Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJune 4th, 2010
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley is running for the Republican Party nomination for California State Attorney General. And those readers who are California Republicans (or Decline to State) may wish to consider giving Cooley your vote next Tuesday.
Cooley has been, as best I can tell, supportive of the community. Noting his opposition to Proposition 8, the Bay Area Reporter, a San Francisco gay magazine, commented in April
In the attorney general race, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, a marriage equality backer, is doing well in his party’s primary.
Cooley has received the endorsement of most of the state’s influential newspapers. But one endorsement he has not received is that of anti-gay activists.
The National Organization for Marriage has piggy-backed on hate-group Traditional Values Coalition to oppose Cooley’s election.
We are writing you today because there is a dangerous pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage candidate seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General. This anti-family candidate is Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley and in his own words he publicly states unapologetically, “Let me be clear, I support a woman’s right to choose.”
Not only does Cooley not value life, but he opposes the sanctity of marriage too.
Well that sounds to me like a good reason to vote for him. And considering our state’s history of electing Republicans as the Attorney General, it would be a great comfort if we knew next Wednesday that the Republican nominee for the position was an ally.
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Grant
June 4th, 2010
I voted for him in the primary, as I selected the Republican Party ballot (as a Decline to State voter). The major reasons for voting in the R primary are that the Dem candidates are pretty much decided; I can mess with the R primary (i.e., Orly Taitz), but also I can vote for someone like Cooley – whom I wouldn’t mind having as our AG. Not one bit.
Neil D
June 4th, 2010
The capacity of gay republicans to deny the progress toward gay rights provided by democrats is astounding.
Because surely voting for Republicans will make them love us and teach those democrats a lesson. Amazing.
Y’all are quite the sight.
truthteller
June 4th, 2010
No way, no how, am I voting for a Republican! And I live in California, and I do vote.
Burr
June 4th, 2010
You do realize that Democrats will never completely dominate politics right? They won’t always be in power.
We won’t be secure until both major parties support our rights (or a third party that does kicks the Republicans out). It was the same with other minorities and disenfranchised groups.
So sitting around and scoffing and pouting at the GOP instead of encouraging a shift in attitude is counterproductive. You don’t have to vote Republican on the final ballot, but at least stop kneejerking against an ally because of a letter next to their name.
elt
June 4th, 2010
i voted for steve cooley for the county of los angeles district attorney.
i will not vote for him as the state attorney general. he is another jerry brown who will overturn proposition 8.
truthteller
June 4th, 2010
@Burr
Say whatever you want but anyone who belongs to the party that consistently bashes Latinos and other minorities to get ahead will never get my vote.
Have you seen the ads form Republicans? It’s all about the racist Arizona immigration law. They are falling over themselves to tell us how much they support that vile law.
My decision is not a knee jerk reaction. It is a well educated decision. I’ve not forgotten pete wilson or prop 187.
And for your information I am not a Democrat. I left that crooked party after the last presidential primaries.
I am not a one issue voter. If you belong to a party who is homophobic, xenophobic and plain out against social and human rights, I will not vote for you.
There is a reason they embrace the philosophies of such party.
Pomo
June 4th, 2010
Wow… this post brought out all the special commentors… Apparently most of them do not understand that CA has a closed primary and you can only vote for the party you are registered for. (unless you’re decline to state at which point you can pick which ballot to use)
@Neil – reread what I just wrote. This post had nothing to do with bashing democrats or denying what they have/haven’t done for LGBT peoples. I’m glad you took it as an opportunity to bash republicans. You must be very smart!
@truthteller – I don’t know which parties ballot you will use for the primary but the point of this post was simply that if someone is going to be voting republican, they should consider Cooley because he defends are right be married. I won’t even ask you why its racist to enforce our countries immigration policy…
@Elt – What?? Prop 8 can’t be overturned by the district attorney. But if it could, that would be good. You do know that Prop 8 bans LGBT people from marrying right?
Phew!
At any rate, Cooley was already my choice, glad to know he supports marriage equality. He’s been doing alot of advertising in these ghastly mailings I get every day. And since the masses are ignorant and vote how they’re told, I’m sure he’ll do fine.
