Posted on 07/08/2004 1:10:40 PM PDT by Polycarp IV
Log Cabin Republicans Happy With GOP Convention Speaker Line Up
The homosexual group known as Log Cabin Republicans praised the Republican national convention for its choice of “inclusive, big-tent Republicans to speak in prime time at the convention in New York City,” reports the June 30 issue of the Advocate.com, a self-described award-winning national gay and lesbian newsmagazine web site.
“The speakers include former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and New York Governor George Pataki.”
“These speakers represent the future of the Republican Party,” said Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. “These Republicans are among the leading voices for inclusion in the GOP.”
McCain, Giuliani, Schwarzenegger, and Pataki have all been critical of what they call the “anti-gay” Federal Marriage Amendment. Each of these Republicans has a track record of running winning “inclusive” campaigns and of support for many issues critical to the gay and lesbian community, according to the Advocate.
Giuliani, Schwarzenegger and Pataki are ardently pro-abortion as well, as is New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee Lew Eisenberg, all of whom are playing a major role in financing and organizing the Convention.
Reagan conservatives are, so far, not to be found among those who will present their views to the nation in prime time during the convention. A few pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage conservatives, who, after all, represent those of us who are the stakes that hold up the “big tent,” will probably be featured during the morning hours of the Convention, when the rest of the American people are busy with their daily duties and not watching television.
This sorry state of affairs prompted Kate O’Beirne, Washington editor of National Review, to point out in her 7/7/04 column, (http://www.nationalreview.com/kob/obeirne200407070839.asp) that the only announced Convention speaker who actually agrees with President Bush on major issues is a Democrat – Senator Zell Miller of Georgia!
“When the only Reagan Republican to enjoy a prominent supporting role at the party’s Convention is a Democrat, the GOP has a serious identity problem.”
“Given the political ambitions of some of the speakers, the party faithful should pray that Rockefeller Republicanism is not back in the future.” [Is that an echo we hear?]
Rockefeller Republicans Take Manhattan
Kate O’Beirne, Washington editor of National Review
The lineup of primetime speakers at the Republican Convention predictably reflects its New York location by giving prominent spots to the hosts, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki. But those enjoying the coveted spotlight also pay tribute to New York's former Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Joining the hosts will be other mavericks and dissidents who represent a minority in Ronald Reagan's GOP. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona's Senator John McCain, and California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will all be at the primetime podium. The only announced speaker who actually agrees with President Bush on major issues is Democratic Senator Zell Miller of Georigia.
The decision to showcase rogue elephants as representatives of the modern Republican party is not the mark of a self-confident party establishment. If the lineup is intended to make an overwhelmingly conservative party attractive to swing voters, it does so by pretending to be something it's not. The Republican party seems to habitually internalize the criticisms of its opponents. When the only Reagan Republican to enjoy a prominent supporting role at the party's convention is a Democrat, the GOP has a serious identity problem. The Kerry-Edwards ticket is liberal. The Boston convention will not be featuring Louisiana senator John Breaux in an attempt to pretend otherwise.
At the Big Apple convention, three Kerry Catholics will be representing the millions of faithful Catholics being aggressively courted by the Bush campaign. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will likely be heard from as a congressional leader, but haven't senators who have been on point on crucial issues like abortion, cloning, same-sex marriage, and international human rights earned primetime placement alongside their tormentor John McCain? Conservative Republicans should be asking why senators like Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback aren't enjoying the same public embrace as the New York Times' favorite Republican.
While it is true that conservatives like Colorado Governor Bill Owens and Rep. Melissa Hart (Penn.) will have prominent roles on the platform committee during the week before the convention opens, they will not be spotlighted like the speakers who regularly break ranks.
Given the political ambitions of some of the speakers, the party faithful should pray that Rockefeller Republicanism is not back in the future.
Pathetic.
FYI..the reason for D'Amato's stupid comments about "dumping Cheney"..Al was given his convention seats..they're in the Bronx..
Who gives a rip what these so-called "Log Cabin Republicans" think anyway? They're supporting "Flush the johns" because of their homosexuality agenda that the johns support. It's insulting that this group even thinks to call themselves Republicans. Sheesh!
I love this line: "The only announced speaker who actually agrees with President Bush on major issues is Democratic Senator Zell Miller of Georgia."
Ain't that the truth?
Amen to Kate O'Beirne's words. She's exactly right. Sigh!
