Posted on 02/10/2011 8:23:00 PM PST by DesertRenegade
The new chair of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas, today distanced his organization from GOProud, telling FrumForum in an exclusive interview that “it’s going to be difficult to continue the relationship” with the gay conservative organization.
The ACU, which annually organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference, has faced some criticism for including GOProud as a co-sponsor for the second year in a row. Socially conservative organizations have denounced the move, and the Heritage Foundation claimed that GOProud’s inclusion was part of their decision to opt-out.
Cardenas, who was selected yesterday to replace outgoing chairman David Keene, told FrumForum that he disapproved of GOProud’s response to the furor.
“I have been disappointed with their website and their quotes in the media, taunting organizations that are respected in our movement and part of our movement, and that’s not acceptable. And that puts them in a difficult light in terms of how I view things,” said Cardenas.
GOProud had asserted that Cleta Mitchell, the chairman of the ACU Foundation, was pushing conservative groups and individuals to boycott CPAC because of GOProud’s inclusion. Chris Barron, the chairman of GOProud, recently said in an interview that Mitchell was “a nasty bigot.”
“It’s going to be difficult to continue the relationship [with GOProud] because of their behavior and attitude,” Cardenas told FrumForum.
Asked for GOProud’s response, the group’s chairman apologized for his comments about Cleta Mitchell.
“For the past six months, we have watched as unfair and untrue attacks have been leveled against our organization, our allies, our friends and sometimes even their families. Everyone has their breaking point and clearly in my interview with Metro Weekly I had reached mine. I shouldn’t have used the language that I did to describe Cleta Mitchell and for that I apologize,” said Chris Barron.
Asked about whether he values a big tent approach to conservatism, Cardenas said that he did – but that his vision applied principally to reaching out to different minorities and ethnic groups.
“There are not enough African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities here. That diversity is critical – you don’t need to change your value system to attract more diversity into the movement… [but] I’m not going to – for the sake of being inclusive – change the principles that have made the movement what it is,” said Cardenas.
“David [Keene] invited these folks [GOProud] in an effort to be inclusive… Having friends of ours leaving… presents difficulties to me,” he said. “There’s always going to be some tension, [but] there should never be any tension between time-tested values.”
Asked if someone who supported gay marriage could be a conservative, Cardenas replied, “Not a Ronald Reagan conservative… I will say this: we adopted a resolution unanimously at ACU advocating traditional marriage between a man and a woman, so that answers how we feel on the issue.”
Cardenas says that his priorities as the new ACU chairman will be focused on “making sure that our true friends never leave the table.”
Cleta Mitchell’s position as ACU Foundation chairman also appears to be safe. The new chairman, who has the authority to appoint a new one should he want to, told FrumForum that he has “no intentions [regarding Mitchell] except to keep her where she is.”
A little LATE for that, don’t you think, Al?
Second Bruce: New-Bruce, are you a Poofter?
Fourth Bruce: Are you a Poofter?
Michael: No!
Fourth Bruce: No. Right, I just want to remind you of the faculty rules: Rule One!
Everybruce: No Poofters!
Fourth Bruce: Rule Two, no member of the faculty is to maltreat the Abbos in any way at all — if there’s anybody watching. Rule Three?
Everybruce: No Poofters!
Fourth Bruce: Rule Four, now this term, I don’t want to catch anybody not drinking. Rule Five,
Everybruce: No Poofters!
Fourth Bruce: Rule Six, there is no Rule Six. Rule Seven,
Everybruce: No Poofters!
Fourth Bruce: Right, that concludes the readin’ of the rules, Bruce.
“Balkanization of the conservative movement helps...how?”
A shakeup is desperately needed. Seems like the probability that we would get better leadership is greater than zero.
>> that “it’s going to be difficult to continue the relationship” with the gay conservative organization.
That’s becoming obvious. I think the homosexual agenda peeked prior to the convention.
Homosexual Conservatives [sic] should embrace their manhood and focus on the horizon instead of the curtains.
