Rob Schlein
A few weeks back we reported that Rob Schlein, president of the Dallas chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, plans to support Texas Gov. Rick Perry for president if he’s the Republican nominee — despite Perry’s anti-gay record.
Schlein says he used his regular remarks at the start of Log Cabin’s monthly meeting Monday night to explain why. Below is a transcript:
Vote Republican in 2012
By Robert Schlein
I give 5 minute speeches at our monthly Log Cabin Republicans meetings, and was reviewing some of my old remarks from July 2008 where I asked the question, “At what political price would my critics pay to resolve all of their gay civil-rights issues?”
I further asked, “Would they accept any political doctrine, if it was bundled with promises of improvement in gay civil liberties?”
I said to our group that I didn’t want an America that looks like Europe: one that can’t generate enough jobs for it’s younger workforce; whose immigration policies have created many social ills; and whose government controlled socialized medicine results in less availability of care for all, and with the best care for only those who can afford to travel to another country.
America answered that question in 2008, and unfortunately got it wrong. While the LGBT finally secured some victories, what we got in exchange was bigger government, bigger debt, and a much worsened economy.
ObamaCare is an impending disaster and threatens our quality and availability of care. The economy is stagnating because Obama and his administration seem to know little about capitalism, or how to inspire confidence for those with cash to invest.
So again I ponder my question from 2008, because we Republicans will likely have a GOP candidate for President that saber-rattles his or her threat for a Federal Marriage Amendment, or the reinstatement of DADT to placate the social conservatives. Let’s be realistic, we Republicans need SoCons to win elections.
However, despite this pressure, our next Republican President will more than likely follow through instead on fiscal efforts to repeal ObamaCare, neuter the EPA’s hard work to shut down power plants that will severely hamper our economy—many in Texas, allow us to explore for oil domestically, steer us to a more balanced budget, and get rid of the Dodd-Frank Banking bill that has caused Cash Title Loan stores to spring up like Texas ragweed.
For those who are upset at Rick Perry’s decision to sign the National Organization of Marriage’s Pledge to move forward on an amendment to the constitution, I say I’m willing to pay that price–a danger, in my view, that is as exaggerated as the reported threat of Hurricane Irene, in exchange for fiscal conservatism that is more likely to win the day and return us to prosperity.
After all, the process for amending the constitution of the United States is so burdensome and so difficult, it seems to me the pledge to NOM is as empty as most men’s promises to stay monogamous until “death do us part.”
That said, I don’t believe that Rick Perry is our party’s best hope to beat Obama.
In the swing states that really matter… Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania … Mitt Romney … who has never been a great friend of Log Cabin’s… polls better. He’s one of them, and his dad was a very, very popular Michigan governor. And, if Jon Huntsman can organize some support he would be a brilliant choice, too.
But, we don’t get to decide in isolation who our nominee will be. By the time the candidates reach Texas, we will likely have our winner. And, if that winner is Rick Perry, he can count on my vote and my vocal support.
We say in Log Cabin that “Inclusion Wins,” and we appreciate and welcome those with ideas that differ from our own. All we can do is to try to elect people that CAN WIN who are most compatible with our views, and try to exert influence on those who differ, who do win.
For the LGBT community, economic power is the most liberating one. Paying your debts down, burning up your mortgage, and having, pardon my language, some “screw you” money in the bank … that stands the best chance to obtain the equality we seek. For if it weren’t for a handful of very wealthy billionaires in New York who were with us, their Republican Senate Majority leader would have never passed Gay Marriage in that state.
Let me be clear on this. It wasn’t just Log Cabin. It wasn’t just HRC. It was Ken Mehlman (former RNC chair), Peter Thiel (founder of Paypal) and their very rich allies that really got this done!
Because, at the end of the day, money is power. And we need to vote on the party that will best give us a chance to prosper, to accumulate wealth, and hence all the power we need to accomplish our goals.
Obama has shown that he does not stand with those who seek economic prosperity and to accumulate wealth, and for this reason I will vote REPUBLICAN even if Rick Perry is our nominee, and I hope you will, too.
Rob says he doesn’t want America to look like Europe, no he wants an America that is essentially a third world country, ruled by powerful rich and everyone else be damned. His mantra of money is power is not what our founding fathers had in mind, they were escaping from that kind of government in England. Clearly the LCR is following the money and apparently they think if they are rich enough, equality will be theirs.
Good luck with that. You will be rich second class citizens under a Rick Perry Presidency.
