be saying at
that time they (LCR) believed the issue had reached
a point of being strictly generational. That time
about 10 or so years there would be more younger
Americans at which time all Gay Rights including
marriage would pass. If I understood him, he seemed
to be saying they believe very strongly in Republican
Party Principles and while they will work to bring
about changes, they know DADT and Gay Marriage are
coming. It is not worth giving up their Political
Party when it is going to take time for the society
to change.

[peace13]

12. Mental illness.

I've sen it in my own family!

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Never? Incorrect. DC Councilman David Catania left the party in 2004

[Recursion]

21. That was hardly just about LGBT rights (though it was part of it)

It was mostly about how DC somehow managed to gerrymander an at-large council seat, as odd as that sounds.

[beforeyoureyes]

14. Same reason democrats stay loyal and never threaten to bolt the party

When our politicians sell us out

Ever read this board defending the indefensible...rationalizing...

[stanwyck]

17. Self loathing

Unfortunately. After childhoods being bullied and tormented, they're still desperately seeking approval from those who liken them to beasts and perverts.

[Octafish]

18. Tax Cuts trump Civil Rights

Money does that to Love, too.

[whathehell]

19. For some people.....Not all.

[whathehell]

20. For some people.....Not all.

[hobbit709]

22. Masochism Tango.

[Cleita]

23. Because the check is in the mail.

Clearly, they have been bribed, bought and paid for.

[Wednesdays]

24. I know a lot of people who would fit the "Log Cabin Republican" description

They're concerned about gay rights, and hate how the GOP leadership talks against gays, but as long as their Republican representative isn't one of them, then no problem.

The ones I just mentioned also vote pocketbook-issues, don't really care about other social issues, and in fact are hostile towards African-Americans and poor people.

GLBT aren't as monolithic a voting group as one might think.

[QC]

25. Masochism. n/t

[RagAss]

26. Wealth !....jeeez...this isn't that difficult !

[Hannah Bell]

54. wealth trumps sexual orientation, race, religion, gender. that's why class politics is a winner &

identity politics is a loser.

the ptb just use those things to divide the working class. they know what the seat of power is.

[RagAss]

27. Dupe

[David Zephyr]

28. The Log Cabin Republicans secured a federal court ruling overturning DADT.

Something Democratic Clubs never did, something Democratic politicians and attorney generals never did.

For all my criticisms for decades about the Log Cabin Club, the stark, glaring fact is that they delivered something Democrats never would or could.

[NNN0LHI]

31. Why didn't one of the "Democratic Clubs" ever file a lawsuit while Bush was president?

What was stopping them?

Don

[David Zephyr]

32. Nothing stopped them.

It's very sad for me as a life long, yellow dog Democrat and progressive activist and a gay man that this milestone of judicial history was achieved by Republicans.

Emancipation from slavery: Republican

Women's right to vote: Republican

Overturning DADT: Republican

We Democrats talk a lot, but there are somethings we can't claim.

[NNN0LHI]

34. Yea them Republicans are some real sweethearts ain't they?

Wonder why they didn't file their appeal while Bush was still president?

They had eight years?

Don

[David Zephyr]

35. Are you mocking their victory at overturning DADT?

That's pathetic. Your loyalty to this President supersedes the civil rights of our LGBT troops?

You've made your priorities clear to me, Don.

[NNN0LHI]

36. Got no answer so you attack me?

I see your priorities here too.

Talk about pathetic.

Don

[David Zephyr]

38. I'll kick up your thread a lot so our LGBT DU'ers can read your OP.

And make up their own minds.

Kick.

[NNN0LHI]

40. Hey knock yourself out

Keep kicking it all night.

Don

[QC]

29. Sometimes many of us feel like Log Cabin Democrats, to tell the truth. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

30. That would be a good question if you could make a case that

the DNC is the opposite on GLBT issues, when they are merely 'less wrong'. The President and Tim Kaine, Party leadership, both share with Palin and McCain an opposition to equal rights based on religious dogma. I've heard virtually every national Democrat stand apart from us at one time or another as well, Dean, both Clintons, all opponents of equal rights.
In addition, when this subject comes up, I always know the asking person knows nothing of the history of the two Parties in relation to these people and issues. Here is a hint: Bill Clinton was the first Presidential Nominee to so much as acknowledge the existence of GLBT Democrats out loud. So neither Party can claim haven or righteousness on this. In the past times, the DNC would not even 'wink and nod' for a discrete gay group, the GOP has always been good at winking and nodding and they tolerated that which the DNC actively purged, again and again.
Facts are just facts.