Regardless of whether the "Log cabin" ones are happy, this is not good. Somebody at the GOP is reading the wrong polls.
The VP will speak in prime time, along with Zell Miller.
I didn't realize they were liberals.
This is a non-story. The platform matters, not the speakers.....the convention is in NYC to highlight terrorism, so most folks who are speaking were chosen since they could highlight this.
Pataki speaking is because, you know, he is the host governor!
There is no anti-conservative conspiracy here as best I can tell.
If they put a pro-gay plank into the platform or these speakers bring up social issues, then obviously I am wrong here.
But, they are just speakers.
BUMP!
Cough cough.....the Cheney's.
I would rather lose without them than win with them.
They should cease and desist using Republican in their name.
"voices for inclusion"? I suppose that does not include room for traditional religious believers.
Excuse me, but WTF??? "Major issues" covers a lot of ground. Isn't support for the war on terror a pretty big damn issue???. Specifically, I would imagine, this is about the abortion issue considering the source.
I've prayed and demonstrated in front of clinics, and I'm pro life. I've never voted for a single Dem in my life. I am on the board of my conservative evangelical church, and my whole household votes Republican. But politics is the art of the possible, and I would rather have a pro-choice Republican in office than a pro-choice Democrat, or even a pro-life Democrat for that matter. Why do we insist on eating our own on this issue? We act as if its our Christian duty to make Christians out of our politicians, and if they don't measure up... well, they don't belong in "our" party, do they?
One can be both basically "pro-choice" and favor reasonable restrictions on abortion. Do we know where these Republicans stand on that? Given that at this point the only act that is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade is a new Supreme Court decision, which is in itself extremely unlikely, what we are talking about is regulating abortion rather than outlawing it. Is there no room for thoughtful Republican debate on abortion regulation?
A party made up of people who believe exactly like me on every issue would have ONE member and lose every election. Gays will never be a majority of the GOP, but if fiscally conservative gays help lower taxes, I can accept them. I am not a major fan of Catholics. The majority vote Dimocrat, but the Conservative, pro-family ones are welcome in the GOP. Most athiests are Dims. But Conservative ones are welcome in the GOP.
Giuliani is not for gay marriage - never has been. he is for civil unions.
I would like more social conservatives in the lineup, but this is hardly the disaster some are trying to portray:
Monday, August 30, 2004
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg
- Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani
- Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
- First Lady Laura Bush
- Secretary of Education Rod Paige
- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Wednesday, September 1, 2004
- Mrs. Lynne Cheney
- Vice President Dick Cheney
- Senator Zell Miller (D-GA)
Thursday, September 2, 2004
- Governor George Pataki
- President George W. Bush
5 or 6 social libs, 5 or 6 social conservatives (unsure about Paige).
These are the primetime speakers, not the day speakers.
I would like to have Keyes in there or Santorum frankly. I would like another STAUNCH conservative in the lineup.
But at the same time, it isn't like all the speakers are liberals.
none of these speakers is going to mention a single thing regarding the "gay agenda" at the convention. i doubt it will be mentioned at the Democratic convention either.
The "journalist" who wrote the piece forgot that Dick Cheney will be speaking in prime-time, as well as Rod Paige and Mrs. Cheney.
So..it won't be just Zell Miller.
Pataki is the missing link in this. what is he doing there just ahead of Bush? he has no national appeal, he is unknown outside NY, he is not a particularly great speaker.
We would have been better off with Powell in that slot just before Bush - nationally, he's probably got the highest favorable rating of any Republican.
I for one happen to be all excited about the lineup for the convention. Let us all not forget who we are voting for: BUSH/CHENEY - NOT any of the other speakers. These guys are here to help Bush and I give them all kudos for it. They are taking alot of hatred from the Dems right now because of it. You should read what they are calling, Guiliani, Miller, Koch, Pataki and others. I will not repeat it because most of the words are four letter ones.
He is the host governor and gets to introduce the nominee.
We can use every vote we can get.
“The speakers include former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and New York Governor George Pataki.”
DEMOCRAP LITE
It's so funny ... I'm trying so hard to be good around here and just dumped a post earlier I'd made in response to a bit of gay-bashing evidently a part of the more offensive assortment of FReepathon images.