The rich and money hungry will always vote Republican even minorities. No surprise that this is true of the gay community as well. Even in the face of a bible beater like Perry who not only threatens to undermine gay rights but rights to anyone who does not follow his religious doctrine. President Obama has been blamed for the economic crisis when it was handed to him on a silver platter by George W. Bush. While our current President has not necessarily done all that we hoped, given the choice of another four years of President Obama vs. Rick Perry or Michelle Bachman I will still vote Obama. Now if a Republican can get in there that wants to drop all the religious right BS and focus truly on jobs, the economy and getting us out of wars that cost us more than Obamacare then I will consider their candidacy. Until then out of good conscience I have to vote with what is right for humanity not my pocketbook.
Well thanks for finally clearing up the one mystery I had about the LCR. MONEY MONEY MONEY! Money will lead you to throw anyone under the bus.
Great post, Daniel! I can also say being a bigot is the ONLY thing I have against Perry, Bachman, and their ilk. There are many things I do not like about them or don’t agree with them on. And as for gay marriage in NY, lets not forget that the majority of the democrats were for gay mariage. They only had to change a handful of republicans to do it.. Lets not act like the Republican party as a whole was trying to help us out.
And jeez, Rob must be copying all the Faux news talking points and has got the old republican scare tactics down pat!
The LCR are probably the most organized gay political party in Dallas. They are serious about the work they do and get far more accomplished than any other group. Non cliquish and a clear agenda are the two things I most admire about them. Although,, I wish they would do more to help Fred Karger be part of the debates. While I would never consider voting for Perry, I am not all that thrilled to be voting for someone who has takes our money and throws us under the bus.
Get far more accomplished than any other group? Can you back that up?
Talk about a self-inflicted wound.
Rick Perry? Really? Hmmm!
Hitler won’t really do anything bad against us Jews. I am going to vote for him because our economy sucks, I love the idea of better highways and a German car that affordable for all folks is a great idea too!
How I hate myself, let me count the ways!
I’d like to know which European countries all these critics of universal healthcare lived in, the names of their insurance companies who were covering them, and why were they all so bad? I’m curious to know the next time I have to travel back overseas and choose my next provider. I’ve had great luck in Asia, Australia, and Europe, so I’m not sure why all the fuss? It’s better than employers making the decision for us, especially when they need to cut costs over and over again.
As one of the founders of the Log Cabin Republicans of Texas, I’m saddened and sickened by the way that organization’s mission has been perverted. Log Cabin was formed to advocate for LGBT equal rights within the context of the Republican Party and to provide support for pro-equality Republicans. As Schlein has made quite clear, that’s no longer the case. Instead, LCR is nothing more than a collection of gays dedicated to electing Republicans, no matter how hazardous that might to our community’s equal rights. As Jack E. Jett writes, they are “serious about the work they do” and they have “a clear agenda.” Unfortunately, their work and their agenda have nothing to do with equality.
@Jack E Jett: Who the hell do you think is doing the throwing?
@ Paul: As far as the original mission of the LCR, it is clear that is no longer the point. That is very unfortunate. As far as I am concerned, they are no better than the closeted homos who time and time again fight AGAINST equality while hiring rent boys and cheating on their wives.
Bill…I think that the Obama administration has thrown us (Progressives/Liberals who raised money for him) under the bus on several occasions. I am in no way saying I agree with the LCR, just that appear to more organized, less cliquey and gossipy. Some gay groups would rather cast aspersions on fellow gays than on those that are trying to deny our rights. I get so many emails when I have had these discussions before.
Jack – To say though that you would rather vote for someone who is for corporate money instead of social issues is wrong. HOWEVER, to be quite honest….the WHOLE political system needs to be re vamped. Obama and his admin have been less that stellar but imagine what the alternative was. Frankly, I say throw the lot of them out the door and start over. I say lets begin with lobbyist and corporate tax breaks. It’s all a big joke at this point.
I wouldn’t vote for Rick Perry if he said he was FOR gay marriage. Why? Because he cannot be trusted. Period. He will say and do anything to get elected (even switch parties when the political winds change). He has done absolutely nothing for this state that hasn’t benefited him financially or his cronies. Yet, we keep voting for him simply because of the (R) next to his name on the ballot. You ask at what price I’d pay to vote only for my gay rights… well, I’d certainly never vote for your vision of an EPA-less, pollute-at-will country where we drill, baby, drill to feed our obsession to over-consume, and turn our less-fortunate out on the hospital parking lot because they don’t have insurance.
Rob Schlein shouldn’t be permitted to write postcards from prison.
