GOProud's Shame

GOProud, a group of gay Republicans that split off from Log Cabin Republicans, has endorsed Carly Fiorina for GOP nomination in California. In a recent press release they went against another candidate, former Representative Tom Campbell, for being too "liberal."

Today, GOProud, the only national organization representing gay conservatives and their allies, endorsed Carly Fiorina for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California. "Carly Fiorina is the candidate conservatives can trust," said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud. "Unlike liberal Tom Campbell, Fiorina has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge; supports a strong, confident foreign policy; and will defend our 2nd Amendment rights."

"The more Republican primary voters have learned about Tom Campbell, the more it has become clear that his nomination would be a disaster for the GOP," said LaSalvia. "Like the campaign of liberal Dede Scozzafava, nominating Tom Campbell would divide the Republican Party at a time when we need to be united to turn back Barbara Boxer and her Democratic colleagues' radical left wing agenda on Capitol Hill."
-a June 2 press release

Now there are a few things odd with this. Tom Campbell supports same-sex marriage and wrote an article back in 2008 where he showed his support and urged people to vote against Prop 8 the consitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage in California. Because of this, the National Organization for Marriage, an anti-gay marriage group has gone after him and in this blog post they boast of their taking Campbell down:

Three polls in the past week show pro-gay marriage RINO Republican Tom Campbell's support has plummeted. His money has dried up and his campaign is in freefall.

What a difference a week makes!

Just a few weeks ago, pro-gay marriage Tom Campbell was leading Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore—some polls said by as much as ten points or more. Now, he’s suddenly twenty points behind Carly Fiorina in the race that will determine which Republican has a chance to unseat California’s Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Tom Campbell’s collapse in public opinion is no accident.
NOM's “Two Peas in a Pod” television ad established that Campbell and Boxer are well, two peas in the same liberal pod. His poll numbers slipped. But television in Califorinia is hugely expensive (especially once Meg Whitman started buying up all the air time), so we followed up with a frugal and effective second punch: phone calls to 600,000 likely primary voters, telling them that Tom Campbell is a pro-gay marriage RINO. We think NOM's effort had such a big impact in part because it coincided with efforts of prolife groups to make sure voters know Campbell's record on other social conservative issues like abortion.

And what is Carly Fiorina's position on same sex marriage? She's against it and even claims to have supported Prop 8.

So, here you have a group of gay Republicans and an anti-gay group both supporting a candidate that does not support same sex marriage.

(For the record, Log Cabin Republicans has endorsed Campbell.)

Gay Republicans constantly have to battle the image that they are unhappy folks that hate themselves and vote for anti-gay politicians. The thing is, GOProud's endorsement of a candidate that isn't doing anything for the gay community and has in fact gone against is mind-boggling. It reinforces the gay Republican sterotype.

I frankly don't get GOProud's stance.

* Full disclosure: I've been involved with Log Cabin Republicans for 8 years.