The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) took out a full-page ad in The Washington Post today to spank “former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s (R-Neb.) long history of anti-gay positions.” They are going on the attack because Hagel is expected to be the pick for Secretary of Defense.
Personally, I don’t support Hagel. His long list of anti-gay positions and statements, including his disgraceful kne
e-capping of James Hormel for being “openly, aggressively, gay,” followed by a shallow apology a couple of weeks ago soured me on his potential nomination.
In the ad, Log Cabin goes on to highlight Hagel’s “dismal” record:
- In 1996 Hagel said he supported the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as one man and one woman. He also supported a state constitutional amendment barring gays from marrying.
- In 1998 Hagel opposed the nomination of James Hormel as Ambassador to Luxembourg, arguing that an “openly, aggressively gay” man should not be selected to represent the U.S.
- In 1999 Hagel opposed repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, saying, “the U.S. armed forces aren’t some social experiment.”
- In 2005, in reaction to a federal judge’s ruling that Nebraska’s voter-passed ban on same-sex marriage violated the constitutional rights of lesbians and gay men, Hagel opposed the decision saying, “I am hopeful the federal appeals court will recognize the rights of Nebraskans to determine their own laws governing marriage and reverse this decision.”
That’s all well and good, but isn’t the Log Cabin club the wrong messenger here?
It was only a few months ago that the organization backed Mitt Romney, who cynically morphed into an anti-gay activist when he thought it would secure him the GOP nomination. On the same grounds that LCR opposes Hagel, couldn’t the former Nebraska Senator oppose LCR? They have both taken anti-gay positions and supported anti-gay candidates.
The hypocrisy here is simply stunning and hard to fathom. I’m going to be generous and simply state that after supporting Romney the LCR got a bad case of Romnesia and can’t remember its own stinking record of support for various homophobes.
I am certainly willing to see if former Senator Hagel has “seen the light” so to speak about our issues. After all, he must realize that he is working for President Obama who has been the most progressive President ever for us. Anyway, the jury should be out until we hear what he has to say.
It would be wonderful to have someone in the public domain who isn’t constantly fawning over Israel, IMHO. There has been so little even-handedness in terms of the Palestinian people in American political history that it would be refreshing to have a voice in the White House for equanimity. I also admire his willingness to criticize Bush’s war in Iraq. How many Republicons ever criticize their own (except for those glorious primaries last year!)?
I intended to say “equanimity and equality” in that last post. Got going to fast.
The LCR doesn’t know what it wants. I can understand the idea of working from within, but to support Mitt Romney who, as President, would have definitely steered the country in the direction of continued inequality for gay people and then denounce a possibly minor official as being anti-gay, is incomprehensible. I may not like the remarks that Chuck Hagel made, but he will not be making policy, a most important point.
I have opposed Hagel both because of his anti-gay record and because I am deeply concerned about an Iranian nuclear bomb dropping on Tel-Aviv .
Other than the fact that he has not said he would support changes in the DOD such as I.D. cards for gay military spouses (not DOMA linked),
he has recently changed his tune on both these issues.
I still believe he is a mean spirited mediocre man and that just his confirmation alone would kill the small chances of a negotiated agreement with Iran as Iran would interpret his nomination as a green light.
I hope the Senate will vote no.