Imagine, Schlein claims that Rick Perry is no more hazardous to LGBT equality than Hurrican Irene was to the east coast. Can Schlein tell you the names of each of the people killed in the storm? Can he tell you, state by state, the extent of the damage and the estimates to return devastated communities to functionality? Isn’t it bad enough that Republican politicians downplay the victimization inflicted on us, without having a turncoat gay person doing it along with them? Is Schlein quite aware that his fellow Republicans want to undo the education law in California? Does he know that in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, a student was stopped from continuing a class presentation after saying that homosexuals were victims of the Nazis? Schlein is a selfish and callous jerk who will never do anything of substance to advance LGBT rights in the United States.
WOW ! is all I can say. I guess Bill put it best….like most Republicans, Log Cabin is clearly all about MONEY MONEY MONEY. They are so “mammon centric” that I am convinced many would sell their own Mothers for a buck! What they don’t tell you however is that their greed often times comes at the expense of everyone else in society. Mr. Schlein says that we can expect more anti-GLBT rhetoric from the GOP candidates although it is more “likely” that they will focus on fiscal issues. Is that a “risk” that the GLBT community should be willing to take ? Absolutely NOT. Mr. Schlein seems to believe that the financial wing of the Republican Party, what we used to call Rockefeller Republicans are still “dominant” an in control of the GOP agenda. WRONG !!! The so called Social Conservatives or SoCons as Mr. Schlein calls them are now “dominant” and will select the eventual Republican Nominee for President. What amazes me is that many of these Social Conservatives are in fact rather poorly educated lower middle class individuals who aspire to be wealthy at any cost – but likely do not possess the financial or economic acumen to achieve their goals….this results in profound frustration and ‘scapegoating’ of other groups, “liberals” “blacks” “immigrants” “women” and especially the GLBT Community. Schlein incorrectly still believes that the financial elites (the Wall St. Rockefeller Republicans) are using the SoCons, much like the Weimer Republic in Germany “used” the nascent Fascists in that country. Before they knew what hit them however the Fascists seized majority control of the country, in much the same way that the Tea Party is now “dominant” in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Social Conservatives and Tea Party Terrorists are to be taken seriously. They are DANGEROUS if left unchecked. Rick Perry as a self-avowed “Dominionist” wants to replace Democracy with Theocracy in America. But Mr. Schlein will happily back him as long as he gets to keep his wallet. Talk about short-sighted. While I can only speak for myself, true EQUALITY is so much more important and yes, even more valuable to me than WEALTH. Wealth is nice and it can buy a lot of “things” – but at the end of the day – they are just “things.”
Lets go one step further. The Republicans will not put forward any legislation that benefits LGBT people (even if the soil conservatives don’t control their vote) and they won’t nominate any judges to the benches that will rule in the favor of LGBT rights. The Log Cabin Republicans that vote their wallets and not for only LGBT friendly GOP candidates are no different from the Collaborationists in Vichy France. They are shameful people whose sole concern is building their own wealth! Shame on them!
I have to agree with what John Selig said : They are shameful people whose sole concern is building their own wealth! AGREED. But what is sad is that Mr. Schlein is delusional as well. The legislation in New York was passed because of the “hands on” efforts of it’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo. The legislation never would have even made it OUT OF COMMITTEE if it weren’t for the Democrats. And the Billionaire Republican that put pressure on the swing votes in the NY Senate ??? It wasn’t their blind loyalty to Republican ideals – but the fact that this Billionaire happens to have a son that is gay. Duh !!! That fact had a lot more to do with this than Mr. Schlein leads readers to believe. What should be absolutely clear to everyone in the GLBT Community is that Mr. Schlein’s real goal is not GLBT equality at all – he reveals his real goal and that is to obtain
some “screw you” money !!!
He and his Log Cabin ilk have no interests in advancing GLBT rights at all. They are relentlessly in pursuit of some “screw you money” – because frankly they think they are “better than” the rest of the GLBT Community ! I feel sorry for Mr. Schlein – what a PATHETIC human being.
Selfishness, hatefulness, and greed is a philosophy shared by many across the lines of sexuality.
I’m surprised the LCR haven’t aligned themselves with the AFA.
I hope that i don’t get to see that day when Perry’s storm-troopers show up to arrest this self-hating loser mid sex act (as of course Rick wants to criminalize sodomy again despite the supreme court’s ruling in lawrence v. texas). he (rob, that is – “closeted rick” goes without saying) is truly disgusting.
Disgusting! How can the active LCR’s sleep at night? Oh yeah, they’re rolling on their piles of money.
Log Cabin Republican Mantra, “How do I hate myself, let me count the ways!
Hey Rob…Isn’t that like being a Jew and supporting the Nazi party? You are just as ignorant as the people you support.
That idiots a disgrace to the Gay community!
Del Shores challenged that chicken$#!+ Schlein fool to a debate. He has yet to accept because he knows Del will tear him a new one!