[Stevenmarc]

33. Once a certain level of wealth is achived

then the main gay issues have very little to no bearing in their lives. The wealthy tend not to run to the recruitment office so DADT is meaningless and marriage equality might seem like something that would be a motivating factor but it tends to restrict wealthy gay men who, nicely put, tend to like to keep their options open.

So in actuality quite a lot of Log cabin Republicans, especially the ones I know are actually voting in their own best interest.

[Creative]

37. Because they are rich...?

[David Zephyr]

41. Kicking up a thread that essentially asks why some LGBT Americans are so stupid.

If the OP author was gay, then I could give this a pass.

Anyway, kicking it up for posterity.

[asdjrocky]

42. They worship people and not ideas. nt

[Starry Messenger]

43. Why do African-American Republicans stay loyal and never threaten to bolt the party?

:shrug: How about poor people of any color, why do they stay Republican? Why are you singling out LGBT voters?

[David Zephyr]

45. It's an offensive thread. He should know better.

He should apologize for it; it was beneath him. Instead he's digging his feet in.

Apparently, he's upset at the Log Cabin Club for filing the lawsuit that overturned DADT when Obama was President and not when Bush was President, or that's the defense he provided later in his own thread. In other words, no concern over the merit of the great injustice overturned, but concern only for the career of a politician.

Thanks for your comments and your analogy, Starry Messenger. :)

[Starry Messenger]

46. It's a mystery to me why straight people are obsessed with LGBT voter loyalty.

Honestly, I don't get why straight people start threads like this. I would like to see a DU where straight people started one thread a day about how they donated to SDLN or Courage Campaign, instead of hot messes like this.

[David Zephyr]

51. Especially when the few threads they start regarding LGBT Americans are always like this one.

In any others, they remain absent and silent.

I'm sure he's embarrassed and wish he hadn't started this stinker, but I enjoy kicking it up. ;-)

[Starry Messenger]

52. I'll be happy to help.

:D I never did get an answer to my question to the OP. An attack of shyness perhaps?

[NNN0LHI]

57. Because DADT isn't about African-American Republicans being allowed to serve

Is it?

If this were about African-Americans serving and there were a group of them holding true to the Republican party I would start a thread about them questioning their motives.

Republicans are pond scum. Doesn't make any difference if they are black, gay or whatever. If they are Republicans they are pond scum. So, yes I question the motives of this group that calls themselves Log Cabin Republicans because they too are pond scum. I also question the motives of those defending that Republican pond scum.

There, does that answer your question? Ain't really all that complicated was it?

Don

[Starry Messenger]

60. Sure it is, if those AA Republicans are also gay.

Anyway, your "simple" question is pretty much moot. LGBT voters are usually the most loyal to the Dem party. Your hurt feelings over some perceived slight from them is noted.

[Toucano]

44. Cause they're racist, greedy dullards who happen to be gay? n/t

[Ramulux]

47. Because they are mentally troubled masochists

[PurityOfEssence]

48. Being a member of an oppressed minority doesn't make one "good" or "nice"

Shitheadedness is an equal opportunity affliction.

Conservatives are concerned about themselves, and for these particular people, fiscal conservatism outweighs all else.

People are complex, and the concept of individuals of a downtrodden group being inherently saintly is childish simplicity.

[kenny blankenship]

49. Because they are neither wanted nor needed in the Republican Coalition? So they have no leverage?

They are such a small presence that they can't hope that anyone in the RNC would notice or care if they stopped (or threatened to stop) donating or voting Republican?

Isn't this obvious?

[Art_from_Ark]

50. Why would they care about DADT?

I doubt if many of them have any designs about joining the military.

[David Zephyr]

53. A gay Democrat kicks up this thread saluting the Log Cabin legal triumph ending DADT.

The Log Cabin Republican Club has done more for the civil rights of my LGBT sisters and brothers than the author of this post; they secured the overturn in the courts of Don't Ask, Don't Tell that cruelly discriminates.

[TheKentuckian]

55. Same reasons the other stupid fucks are Republicans, I reckon.

Fearful, greedy, stupid, lacking empathy, receptive to authoritarianism, filled with avarice, racist, believe the economic fairy tales despite the visible fact they are a fuckload of FAIL, and/or any number of issues of fucked up thinking.

[Festivito]

56. One word: INHERITANCE.

Familiies may not like the "lifestyle", but won't write them out of the will if they act nicely, i.e. shill for the Make-us-look-as-though-We're-RICH party.

[LoZoccolo]

58. Because if they are actually conservative, they are doing the strategically most-effective thing.

The Democratic Party is already giving them more of what they want. If they can dilute the positions of the Republican Party then they win no matter who wins.

[Hosnon]

59. Because being gay isn't the only politically relevant thing to them? nt.