UPDATE: Barney Frank made a controversial comment comparing Log Cabin gay Republicans to Uncle Toms.
Frank is scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention sometime in the 5 p.m. hour. From Chris Geidner from BuzzFeed:
National LGBT organizations are quickly distancing themselves from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s assertion that the Log Cabin Republicans — a group for gay Republicans — have modeled themselves after “Uncle Tom.”
The retiring out gay representative first made the racially charged comments on Michelangelo Signorile’s SiriusXM radio show. He then doubled down on it this afternoon, repeating the line to the 500 members of the convention’s LGBT Caucus, at a meeting where the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, later spoke.
“When they tell us that they’re happy to be Republicans because they’re getting acceptance and civility, I gotta say that I am again inclined to think that they’re called the Log Cabin club because their role model is Uncle Tom,” Frank said as DNC treasurer Andrew Tobias and others looked on at the conclusion of his speech to the group, prompting a mixed reaction from the crowd.
In a statement, LCR executive director R. Clarke Cooper said, “We understand that Barney has earned his protected place within the Democrat Party by being their attack dog on gay rights issues, demonizing Republicans and undermining efforts at bipartisanship that would actually improve LGBT Americans lives. We expect this kind of bile from Barney, especially when it plays into the Obama campaign’s efforts to divide, distract and deceive the American people.”
It seems Log Cabin has done some good work lately. The Uncle Tom comparison is more appropriate for GOProud.
h/t Joe.My.God
As I have voted Democrat for some time, but I consider myself fair minded, I find Barny Franks comment to be in extreme bad taste. Not the first time I’ve disagreed with him, and I have to agree with LCR calling him an ‘attack dog on gay rights issues . . .’. We need to stop with the divisive language on BOTH sides of the isle.
Bad taste? Yes.
But he does have a point — it’s kinda silly to belong to a political party that actively works to deny you (and others like you) basic civil rights, and treats you as, at best, a second-class citizen.
If the LCR types don’t want to be thought of that way, then maybe they should quit being a bunch of cheerleades for a party that does not want them and maybe find something better and less humiliating?
Sorry, AlexND.
The republicons have been relentless in their lies, propaganda and distortions about LGBT people for DECADES. We didn’t start the name calling, & we have been extraordinarily nonreactive for DECADES of political and social abuse. Goading LGBT republicons to reconsider voting for a party that has gotten worse and worse over time in their political treatment of us makes perfect sense to me! Divisive? Only to thin-skinned, well heeled men with an entitlement complex, or fundagelical christianists.
Who really provides the divisive language about LGBT people Alex? Seriously.
Bad taste? Well if the truth tastes bad to you, so be it.
It is utterly inconceivable to me that groups like LCR and GOProud can even in good conscience support the current GOP; the Party has been taken over by Teabaggers and other extremists whose deepest darkest desire, the one that they don’t talk about at parties, is to see us all dead.
You know DAMN well it’s true.
Why can’t a gay person be a fiscal conservative? I don’t see the contradiction there.
Larry: What does being a fiscal conservative have to do with supporting the republicons? The republicons are only fiscally conservative about tax dollars helping the poor, the middle class, protecting the environment and our nation’s infrastructure. They have been complete WASTRELS when it comes to defense spending, farm subsidies and whatever pork-barrel projects they want to bring home to their constituents. I am very progressive and very fiscally conservative and believe me, I have no intention of voting for a republicon for any office for the rest of my natural life. They have persistently lied about and slandered LGBT people for 3 DECADES now. If they lie about us, they cannot be trusted not to lie about everything else, including fiscal responsibility.
Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me over and over again, shame on ME!