Schwarzenegger Stands in for McCain at Log Cabin Confab
by Kilian Melloy
EDGE Contributor
Friday Apr 11, 2008

Republican Presidential nominee Sen. John McCain
Republican Presidential nominee Sen. John McCain
Sen. John McCain and the Log Cabin Republicans don’t see eye to eye on issues like marriage equality and "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," but that’s not the reason McCain is sending Cal. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a surrogate to this weekend’s LCR national convention.

The gathering, which takes place in San Diego, will include a keynote address by McCain supporter and former UN Ambassador John Bolton, as well as speeches by openly gay, decorated veteran Erica Alva, who was the first serviceman to be injured in the Iraq war.

The mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, will also attend.

Said a Schwarzenegger aide, "We were scheduled to speak at the convention and were asked by McCain campaign to speak on their behalf since they can’t attend, and we said no problem," reported the Atlantic in an online article Apr. 11.

The aide added that, "Governor Schwarzenegger will talk about the future of the Republican Party and will also talk about McCain."

Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed legislation that would grant marriage equality in the state of California, saying that because of previous voter referendums against marriage for gays and lesbians, it is a matter for the courts to decide.

McCain is not simply sidestepping a meeting with the GLBT advocacy group; the Atlantic article reported that the Ariz. senator will meeting with officials from the group when his schedule permits.

The Log Cabin Republicans was established as an educational group with the aim of educating voters in Cal., and other members of the Republican Party, about the Briggs Initiative, a state measure that would have barred gays and lesbians from certain jobs. Ronald Reagan opposed the initiative.

The group continues to advocate and educate with regard to GLBT issues, but from a Republican point of view.

James Vaughn, the Western Region Director for the group, was quoted in an Apr. 11 Associated Press article as saying, "Sen. McCain’s record of independence will no doubt be appealing to voters looking for an alternative to senators Clinton or Obama."

Speaking about the conflict between the two leading Democratic hopefuls for the presidential nomination, Vaughn continued, "We think this rift will encourage people to take a fair look at his record and his views and weigh him fairly instead of the usual knee-jerk reaction instilled by those in our community whose job it is to deliver the LGBT community to Democrats regardless of the candidate."

This weekend’s gathering of the Log Cabin Republicans will address, in part, what the group’s focus should be in terms of the coming election, from educating McCain about "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," to standing up against anti-gay initiatives in places such as Florida.

But so far the group has been mum about details. The Atlantic quoted Log Cabin Republican President Patrick Sammon, the Log Cabin’s President, as saying, "Throughout the primaries, we have had the attitude that we’re not going to speak to the media about contacts we’ve had or haven’t had with the different campaigns."

McCain is something of a paradox in the often black-and-white world of right-wing attitudes toward GLBT Americans. The Atlantic article noted that the Republican nominee for president has opposed civil unions and marriage equality, even though he has said that gay and lesbian families should be able to celebrate their unions with "ceremonies."

McCain also campaigned for an amendment to the Arizona constitution that would have made marriage a special right reserved exclusively for heterosexuals, even though he has spoken out against federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning marriage equality and said that gay and lesbian families ought to enjoy certain protections such as hospital visitation rights.

The Atlantic recalled that McCain spoke eloquently about gay 9/11 victim Mark Bingham, who is thought to have participated in efforts to stop the terrorists who hijacked United Flight 93; however, McCain also favors continuing the military ban on openly gay troops, despite the growing strain on U.S. military readiness as the war in Iraq continues and voluntary enlistment drags behind manpower needs.

McCain also has a complex relationship with the American right wing, having referred to Jerry Falwell as intolerant, but later meeting with the late religious leader at Liberty University, a school specializing in training right-wing lawyers.


Kilian Melloy reviews media, conducts interviews, and writes commentary for EDGEBoston, where he also serves as Assistant Arts Editor.