HRC = Judas

There's been a couple of great pieces over the past couple of days on the Human Rights Campaign that points out things I've been saying for years.

Howie Klein gets it:

But what opened my eyes to what HRC has become -- an insider establishment bunch of kiss-asses -- was their endorsement of Holy Joe Lieberman over Ned Lamont in 2006. After I learned more about them, I smashed my award and removed them from my will. HRC is one of those inside the Beltway organizations that has long ago lost sight of its original idealistic mandate. Instead of fighting for gay equality, they fight to win DC status games and to enhance the future career prospects of the top staffers. When it comes to electoral politics, you can almost always expect the worst from them.

This past February their in-house magazine, Equality, prominently featured Republican rubber stamp and fake moderate Susan Collins (R-ME), in a 2 page spread giving the false impression that Collins is a friend of the gay community. One of the more outrageous parts of their interview with Collins is a bit about the Gang of 14. They make it sound like her membership in it should be praised, but that's pretty naive considering that one of the only accomplishments of the gang was to ensure the confirmation of viciously homophobic, right-wing crazies on the federal bench like Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen, and Bill Pryor. But that's exactly what HRC has turned into -- an organization so concerned with looking "mainstream" and "adult" inside the Beltway, that they will give aid and comfort to people who work against the gay community.


spnj889 at Kos does too:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) REFUSES to support Jim Neal, an openly gay candidate in North Carolina running for US Senate. Something fishy seems to be going on. Is the DSCC interfering in a Democratic Primary election?

...Jim Neal, a progressive Democrat in North Carolina, is running to take on Senator Elizabeth Dole. He was the only Democrat running for the nomination until the National Democratic Party found out he was gay. The DSCC freaked, and recruited a Republican-lite candidate named Kay Hagan to run for the nomination (she originally refused to run). Basically, everyone in Washington DC is freaked that there is a openly gay candidate who actually has a shot of winning the Dem nomination on May 6th.

Jim Neal is supported by many here in North Carolina. He's a businessman/investment banker, so he has financial sense. He also is progressive on many issues. He's an amazing speaker in person, and would really put Elizabeth Dole on her toes. Here's what the North Carolina Triangle Independent Newspaper says about Jim Neal...

Anyway, turns out the Human Rights Campaign refuses to endorse Jim Neal for the primary. They endorsed in many Senate races, but not in North Carolina. JIM NEAL IS AN OPENLY GAY CANDIDATE RUNNING FOR ONE OF THE HIGHEST OFFICES IN THE LAND. Also, Jim Neal is all about LGBT equal rights, while his opponent refuses to answer questions about her LGBT views. Why didn't the HRC endorse Jim Neal then? SOMETHING FISHY IS GOING ON. I wonder if the National Dems/DSCC had something to do with it. They have been trying to sink Jim Neal's candidacy from the very start.

...Joe Solomnese, I want my HRC membership dues back. How the hell can HRC not endorse an amazing pragmatic, passionate, progressive, grassroots candidate who is openly gay?

What does everyone else think? I think there is some fishy politics going on here.