News

Log Cabin Launches National Issue Ad Campaign in Gay and Lesbian Press

$40,000 Campaign Blitz Aimed at Wide Audience of GLBT Independents, Republicans and Progressives – "There Are Real Choices in This Election"

October 4, 2000

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The nation's largest gay Republican organization today launched a four week national issue ad campaign in ten major gay and lesbian news publications nationwide, aiming to ensure that gay and lesbian Americans have the full picture of the records and issues central to the 2000 elections.

"In 1992, there was a coronation of Clinton-Gore and a rallying cry for one-party Democrat rule," said Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "And then we got "don't ask, don't tell", no passage of ENDA under the Democrats, a failure of leadership on AIDS, and the Defense of Marriage Act."

"The gay community deserves to hear the full story on all the candidates. Instead, they hear nothing but Al Gore's election year promises, and next to nothing about Al Gore's real record," Tafel said. "The fact is that Al Gore has a long history of anti-gay votes and positions, and more recently of promising one thing to our community while doing another. The Democrats will say anything to get our money and votes, and then make every excuse they can think of not to deliver on them once in office. That is the story of Clinton-Gore, and we can expect more of the same."

"The gay Democrats push a false mindset that all Republicans are bad and all Democrats are good. When Congressman Bill McCollum (R-FL) takes a lead in fighting for a federal hate crimes bill, it is couched by the gay press as an election year ploy," Tafel said. "When the Democratic Governor of the largest state in the nation vetoes a series of pro-gay bills, including two last week, hope is expressed that he is 'willing to work with us next year.' If Governor Gray Davis was a Republican, gay Democrats would have rioted in California."

"Governor George W. Bush has made progress in the GOP as the first strong Republican nominee in history to meet with and seek the support and votes of gay and lesbian Americans," Tafel said, "and gay Republicans have made up 25% to 33% of our community's vote nationwide in the last 3 elections."

"There is a variety of real choices in presidential candidates for gay and lesbian voters in this election for the first time in history," Tafel said. "For those who vote solely on GLBT issues, and for GLBT progressives, Ralph Nader and the Green Party are clearly the only choice in this election, but gay Democrat leaders have dismissed and attacked him and his party."

"Al Gore and the Democrats believe that the gay and lesbian community would rather be promised things they'll never get, than have an honest picture of what can be done and how we have to work together to get it done," Tafel said. "Should the Democrats win, they will again hide behind the excuse that there isn't enough Republican support for gay issues. But if that is the problem, then the solution is to elect and educate more Republicans who want to work with the gay and lesbian community."

"When the Democrats renege on their promises year after year with excuses, who holds them accountable?" Tafel said. "It is time to stop paying lip service to a diverse, multi-partisan movement and start building one."

The Log Cabin Republicans print ads begin running this week and will run through Election Day, with a kick-off budget of $40,000. The print ad campaign follows the launch of a $250,000 Log Cabin Republicans radio issue ad campaign targeted at swing voters in 6 battleground Electoral College states, five battleground U.S. House districts and 2 battleground U.S. Senate states.

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation's largest gay and lesbian Republican organization, with state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time national office and a federal political action committee.

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To See This Week's Log Cabin Republicans Campaign 2000 Print Ad, visit www.lcr.org – the print ad site will be updated each week as a new ad debuts!

To Hear The $250,000 Log Cabin Republicans "Thelma & Louise" National Radio Ad Campaign in the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Maine, and in the District of Columbia --- and the battleground Senate states and House Districts in New York, Vermont, California, Maryland, Illinois and New Jersey --- visit www.lcr.org.