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Tafel Responds to Mixner

October 26, 2000

Dear Friends:

The fear campaign is starting as we expected. Gay Democratic activists are in a panic as Al Gore is losing this election, and because so few gay and lesbian Americans trust their anointed candidate, they once again are desperately turning to fear-mongering about George W. Bush in the final days. We saw it during the primaries against Bill Bradley, and now we're seeing it again.

Indeed, some of these activists are political consultants, and have built their businesses around access to the current administration. This can't be separated from some of the rhetoric we will see.

I've reviewed David Mixner's open letter to the gay community, and was struck by how it never mentions anything positive about Al Gore. It's important to review it and respond with the facts. I like David very much personally, but it really needs a response.

MIXNER:

Dear Friends:

At no time in my forty years in politics have I felt that an election is so crucial. We literally have the Senate, House, Presidency and the Supreme Court at stake.

BUT that is not the most important thing to me. There is no question that as your family member, friend and co-worker that my life will be dramatically changed under a Bush Administration. I deeply feel that I will literally be fighting for my survival as a gay man under a Republican Senate, Republican House and Republican President.

TAFEL: "Fighting for my survival as a gay man"? This is the type of hyperbole that undermines the entire letter.

MIXNER:

Here's the Bush record and my future, if he became President: – Bush publicly stated that being openly gay would not be compatible with serving in his administration, and therefore, there would be no opportunity for me to participate at any level.

TAFEL: David must have missed Governor Bush's April press conference devoted to gay and lesbian issues, and the debates. Bush stated that he would not discriminate in hiring gays for his administration, and has reiterated that position at every turn since that press conference. It is nice to see that David's so worried about gay Republicans getting jobs though.

MIXNER:

Bush has gone on record saying "Gays would be inappropriate parents" – and openly opposed a measure to let Gay & Lesbian couples be foster parents. We have friends here in Los Angeles who are foster parents, as well as adoptive parents, and I'm terribly worried about Bush's stand on same sex adoption and foster parenting.

TAFEL: David knows this is the touchiest of all topics, and one where we really need to change public opinion. Right now, it may be one of the most important issues, and yet it is the least understood by the public. That's why you won't hear Al Gore or Bill Clinton EVER champion the rights of gay parents. While this issue reflects the education needed on both sides of the aisle, the President will have little control over this issue.

MIXNER:

In 5 years as Governor of Texas, Bush never once publicly addressed the AIDS epidemic. He never even uttered the word.

TAFEL: This "uttered the word" nonsense goes back to attacking Ronald Reagan. Had Bill Clinton ever uttered the word "AIDS" as Governor of Arkansas before he went after the gay vote in 1992? What David neglects to point out is that in Texas Bush has increased AIDS funding. Governor Bush worked in coalition with other Republican Governors to press for increased funding at the federal level. They succeeded and the Republican Congress, in coordination with Republican Governors, increased AIDS funding all across America by hundreds of millions of dollars more than what the Clinton-Gore administration offered. Funny, I didn't hear David complain about that then. And I don't see AIDS activists holding Clinton-Gore accountable for their failure to fulfill the promise to lead on AIDS funding.

Most recently, the Bush campaign coordinated a statement about AIDS facts in Texas with Log Cabin Republicans. I've had personal discussions with the Bush-Cheney campaign about their public pledge to continue the leadership on AIDS we've seen from the GOP Congress and governors. So, the facts aren't with David, despite the fact that AIDS was such a wonderful fear tactic for Democrats for so long. They can't resist using it still, despite the facts.

MIXNER:

Despite 40 brutal murders of gays and lesbians since Matthew Shepard, Bush opposes all Hate Crime laws.

TAFEL: Again, David must have missed Bush's repeated statements of support for the Texas hate crimes law on the books, and the hate crimes bill he signed in 1997. Frankly, nothing had undermined the argument for a hate crimes law more than the demagoguery perpetrated by Gay Democrats on this issue. Read Mixner's comment and what he's doing is implying that there's a causal relationship between the murders and the lack of a hate crimes law. Hate crimes laws wouldn't have saved any gay person from murder. And it is pretty low to use people's death's to try to gin up votes for your candidate.