It all sounds pretty good, but this is the guy who supported Charlie Crist over Mario Rubio. That was a real head shaker and it will be tough to live down. It will be interesting to see how the next year or so plays out with CPAC.
A conservative embraces ALL of Natural Law, and its resulting principles from private property and small government to the right to life, and everything in between. Anything less is a false "conservatism," caffeteria style, which = CINO.
But it's the mission of the CINOs to marginalize, undermine, demoralize, and defeat conservatives by infiltrating and taking over the latter's turf - CPAC, in this case. And the first thing they (GOProud, in this case) always do is to take over the name and definition of conservative/conservatism.
I shouldn’t have used the language that I did to describe Cleta Mitchell and for that I apologize,” said Chris Barron.
. . .
It’s cool, Chris. It’s good that you let the mask slip.
Just curious...How much is enough?
“A conservative is not simply a “social conservative” or a “fiscal conservative.” “
If you are just a ‘fiscal conservative,’ you are a Libertarian, and so should label yourself.
The only time Libertarians lurch into a somewhat social conservative place is when the few consistent ones recognize the unborn as human beings and defend their right to life.
And they are isolationist in their foreign policy.
GOOD
there is nothing conservative or normal about people running around telling others what turns them on what they prefer sexually and then saying they should have civil rights based on it while forcing others t accept their agenda and lifestyle.
This is good news and if the old log cabins now goproud are there then every speaker needs to stand up and say we want normal marriage, you do not get anything based on sexual preference, we do not want to know what turns you on etc.
Quick point but why is the likes of Trump Ron paul there?
Paul is libertarian and Trump at the election voted for this marixst.
If CPAC now starts talking about conservative social issues and not run away from them then I will be looking at the group again and back them but as of now they;’re dead to me
nail on head and should be repeated many times, thank you great post.
Concervatism is social and fiscal, we don’t pick one or two and say well I’m liberal on that but conservative on that so I’m conservative.
We are talking about natural law, nature intended what it intended and now because these people like getting turned on in a certain way they now want laws if they were like what nature intended or God in many cases intended.
It’s high time the likes of Hannity who call themselves conservative then got some balls and spoke about conservative values instead of being a coward and talking either debt or health care.
why are libertarians there anyway?
Those people are socially liberal, hell they’re more liberal than most Dems I know.
It’s time for the Ron Pauls of this country to have their own forum instead of coming to a so called conservative one.
Thanks for the ping, onyx. I’m glad that this situation is finally out in the open and being addressed.
I think the libertarians realize that they are such a marginal group that the only way they can have any impact is to impose themselves on conservatives.
They do this by focusing solely on fiscal issues and then try to spring their leftist social agenda when nobody is looking.
The irony is that when you take a good look at their fiscal views, those are very leftist as well. They DO NOT believe in limited government, they believe in NO government and they think that this can be achieved by destroying economic stability.
We don't see normal people attending these events parading their heterosexuality.
There's a reason queers are called queers. If what they do to each other isn't queer then nothing is.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GOProud
Formation 2009-04-15
Type Gay conservatives
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Location Washington, D.C. [1]
Region served United States
Chairman of the Board Christopher R. Barron
Website GOProud.org
GOProud is an American tax exempt 527 organization representing conservative gays, lesbians, transgendered people, and their allies. GOProud advocates for small government conservatism at the level of federal public policy.[2]
GOProud was founded by Christopher R. Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia, two former Log Cabin Republican staffers who expressed dissatisfaction at that organization's generally centrist political positions. GOProud has subsequently co-sponsored CPAC and have added noted conservative talk show host Tammy Bruce to the GOProud Advisory Council,[3] as well as political commentator/strategist Margaret Hoover, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist[4], conservative media mogul Andrew Breitbart[5] and new media specialist Liz Mair.[6]
****************************************************************
Their goals and values are open to question, imho.
Christopher Barron, GOProud Chairman of the Board: "We are a gay organization, we only work on gay issues, we have never claimed otherwise. My God people." Aug 4, 2010; 4:04pm
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