X-Sender: kevyn@pop.ksu.ksu.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Approved-By: Kevyn Jacobs Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 10:00:26 -0600 Reply-To: Kevyn Jacobs Sender: Information Repository for News of Interest to GLB* Folk From: Kevyn Jacobs X-To: Kansas Queer News To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS FROM THE WICHITA EAGLE EDITORIAL PAGE SEPTEMBER 5, 1995 ========================= If your polls fall, kick a gay by Deborah Saunders Mark GOP Sen. Bob Dole's recent decision to return $1,000 presidential campaign contribution from the Log Cabin Republicans--an organi zation of gay Republicans--as the low point, thus far, of what prom ises to be a very low campaign. After his disappointing tie in an Iowa straw poll, Dole didn't look like the front runner. What to do? Curry favor with the perceived far right by kicking gay Republicans. According to Dole Central, the campaign was unaware of the Log Cabin Republicans' agenda be fore seeing a column written by Detroit News columnist Deb Price. When the campaign became "aware" of the contribution or LCR's "agenda"--as in its support for gays in the military--it decided to return the two-month-old contribution, spokesman Nelson Warfield has claimed. That claim is pure bunk, ac cording to Log Cabin Republicans executive Director Rich Tafel. Tafel has pointed to a discussion he had with Dole about a bill to help AIDS sufferers. But those who cover politics don't need Tafel's reassurance that Dole knew about the Club's "agenda" Everyone who watches politics knows who the Log Cabiners are. Dole had to know. Of course, other campaigns are gleeful about Dole's nasty move. Pete Wilson spokesman Dan Schnur told me that the governor will not return the check he received from the club because Wilson sees contributions as an endorsement of him--not a requirement to adhere to donors' agendas. "It sets a very interesting standard for Dole," crowed Schnur. "Does he start returning checks from all pro choice Republicans? Does he return checks from peo ple who want assault weapons off the streets?" The answer is: Of course not. If Dole returned checks from every one with "an agenda that is in opposition to Sen. Dole's positions on the issues," his campaign would be broke. Otherwise, his ac ceptance of contributions from political action committees is a promise to corporate donors that if bought, he'll stay bought. That could be good news for the American Council of Life Insurance or the Commodity Futures Politi cal Fund or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange--but hardy for po tential Dole voters. Tafel warns that the Religious Right should beware. Ii Dole is ready to kick a donor--whose support and contributions his own campaign solicited--in order to win a primary, it's a strong bet he'd be willing to dump the Religious Right to win the general election. Surely, Dole remembers Houston and what happened to George Bush afterward. "I've worked for a lot of cam paigns, and I've seen the situations when checks have been sent back," noted Chris Bowman, a San Francisco Log Cabiner. "Traditionally, they send back money when they discover that the per son is a crook or an extremist, like a Nazi. Members of Log Cabin are law abiding, moderate Republi cans, so they're neither." It doesn't say much about Dole as a human being that he is willing to kick fine people and stalwart Republicans--for whom sticking with the GOP is no picnic--for a bump up in the polls. As Tafel noted, Dole has "become Phil Gramm"--and that should cost him moderate Republican votes. Dole should be aware that trashing homosexuals is not a freebie. "I don't think that we can go through another campaign cycle with all these candidates having closeted gay staff," Tafel opined. "We're not going to 'out' people," Tafel later added, but he guessed that some other gay advocacy groups just might. When Dole said he wouldn't take their money, he was telling gay Republicans that they do not belong at the table. You don't say that to citizens in politics, especially if their offense is not what they've done but who they are.