Illinois GOP party chair Pat Brady can say that being a Republican official who supports marriage equality won’t get you fired. Unfortunately, he can probably also say goodbye to his job in any case.
Over the weekend, conservatives infuriated at Brady’s marriage position tried desperately to get him removed as head of the state party but failed to get the three-fifths majority they needed.
After the three hour closed-door session, Brady told reporters, “I’m still here,” but for how much longer is an open question.
This is the second time conservatives moved to get rid of Brady, specifically because of his support for marriage equality. This time, however, the party apparatchiks set up a planning succession committee, which is a nice way of saying to Brady — there’s the door, and you know how to use it.
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The failure to remove him gives Brady a chance to say he won and then resign on his own terms.
“It’s about addition and not subtraction,” Brady told reporters, “and if we come off as mean-spirited or angry or too dogmatic, then we don’t attract people to the party.”
Just to prove Brady’s point about fifty right wingers banged on the doors of the meeting and chanted “We are the party.” It’s a party we’re glad we missed.
Kieran
It’s a great strategy to LOSE elections. Alienate 5-10% of the population who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. Not to mention their supportive family and friends.
Cam
Just allowing a vote on gay rights is enough for the GOP to try to kick you out of your job.
They can claim that they aren’t bigots, but there is no other excuse. This is what it is as far as the right wing and the tea party are concerned.
They don’t care about the state of the economy or the country. As long as they are given a group of people they can hate that is all they care about.
Brad
This story is Pat Brady’s political spin to deflect attention away from his legitimate ousting. Don’t be fooled and don’t be Brady’s pawn, gay marriage had little to do with the opposition(I was there in opposition). Brady’s divisiveness and failure of leadership are primarily why they were calling for his removal. His resignation was being called for before his convenient gay marriage stance. His goal, to make those calling for his ouster look like gay haters, thus deflecting attention away from him. Take note that none of the articles posted about thsi meeting printed ANY of the public comments made in the meeting. That’s because the opposition comments were about his failed leadership, not gay marriage. The reporting is convenient for Brady.
Brady has shown disdain for the grassroots and rank-and-file of the party. He says “his party must be more welcoming of diversity and inclusive of people who disagree” when talking to reporters friendly to him, but his actions are the exact opposite…he fails to support good conservative minority candidates like Paul McKinley, Edgar Montalvo, Sherri Griffith, and many other minorities. In fact he and the party leadership worked against McKinley and some of the others by disparaging them in the media. McKinley, a black man from the streets of the 2nd district is better at reaching the people of the 2nd congressional district than any other candidate has or could. The leadership of the ILGOP is angry old white guys who hold disdain for the Rank-and-file grassroots Republicans in IL. They are sick and tired of the ILGOP leadership who is complicit with the corrupt IL machine. The leadership just doesn’t realize that their time is up…they are living in the past.
If the leadership won’t support or tolerate good minority candidates, what makes you think they will embrace gays? It’s a ploy, don’t be fooled.