Avoid Social Issues, GOP Urged (Homosexualists, Pro-Aborts Co-opt Tea Party Movement)

Politico ^ | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | Ben Smith and Byron Tau

[kristinn]

A gay conservative group and some Tea Party leaders are campaigning to keep social issues off the Republican agenda.

In a letter to be released Monday, the group GOProud and leaders from groups like the Tea Party Patriots and the New American Patriots, will urge Republicans in the House and Senate to keep their focus on shrinking the government.

"On behalf of limited-government conservatives everywhere, we write to urge you and your colleagues in Washington to put forward a legislative agenda in the next Congress that reflects the principles of the Tea Party movement," they write to presumptive House Speaker John Boehner and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell in an advance copy provided to POLITICO. "This election was not a mandate for the Republican Party, nor was it a mandate to act on any social issue."

The letter's signatories range from GOProud's co-founder and Chairman Christopher Barron — a member of a group encouraging Dick Cheney to run for president and who has been known to post images of his bare torso to Twitter — to Tea Party leaders with no particular interest in the gay rights movement.

As of Sunday evening, the letter had 17 signatories. They include tea party organizers, conservative activists and media personalities from across the country, including radio host Tammy Bruce, bloggers Bruce Carroll, Dan Blatt and Doug Welch, and various local coordinators for the Tea Party Patriots and other tea party groups.

"When they were out in the Boston Harbor, they weren't arguing about who was gay or who was having an abortion," said Ralph King, a letter signatory who is a Tea Party Patriots national leadership council member, as well as an Ohio co-coordinator.

King said he signed onto the letter because GOProud seemed to be genuine in pushing for fiscal conservatism and limited government.

"Am I going to be the best man at a same sex-marriage wedding? That's not something I necessarily believe in," said King. "I look at myself as pretty socially conservative. But that's not what we push through the Tea Party Patriots."

That indifference is essentially the point of the gay conservative group.

SNIP

TEXT OF LETTER

Dear Senator McConnell and Representative Boehner

On behalf of limited government conservatives everywhere we write to urge you and your colleagues in Washington to put forward a legislative agenda in the next Congress that reflects the principles of the Tea Party movement.

Poll after poll confirms that the Tea Party’s laser focus on issues of economic freedom and limited government resonated with the American people on Election Day. The Tea Party movement galvanized around a desire to return to constitutional government and against excessive spending, taxation and government intrusion into the lives of the American people.

The Tea Party movement is a non-partisan movement, focused on issues of economic freedom and limited government, and a movement that will be as vigilant with a Republican-controlled Congress as we were with a Democratic-controlled Congress.

This election was not a mandate for the Republican Party, nor was it a mandate to act on any social issue, nor should it be interpreted as a political blank check.

Already, there are Washington insiders and special interest groups that hope to co-opt the Tea Party’s message and use it to push their own agenda – particularly as it relates to social issues. We are disappointed but not surprised by this development. We recognize the importance of values but believe strongly that those values should be taught by families and our houses of worship and not legislated from Washington, D.C.

We urge you to stay focused on the issues that got you and your colleagues elected and to resist the urge to run down any social issue rabbit holes in order to appease the special interests.

The Tea Party movement is not going away and we intend to continue to hold Washington accountable. Sincerely,

Christopher R Barron
Chairman of the Board, GOProud

Andrew Ian Dodge
Coordinator, Maine Tea Party Patriots

Pam Stevenson
Coordinator, Arizona Tea Party Patriots

Dianna Greenwood
Executive Director, New American Patriots (Ashland, OH)

Jim Mason II
Chairman and State Coordinator, Nebraska’s Tea Party Patriots

Ralph King
Co-coordinator Cleveland Tea Party Patriots
Co-coordinator State of Ohio Tea Party Patriots

Jack Lien
Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots of Great Malls (Montana)

Tammy Bruce
National Radio Talk Show Host

JP Weber
Coordinator, Annapolis (Maryland) Tea Party

Doug Welch,
Blogger and member Southern Illinois Tea Party

Bruce Carroll
Conservative Activist and Blogger

Pam Stout
Coordinator, Sandpoint Idaho Tea Party Patriots

Dan Blatt
Conservative Activist and Blogger

Everett Wilkinson
Coordinator, Florida Tea Party

Jimmy LaSalvia
Executive Director, GOProud

Paul Crockett
President Santa Clara (California) Tea Party
David Thor Andreasen
Cumberland County (Maine) Tea Party

[icwhatudo]

“When they were out in the Boston Harbor, they weren’t arguing about who was gay or who was having an abortion,”

Hey asswipe- thats because the British did not tax the colonists in order to finance the killing of unborn babies. Does ANYONE think that if the colonies were being taxed to kill babies that the colonists would not have rebelled on that issue as well?

[counterpunch]

So what do you suggest Republicans do?

Pick their battles.

Slash government spending. Shrink the size of government by simply defunding it.
The rest will sort itself out. Social liberalism cannot survive without the teet of Big Government.

But why open up a second, unnecessary front on the battlefield?
It is far easier to defend all of it on the fiscal front than defend it on the social front, too.
We concentrate all of our ammo on one target — spending — and don't let up.
 

