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

[sergeantdave]

First time I’ve ever seen Jim Zot trolls live on-screen. Impressive.

Zot!!

Splat!

[Captain Kirk]

In what actual CP document (name date, etc) were these Communist goals published (and know the Naked Communist is good enough)? Give us a citation to the original CP document he “quoted” from.

[steveab]

“Libertarianism is merely the ultra kook fringe of leftism.”

You have no idea what a Libertarian is. They are strict Constitutionalist that believe moral issue is the choice of the individual and not to be supported with any tax money. So if someone decides to become a alcoholic, I do not have to hire him, I have a right to fire him, I don’t have to pay for his treatment through taxes or increase in my health insurance cost. Alcoholism his problem and he must take responsibility for it.

[caww]

The sentiment that galvanized Tea Party folks into assembly this time was the demoralized perversion manifested in the systemic corruption of our national financial infrastructure and the thieving BAILOUT of the "Fiscally Conservative" moral miscreants who corrupted it. "What it basically means is:..... to change the perception of reality of every American.... that despite of the abundance of information no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves, their families, their community, and their country. It's a great brainwashing process which goes very slow..

Worthy of another post....thanks...great wordage!

[bobzeetwin]

You have a rattlesnake poised to sink its fangs into your ankle, and a constrictor about to coil itself around your neck. Which battle do you attend to first?

Clever analogy. I guess I will give in to your logic and go the route of cleaning the garage and simultaneously mowing the lawn. Or is that not a deadly enough analogy? Pick only one of your kids?

[RockyMtnMan]

The primary reason the Tea Party has been so successful is it has avoided social issues altogether. Social issues are the single greatest dividing issue among conservatives. We should stay focused and avoid those arguments until we get our government under control.

Fiscal policy is a science not an opinion or moral position. Numbers are numbers and we can all agree the numbers are way out of line. SoCons need to put their “issues” on the back burner until we can purge our government of progressives and get our financial future back on track. Otherwise we’ll be fighting a multi-front war of which we will NOT win. Stay focused and keep up the momentum, the left will try and side track us with these social issues to dilute the sound argument that government is out of control, which leads to THEIR social agenda.

[behzinlea]

While libertarians drone on and on about how an ideal society should operate, we're getting steamrollered by actual society as designed and implemented by liberals. Save your breath, roll up your sleeves, and FIGHT, damn it!

[DJ MacWoW]

The Communist Takeover Of America - 45 Declared Goals

Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963

[little jeremiah]

BS. There was a thread not long ago with an article from the Official Libertarian Party website with the Official Libertarian Party Agenda in detail.

“Gays” in the military.

“Gay” marriage.

“Gay” everything else.

Legal abortion.

Legalized all drugs.

Legal porn without restriction.

IOW, forcing leftist social crap on everyone whether they want it legal or not.

Libertarianism is yet another utopian fantasy pipe dream in a long line of similar utopian fanatasy pipe dreams. None have ever worked, and none ever will.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

IATDZ (in after the double zot)

[bobzeetwin]

Well said. Prepare to have your intelligence, patriotism, and motives attacked.

[DJ MacWoW]

Social liberalism costs money. Fight both social and fiscal liberalism or lose.

[behzinlea]

Clever analogy. I guess I will give in to your logic and go the route of cleaning the garage and simultaneously mowing the lawn. Or is that not a deadly enough analogy? Pick only one of your kids?

Too late. Both snakes struck while you mused over your answer and took no action.

RIP.

[RockyMtnMan]

Libertarians vote and likely vote in large numbers, they are typically well versed in the issues. What sort of fight did you have in mind? Milton Friedman described himself as a libertarian with a small “L” but voted Republican out of necessity. Most libertarians would probably describe themselves the same way.

[Pan_Yan]

SoCons need to put their “issues” on the back burner until we can purge our government of progressives and get our financial future back on track.

The problem is that social liberals will NOT put their issues on the back burner. The entire democrat party is made up of single issue candidates, most of which are social issues. They will not give up their single issue for the sake of fiscal conservatism. Halting liberalism on one front while giving ground on the other is a very dangerous strategy. It plays right into Margret Thatcher's Ratchet Theory.

[Shelayne]

Sorry, guys, but you abandon LIFE, I abandon YOU!

This is a line I WILL NOT cross. No way, no how.

I check the candidates positions, and if they aren’t clear on this issue or dance around it, they don’t get my vote. Period.

I am NOT going to one day look in the eyes of my Lord and say, “You know, I knew he was all for slaughtering unborn babies, but I was more concerned with my taxes.” UGH.

Fortunately, I have noticed that most candidates that are fiscally conservative tend also to be pro-life.

[DJ MacWoW]

Well said. Prepare to have your intelligence, patriotism, and motives attacked.

Or get a zot.

One more time: FR's God-given Life & Liberty constitutional conservative activism agenda!!

[behzinlea]

Well said. Prepare to have your intelligence, patriotism, and motives attacked.

But not all at once. Each must be attacked serially, in certain order, only after divining which strategy will offend the fewest number of liberals.

[steveab]

Hey troll, I don’t about their “gay” agenda. All know is two gay guys that I have had done business with for over twenty years and they are just as piss as you are over the nanny state.
Do you believe that they have less Constitutional rights then you do?

[little jeremiah]

The sole result of people voting libertarian (in the low single digit percentages, not exactly “large”) is that they make it so Republicans lose to Dems.

The LP agenda is described partially above, as it was posted on FR not long ago. The LP is the ultra ultra kook wingnut fringe of the left.