Wish all the folks were around who gave me a hard time when I choked on Bush's "I'm a better man for it" response to his meeting with the homosexuals in Austin or his campaign's cheesy LIES to Useful Idiot Bibliolators that they were only wooing the homosexuals but had no intention actually appointing any to power.
I find it amazing folks still don't get it.
Republicans are wimping out. Why are they afraid of displaying conservatism at these conventions?? These moderates and homosexuals don't belong in the GOP. The GOP is of conservatives, by conservatives and for conservatives!!! We should stick to conservative principles. We need to take our country back. Kissing up to homos and moderates isn't the way to do it!!! Reaching out to homos will only hurt the GOP base..The people who run the GOP had better wake up!!
It's not overwhelmingly moderates when you consider all the speakers... and the moderates that will be speaking are all very attractive to the center swing voters, where this November election will hinge.
We were stuck with Bloomberg and Pataki to begin with because of the location.
I think the rest of the speakers are simply a matter of excellent strategy.
“The speakers include former New York City mayor Rudy "Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and New York Governor George Pataki.”
“These speakers represent the future of the Republican Party,” said Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. “These Republicans are among the leading voices for inclusion in the GOP.” "
Perhaps the Log Cabin folks should realize that they are a minority of the Republican party.....And the majority is not happy with moderates.
Do you think this is the year Barbara "Abortions in the First Trimester Only" Bush will get that pesky pro-life plank of the party removed?
Paige is a decent man.
Seems loyal to President Bush.
You know, Steve ... perhaps you should care more about whether or not the individuals you're profiling are gay.
Granted, lesbians have a lock on the Democratic party (how else to bulldoze along such aberrant ideologies) but there's no question the GOP is "top Man" as it were where powerful, politically-committed and deep-pocketed homosexuals are concerned.
You really wanna be a "winner" ... go gay, baby.
Exactly right! Leave the policy to Cheney, Ashcroft et al and let the warm and fuzzy types be the face of the party for the swing voters. Bush 1 letting Buchanan serve as keynote speaker killed his campaign.
The "Log-Samplin' Republicans" are a Trojan Horse (you should excuse the expression!) of the Gaystapo and are the enemies of everything decent in this nation.
They know that forcing social conservatives out of the Republican Party will lead to its collapse and the Demonrats will control everything.
Well, I think they meant other than the candidates (and their wives). Although, I'd probably include Rod Paige as someone generally in agreement with the president.
Bump
I would not, they consistently vote with the dems on raising our taxes as well on the moral votes, they might as well be dem. They are constantly taking our party further to the left. When do we start calling ourselves the old fashion dem party instead of the Republican party.
Having a rino in office just takes up one more spot we could actually have a republican in and is impossible to replace with the real deal. At least with a dem in the spot there is a chance of replacing him in the next election.
1992 Republican National Convention Speech
Please point out what, in particular, in that speech killed George H.W. Bush's campaign.
Amen!
And that base will not vote when hurt (think Bush 1), unlike the dem base who's morals change with wich ever way the wind is blowing and will vote even when dished over and over again. Does the GOP ever Learn?
Gain a little money....Loose your base. Stupid party strikes again!
Sodomites do not want "tolerance".
They want to silence Christianity as a cultural force in American life. They want to criminalize Bible-based Christianity as "hate speech" and tax churches that defy them by preaching God's word. They want Gay Pride days at your work place and "Heather Has Two Mommies" on your child's desk at school. Only in a society where nobody cares what the Bible says will sodomy be accepted as normal. They know that. So why should we pretend that these people could ever be our allies ?
If you haven't noticed, the single strongest force in American politics is the Religious Right. Minus the Religious Right, the GOP is a few country club Republicans and the editorial board of National Review. It is Phyllis Schlafly who is the backbone of the GOP and you the fringe nut.
Oh please, Buchanan does not represent the conservative in this party and never has, he represents the crazy loon weird order of the Buchanan brigade. Having him as a speaker was stupid and the following years have more than proved it.
What a truly ignorant and senseless comment to make.
But I guess it shouldn't surprise me given your previous posts.
Homosexual Agenda Ping - Kind of. Worth a look - this is the second article I've see today about the "big tent" (how I loathe that phrase) Republicans (RINO?) speaking at the convention. If the Log Cabin Fake Republicans are happy, I'm not.
I fervently hope that the RINO season isn't the future of the GOP. I also fervently hope that support for marriage is mentioned at the convention.
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
Civil unions as just as bad.
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