MIXNER:

Bush pledged his allegiance to the Texas Christian right by vowing to support laws criminalizing sodomy in their state.

TAFEL: As David knows, the president doesn't impact sodomy laws, but if he's concerned about it, then why was he the lead cheerleader for Bill Clinton in 1992 who left in place his own state of Arkansas' sodomy law? And how does he explain Al Gore's vote in Congress to block the repeal of the DC sodomy law?

MIXNER:

In 38 states you can be fired for being gay, and Bush opposes employment protection of Gays and Lesbians.

TAFEL: He doesn't support ENDA, he is on the record opposing discrimination against gays. When Bill Bradley said ENDA didn't go far enough, and suggested another mechanism to protect gays, the same Gay Democrat establishment attacked him, too. They've come to worship a particular bill ahead of the principle. Same story on hate crimes.

MIXNER:

Bush is adamantly against same-sex partnership rights, and I believe he would work to overturn the civil union legislation in Vermont.

TAFEL: Again, has David read any of the coverage of this campaign? Al Gore stated he, like Bush, supported the Defense of Marriage Act and opposes gay marriage. That's after 20 million dollars in gay money, and still not one gay Democrat leader will challenge him on this. Instead, Gore used the money he raised from Mixner and others and ran ads in 1996 boasting about his support for DOMA. In the Vice Presidential debates, Dick Cheney was the one out of the four candidates who stuck his neck out the furthest for us, and offers us the most realistic chance for success. Bush and Cheney have said repeatedly and specifically that the federal government should make no attempt to intervene against states which pass laws like Vermont's civil unions law.

MIXNER:

Bush opposes sex education promoting safer-sex.

TAFEL: It was Bill Clinton who FIRED Jocelyn Elders for insisting on teaching about safer sex for young people. If Clinton had followed her advice, indeed, maybe Gore wouldn't be in so much political trouble today for being his Vice President.

MIXNER:

Gov. Bush's Texas Republican Party refused to give space to Gay Log Cabin Republicans at the GOP state convention (3 times).

TAFEL: Wrong again. Bush defended Log Cabin Republicans in 1998. This past year he refused to go the the state convention. Anyone who really understands Texas politics knows that the Governor does not control the state party. In fact, Bush appointed the former chair of the party to run his DC operation. This former chair lost to the religious right candidate who declared war on Bush in his first term as Governor. Log Cabin Republicans' battle at the Texas State Convention was with the State Party. We appreciate David's concern for us in Log Cabin.

MIXNER:

As Governor, Bush refused to adopt an administration non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation.

TAFEL: Again, Bush has been clear as far back as his gay issues press conference in April when he stated sexual orientation will not be a factor in his appointments or in his administration.

MIXNER:

As Governor, Bush publicly opposed adding "sexual orientation" to Texas' Hate Crime law.

TAFEL: You just told us that Bush opposed all hate crimes laws, now you're saying that he opposed adding sexual orientation. Point to one statement anywhere which confirms this. The Dallas Morning News quoted a Bush spokesperson last year saying that sexual orientation had nothing to do with Bush's view on the law.

MIXNER:

Our next president will appoint up to 4 new Supreme Court Justices whose decisions will profoundly affect our lives for the next 20-30 years.

TAFEL: The New York Times reported in July that Bush moved the Texas Supreme Court to the center with no litmus tests. Wouldn't that be good if he could do the same with the US Supreme Court? Remember that Bowers v Hardwick was written by a Democrat appointee, while Romer v. Evans was written by a Republican appointee. Remember the posters during the confirmation of David Souter which said "Souter Wins, Women Die"? Souter ended up voting with the majority on the crucial Casey decision on limiting abortion rights, and similarly pro-choice since then. The Supreme Court is an old source of scare-tactics, but rarely lives up to the horror stories that are predicted in election years.

MIXNER:

With much concern and much love...

TAFEL: I wish the concern was for the facts. I wish there was one loving statement in this whole letter. I wish there was one positive thing that David could bring himself to utter about Al Gore. And I wish the gay community would vote their hopes not their fears, and support the candidate they believe would be the best for the country.

Rich Tafel