[brucebrucebruceoftheforest]

So does that mean their version of the Declaration of Independence includes the right to liberty and the perfuit of buggery, but not life?

I think you misunderstood this. They are not arguing for rights, they are against wasting time on crap that doesn't need committee time.

You are not going to change Roe v. Wade by getting into a snit every time you think you've been insulted.

And, BTW, nobody calls the shots for the tea party movement so you can all ignore whatever you want to and move on to something else.

Issa should be asking why Holder is a racist, not why he kills babies and kisses drag queens.

[InternetTuffGuy]

So what do you suggest Republicans do?

I'd be happy if they'd focus on any ONE issue and get 'er done. In this case, focus on shrinking govt.

The benefits of fiscally limited (per the Constitution) government is a government is that it can no longer use tax money for things like paying welfare queens for abortions, or to build filthy muzzie foot washing stations for the filthy muzzies who are filthy, and muzzie.

[little jeremiah]

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Here it comes, with at least one representative right on this thread. Leftists with a label "Republican" or "conseravtive" but promoting abortion, homosexual agenda crap and so on are nothing but enemies of the Constitution. Couple points - fiscal conservatism but socially liberal always turns into fiscal liberalism; it's a fiction/fantasy that never has worked and never will. Why? because socially liberal policies first of all cost big money to force down peoples' throats, monitor, and then to clean up the human debris that results. Second, socially moderate/liberal Republics never win. Third, since so many people don't want to swallow the agenda, force is needed to shove it on unwilling people, so it's nothing by tyranny anyway.

Please note that the GOProud is not conseravtive at all, it's merely another incarnation of the Log Cabin "Repugs" whose goal is to transmogrify the Republican Party into another tentacle of the homosexual "rights" movement. 90% of the GOProud's legislative agenda is clearcut straight across homo-nazi agenda issues - from same sex marriage to perverts in the military.

And you know what group filed suit to force the military to accept open perverts? Why, the Log Cabin Repugs. Neither the GOProud or the Logs are conservative in any way, shape or form. They are trojan horses trying to force the GOP to the left. They just happen to like guns a little bit and woudln't mind paying less taxes.

[Jim Robinson]

I’ve attended over 100 tea parties in darn near every state of the union. God, Guns, Family, Country, Life and Liberty were in full view at every single one of them. “One nation under GOD” is ALWAYS the loudest line recited in the Pledge of Allegiance. Whenever anyone on stage mentions God, Christianity, Life, Marriage or any other social issue the crowd always cheers!!

Any so-called tea party leaders who turn their backs on God, Family, Life and Liberty are turning their backs on the Declaration of Independence and our God-given Liberty and are leading us straight to socialist HELL!! They cannot be truasted to defend our freedom!!

No thanks!!

Kick them OUT!!

[little jeremiah]

Nanny State Big Gov has prevented the states from enacting the laws their citizens want.

Thanks to Big Huge Nanny State Fedgov, no states can pass laws against sodomy, porn, or abortion; or on a host of other issues that should be up to the states.

Thank you, Huge Nanny State Big Brother Gov!

State laws against sodomy, porn, obscenity and so on were consdidered not only perfectly Constiutitonal but indeed necessary for society, until the commie founded ACLU and leftist Supreme Court justices forced their Commie Nanny State Huge FedGov on us.

You don’t know what the hell you are spouting about.

[counterpunch]

I think Jefferson was more concerned with American Independence and the Bill of Rights. He, too, picked the more important battles to wage legislatively.

Do you think Jefferson was wrong?

[Jim Robinson]

FU, troll!! If you refuse to defend our God-given Liberty, then you are not part of the solution; you are part of the problem!!

You are a freaking coward!! Get the hell OUT!!

[sausageseller]

This is a strawman. They should defund these things, by all means. Just as they should defund all areas of government waste. But they should do it on those terms, not because they're taking a Fundamentalist stance. There are many ways to package the same agenda.

Sure has worked out well for your loseaterians.

[B Knotts]

But why open up a second, unnecessary front on the battlefield?

We're not the ones opening up the front; they are.

And you expect us to tie our hands behind our backs, while they take away our freedoms of speech and thought?

[Jim Robinson]

You are a freaking idiot!! Troll!!

[scbison]

Correct, we shouldn’t talk about social issues which means we don’t do anything about gay marriage.. Leave everything as it is now.. Only between man and women. Two can play that game.

[counterpunch]

Thank you for contributing some common sense to a thread that is sorely lacking it.

[Jim Robinson]

If you do not see the difference between big government meddling and us defending our God-given Life and Liberty, then what the hell good are you to our cause? Get the hell off of FR, MORON!!!

[roses of sharon]

I think you misunderstood this. They are not arguing for rights, they are against wasting time on crap that doesn't need committee time. You are not going to change Roe v. Wade by getting into a snit every time you think you've been insulted.

Just so you know...I am sure Kristinn understands the Tea Party, and he doesn't do "snits".

[Jim Robinson]

Get off the line, MORON!!

[DLfromthedesert]

CD 8 AZ for one

[Cobra64]

They can screw each other in the privacy of the bedroom but they shouldn’t expect the state to give them any new benefits.

I totally agree. And I don't want to even hear the words "gay," "lesbian," or "transexual."

[Jim Robinson]

FU, troll!!