LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Capital Letters |
by Hastings Wyman |
Gay Democrats Assess Bush
"So far," says lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), "the Bush administration can only be given an incomplete." "So far," says gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), "not much has happened." Both Baldwin and Frank give the White House some credit for what it has doneand not donein its first four months, but also point to important gay-related tests that the president will face in the future. "Aside from the appointment of Scott Evertz to head the White House HIV/AIDS office," says Baldwin, "President Bush has steered clear of LGBT issues. Some of his proposed policies, such as the Faith Based Initiative, raise significant red flags that should greatly concern out community. I hope the administration will include non-discrimination provisions as part of that proposal." "It's nice that they appointed one gay," says Frank, but points out the Evertz appointment is a drop down from Clinton. Frank adds, "I'm encouraged by their recognition that gay bashing doesn't make any sense.... The good news is, society has moved where [the administration's] not going to do anything positive, but are constrained from doing any negative stuff." Frank also raises several points of concern, noting that in his confirmation hearings, Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared to exclude the FBI from government policies banning discrimination against gay federal workers. And he points out that the impact of Christian conservative Kay Coles James as head of the Office of Personnel Management has yet to be determined. "The next test," concludes Frank, may come if the Republican majorities on congressional committees add anti-gay language to the District of Columbia appropriation bills. "Clinton protected us," notes Frank. With Bush in the White House, "we have to see what happens." Although national gay groups are officially non-partisan, mostofficially or otherwisestrongly supported Al Gore in last year's presidential election. Here's how several major gay organizations assess Bush's record so far. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which endorsed and raised big money for Gore, has praised the appointment of Scott Evertz and even bought a table at the Log Cabin Republicans' black-tie dinner celebrating Bush's first 100 days as president. Evertz made his first public speech as AIDS czar at the dinner, attended by some 150 high-end gay GOP donors, as well as representatives of PFLAG and other gay or gay-friendly organizations. HRC has not switched preferences, however. David Smith, communications director, notes the group did praise the Evertz appointment as "an important step forward." But the nation's largest gay organization has also been critical of the Bush White House on other fronts. HRC came out against the nomination of social conservative Ashcroft to become Bush's attorney general. When there were early indications that the Bush budget would increase funding for AIDS research, HRC praised the development. But HRC later expressed disappointment in the final budget: Money for the Ryan White drug program remained flat and there was only a 2 percent increase in funds for HIV prevention. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), which usually tilts to the left, notes Bush's relative silence on gay issues, but expresses concern about administration policy on a range of non-gay policies. David Elliot, NGLTF's communications director, says Bush has been "largely quiet, largely benign" on gay issues, "but has been a disaster on the issues that effect our progressive allies." In a recent press release, NGLTF accused the president of launching "attack after attack on workers, women and the First Amendment." "[Since] we work with coalitions, this is of immense concern to us," says Elliot, concluding that George W. Bush "is one of the most conservative presidents, to the right of his father, to the right of Ronald Reagan." The National Stonewall Democrats and their Washington affiliate, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, have issued a series of criticisms of the Bush Administration, attacking the Ashcroft and James appointments in particular. GOP Continues to Make Peace with Gays At their recent Washington "fly-in" for donors, Log Cabin Republicans coordinated a series of Capitol Hill briefings. Among the briefers, House International Relations chair Henry Hyde, National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Bill Frist, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Orrin Hatch and Rep. Kay Granger (Texas). A Louisiana lavender GOPer, who visited his state's Republican congressmen, says, "We are welcomed with open arms. The change over time is remarkable." Log Cabin stressed three issues in their visits: The AIDS crisis in Africa; a Hate Crimes bill sponsored by Hatch that differs from Sen. Ted Kennedy's bill; and the impact of federal death taxes on gay couples. AIDS czar Scott Evertz, in his new job for the past few weeks, says, "it feels like months." He says he's busy all day long, mostly in meetings, often with Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Evertz notes that Powell in particular is committed to working on the African AIDS problem, mentioning the issue in virtually all his speeches. Hastings Wyman publishes Southern Political Report, a nonpartisan biweekly political newsletter. He may be reached in care of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth or at HWymanSPR@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 5, May 18, 2001. |