Even though the Broward County Log Cabin Republicans nauseated their own national leader when they published an ad in a local LGBT newspaper that used a photo of slain American ambassador Chris Stevens to attack President Obama’s Middle East policy, the group is defending their actions.
The ad, which ran in the Florida Agenda, showed Stevens being carried through the streets of Benghazi with text which attacked President Obama for not protecting “gay/gay-friendly American citizens from the terror of Islamic radicalism.” (In the wake of Steven’s murder, right-wing blogs speculated he was gay.)
When asked by Bilerico Project if the local LCR group still stood by the ad, spokesperson Andy Eddy said cryptically: “If you mean in support of Israel, and if it saves one life of a young innocent individual like a Matthew Shepard, or anyone else who was or could be murdered, or will be so badly and wrongly mistreated because of intolerance based on sexual orientation, U.S. citizenship, religion, etc., I personally do.”
In a letter to the Florida Agenda, Log Cabin executive director R. Clarke Cooper wrote “there are plenty of reasons to vote Republican to protect US interests and human rights abroad, but the obscene ad in this publication is fallacious, grossly inappropriate and irresponsible.”
Cliff Dunn, executive editor of the Agenda, defended the paper’s decision: “In terms of a political ad, it’s different from an ad for a furniture warehouse,. While both are protected by free speech, our responsibility as a journal is to serve as guardians of the First Amendment. Its true we could have turned down the ad, but I think that a better good will be served in that this message is so beyond the pale that it may have a deleterious effect than what was intended.”
Surprisingly, or perhaps not so, GOProud has come to the Broward County group’s defense: GOProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia told the Washington Blade, that “it’s clear that LCR Broward understands, like we do, that the greatest threat to gay people in the world is the spread of radicalized Islam.”
Or maybe it’s perverse gay groups that bow at the feet of our enemies.
2eo
Can’t defend it, it was as low and morally bankrupt as any campaign advert in history. Absolutely sickening. Exploiting the recently deceased for the purpose of scoring points is vile.
The outward hatred of islam is also worrying, they sound like they’re preparing for holy war, they are making it literally US Vs. Them, and if you aren’t a christian then you can just die.
How awful, at least we in the UK can still pretend to have right of protest and something like this would be condemned by all parties as the sickening piece of neocon propaganda it is.
I am shocked they stopped short of directly comparing Obama to Hitler though.
Fitz
They don’t need to ‘defend’ anything.
They are Quislings. Kappas. There is no
low which is too low in their moral architecture.
marc sfe
Mr Cooper – it was your OWN republican party that CUT funding to the embassy. This attack was well through out and planned. Talk to YOUR party about why they CUT the funding for embassy security and then, and only then, might we have some sort of discussion.
To show the photograph of Ambassador Stevens is in the poorest of taste Mr Cooper. How you can call yourself and American is beyond me.
Dumdum
@2eo: I think he has been compared to Hitler also the anti-Christ. I believe he has also been accused of being a Muslim. Even though he is agnostic. But in America, being viewed as a non-Christian is about the worst thing in the world. It really is too bad that the Romans failed to feed ALL of the Christians to those poor starving lions.
curan
…and in these funding cuts, the ambassador to Sweden retains a security detail that could easily have repulsed the Bengazi attack?
This event was unnecessary. It is the result of terrible planning that borders on criminal negligence.
Those who mindlessly defend this mismanagement due to partisan spite are the least deserving of consideration. You know who you are. Silence suits you.
2eo
Just because it should be posted. It has now emerged that Mitt Romney in the 60’s was in favour of the draft, then dodged it repeatedly.
Like all right wingers, happy to let good people die for their nation but not willing to have the backbone to support their beliefs. Good people die and people like Romney spit on their families.
Aidan8
@Fitz: I think you capture it perfectly. No more need be said.
Fitz
Thanks.
Evji108
These Log Cabin types are revealing what vile, hateful extremists they truly are. This kind of toxic effluent can only come from of deep, twisted, self loathing.
Cam
The GOP in Congress demanded that the govt. cut funding for security at our embassies.
Now they are out trying to blame OBama for not having enough security in Lybia.
It’s like the waitress poisoning the food and then blaming the chef.
Cam
A few months ago Clark Cooper would have defended this ad. This is the guy who edorsed a non-gay friendly opponent of Patrick Murphy, the Iraq War vet who INTRODUCED the repeal of DADT.
It sounds like Log Cabin has been losing money and funds since actions like that, or attacking the President for coming out in favor of marriage. Looks like they realized that they have been exposed as shilling for anti-gay politicians in order to help their own careers and are trying some damage control.
Little-Kiwi
the irony that these fools are instead throwing support behind a man and party that are actively promoting discrimination against LGBT AMERICANS is clearly lost on their peabrains….