Mainstream Republicans Chilling With Mainstream Republicans

You'll have to excuse me for not providing additional commentary about the GRT or the unfortunate indictment of Fast Eddy. I think the Northwestern Law Center ought investigate and demand a report about the forthcoming wrongful conviction. Instead, here's a post I wrote a while back and just hadn't gotten reminded about by the Crossroads of the Illinois Conservative Community - But Only The Parts of The Conservative Community Who Think Exactly Like Us.




By way of Chicago Log Cabin Republicans, seems that Judy Baar Topinka, Tony Peraica, and Christine Radogno were sighted alive and well at a Log Cabin Republican Event featuring the national president Patrick Sammon. Obviously, this is just another attempt by the radical and powerful yet tiny 1% of Americans, Soddamist lobby to shove their rock solid, throbbing agenda down the throats of Americans and destroy the family, the institution of marriage, and keep shows like FOX's "24" off the air under their thought crimes anti-'homosexual hate' legislation.

In the case of JBT, this is fairly expected seeing as RoeserCo essentially attempted to torpedo her gubernatorial campaign by way of homophobic girly men like J. Matt Barber. In fact, Chicago Free Press (the local LGBT publication up here) all but nodded Topinka for the governors mansion - coincidentally opposite a VW ad depicting two men lying in bed debating which car to buy. Topinka has always been cool with queer folk, thus queer folk have always been cool with her.

It's particularly surprising though, coming from a guy like Peraica whom I always thought was kind of a tool. I had never really paid that much attention to him before his failed election last year and I certainly have only paid marginal attention to him in his post-defeat whatever-the-hell he's doing. I'm still not in mindset that this makes Peraica any less of a tool - as Peracia was one of those dicks who had their names yoinked from the '06 "We Welcome the Gay Games" resolution. Suffice to say, I'm not convinced that Peracia is anything that he wasn't prior to his loss in '06. We'll see the next time he runs for something: If he doesn't ahem bend over for Uncle Jack, that picture will haunt him.

It does, however, take a certain amount of testicular fortitude to show up at a LCR event. If you're not in the know, it's pretty safe to say that the LCR's are probably one of the most hated organizations on either side of the aisle. Democrats, Liberals, and the vast majority of LGBTI folks freakin' hate the Log Cabin folks because they're generally viewed as being self-loathing/hating closet cases at worst and just head in the sand at best. The animosity towards LCR's ranges from the very passive, benign and matter of fact (on display at Pam's House Blend - a good friend of the blog.) to the extreme aggressive which you can see elsewhere.

Don't think that LGBTQI republicans get a free pass at the GOP table either. It's pretty obvious as to why: locally and nationally the keys to the GOP ideological car have been handed over to evangelical wingnuts. Despite the fact that a sizable amount of queer folk remain fiscally conservative leaning, the vocal fundies still can't stand the idea that gay people exist - let alone share certain ideological similarities to them. That might force them to the conclusion that queer folk are just like normal ol' regular people or - to put it in more troll-like offensive terms: that normal ol' regular people are just like queer folk. Stick that in Porno Petey's craw and let him chew.

LCR's have a rough run at things. It mostly stems from the fact that modern political election doctrine is, to a great extent, based on letting political extremists do your noisemaking for you. You find fiery charged issues, you exploit them, you let your party's extremists do a lot of squawking on the internets, and essentially peer pressure moderates to inch their way to more and more extreme positions - maybe not forever - but at least for the 4 months leading up to the election. This operating doctrine is something that the GOP finds itself entirely dependent on due to their own failures at seeking out and developing winning issues. Since 'gay' is a hot, hot, hot XXX issue amongst the fundies, there's increasing pressure for GOP candidates to take anti-queer stances to take advantage of fundie static pre-election which leaves Log Cabin types in the precarious position of having to choose between the ideology if fiscal stability provided by real Conservative philosophy and the desire to not be a the permanent ass end of second class citizenship which is best answered by the Dems.

The short of it: I have a good deal of respect for the crap that the LCR's put up with. Since I'm a straight ally with some conservative and libertarian leanings when I say "Let'em marry", all I have to worry about is some knuckle dragger calling me a 'homo'. I've been called far worse by far better. Once some of these folks step into the world of Log Cabin Republicans - they're alienating themselves from - well - everyone.

To see it in action, you can Family Tax Payer Network who chooses to headline the topic with "[Peracia, Topinka]Cozying up with a homosexual, anti-Bush group". Left out of the head line is "Republican", but remember: You can't be a human being or a Republican if you have sex with men.

Further, last year the Chicago Chapter of the Log Cabins assisted other gay activists in preparing the legal challenge to the Protect Marriage Illinois petitions – those hundreds of thousands of signatures that so many dedicated Republicans worked so hard gathering across Illinois [in Chinatown, from people who couldn't read, write, or speak English].

Yes! Yes!! How dare they stand up for their own civil liberties!

How hypocritical that a group that preaches about the “Big Tent” turns on the President and the base when they don’t get their way on THEIR single issue.

Peraica’s and Radogno’s support of the Log Cabins is a poke in the eye to every Republican who believes in the Republican Platform – and especially to the thousands who worked so hard gathering signatures for the Protect Marriage Illinois initiative.