Neil D
June 5th, 2010
There is a simple test to help you determine who to vote for:
When is the last time Republican politicians did anything to support our civil rights? Go back 30 years and try to answer.
When is the last time Democrats did anything? Many, but not all, supported civil unions and marriage rights in the various ballot initiatives and in state legislatures. Many, but not all, support the employment non-discrimination, bans on housing discrimination, and hate crimes laws. Local ordinances banning discrimination were passed EXCLUSIVELY by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.
Why is this so hard to grasp?
I wish you all luck trying to convince the GOP to have a change of heart. Clearly we would be better off if they didn’t actively oppose our efforts. But why would I punish the party that did the most for me just because someday they might be out of power as they were from 2000-2006? We survived that period without selling our souls to the GOP. Why start now?
truthteller
June 5th, 2010
@Pomo,
Since I declined to state the article was targeted towards me and those like me:
“…(or Decline to State) may wish to consider giving Cooley your vote next Tuesday.”
And, since you did ask, I’ll tell you.
Enforcing our immigration laws is not racist. Enacting a law that targets a group of people including citizens based on the way they look is. You know, the whole, “reasonable suspicion,” clause, meaning racial profiling.
The law was written by Chris Kobach, a lawyer for FAIR which is a hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. And the sponsor, Russell Pearse forwarded a racist email to his supporters in 2006.
That in essence is the Republican mentality. If you’re not male, white, heterosexual and christian, they hate you and will codify laws to restrict your rights or prevent you from getting them.
But you must know that because you are so well educated about politics.
“And since the masses are ignorant and vote how they’re told, I’m sure he’ll do fine.”
@Neil D.
You nailed it on the head,
Désirée
June 6th, 2010
Neil D –
why do you assume that gay civil rights is the one and only issue that people would use to determine who to vote for? Many of us are both gay and fiscal conservative. The bolder of us are Libertarian, other stick with the Republicans, but in either case we do so because economic issues are equally as important as civil rights issues.
Ben Mathis
June 7th, 2010
Fiscally conservative is code for “I’m perfectly fine that all the wealth in the US is held by 1% of the white population because of the racist past financial policies, and I’m fine with it because I too am white and well off, and I don’t want any darkies getting a leg up”.
Any one trying to explain otherwise is a (racist) liar.
http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/reflections-racism-and-reasonable-suspicion-immigration-arizona-and-anti-latino-bias
[Ed: we do not allow the posting of articles. Those wishing to read the article about white affirmative action, may do so here.]
Ben Mathis
June 7th, 2010
Anyone voting Republican should be ashamed. Throwing the other minorities of America under the bus just because a candidate is possibly slightly adapting a minor pet issue that has become politically safer to have.
I guarantee this candidate doesn’t support social policies for the many poor of California, or the trans-folk, he’s probably a war-supporter, and I doubt he’s going to do anything about the new trendy anti immigration fervor that is thinly veiled racism.
Timothy (TRiG)
June 7th, 2010
As strenuously as I disagree with Libertarians, I can still debate with them, as they do seem to have principles, albeit wrongheaded ones. Republicans, though, as far as I can make out from this side of the Atlantic, have no principles but merely a vague collection of prejudices.
I can’t understand them at all.
(Would you like me to find a ten-year-old to clean your chimney for you, sir?)
TRiG.
werdna
June 7th, 2010
@Ben Mathis-Instead of copying and pasting a huge (and unattributed) diatribe why not just link to the source?
Ben Mathis
June 7th, 2010
Werdna, because the original posting where I C/Ped from was not on scribd but on a private message forum, and I was unaware they made a public version. Glad to now have a handy link.
Polydactyl
June 8th, 2010
There is a fundamental lack of understanding here regarding the nature of a Primary.
Voting for a Republican in the Primary DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE VOTING IN A REPUBLICAN. It means you’re voting for who the Republican candidate WILL BE when it comes time to vote.
It’s a strategic way of trying to ensure that even if a Republican wins, they will still support our rights. It is not a vote for a Republican to hold office.
Ideologically I’m Green or maybe Peace & Freedom, but I’ll toss a vote towards Cooley to improve our choices come the actual election.
Emily K
June 8th, 2010
Polydactyl, do you have more than 5 digits on your limbs?? polydactyly is cool.
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