LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Capital Letters |
by Hastings Wyman |
Roy Moore Follows in Infamous FootstepsAlabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who recently penned a virulently antigay opinion, appears to be taking lessons from two right-wing politiciansJesse Helms and George C. Wallace. Moore could have just gone along with other members of the state Supreme Court and ruled against a lesbian mother on procedural grounds. But like retiring U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) has often done in the Senate, Moore made a point of insulting gay people with a 45-page concurring opinion filled with an unnecessary verbal assault describing homosexuality as "immoral," "detestable," "abhorrent," etc. If Justice Moore's diatribe sounds more like a rabble-rousing stump speech than a judicial opinion, there's a reasonhe is widely assumed to be a candidate for governor. With the April 5 filing deadline fast approaching, it doesn't look like he will run this year. The betting is, however, that he will run in 2006 and be a very powerful candidate. Moore might even have additional ambitions. Like Helms, he has a nationwide network of support among social conservatives. When Moore was campaigning for chief justice of Alabama's top court, he raised funds from sympathizers across the countrynot typical in a race for a state judicial post. And Moore's official biography on the state Supreme Court's Web site lists his ties to such national antigay groups as the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Christian Broadcasting Network, and Dr. D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Hour, an Internet television program. Moore fits the mold of another right-wing Alabamian, George C. Wallace. Though Wallace was a Democrat, he and Moore share a strong social conservatism combined with disdain for business interests and the upper crust in general. Wallace, in the Southern populist tradition, attacked racial integration and raised taxes on corporations, ensuring his popularity among many low-income whites. Moore, living in a different age, promotes a different brand of social conservatism. As circuit judge, he posted the Ten Commandments in his court room, and after his election as chief justice, he had installedin the dark of nighta 2-ton granite monument to the commandments in the state Supreme Court building. But as a candidate of the little guy, he refused to accept campaign contributions from the Alabama Business Council. In 2000, when Moore entered the Republican primary for chief justice, the heir apparent and favorite of party regulars was Harold See, whose campaign consultant was an associate of Karl Rove, now President Bush's top political advisor. See was an incumbent justice and Moore merely a circuit judge. Moore, however, had gained fame for his religious courtroom posturing. Though See had the bigger campaign war chest and the support of most of the GOP establishment, when the Republican primary votes were counted, Moore won with 55 percent to 30 percent for See in a four-way primary. Moore went on to win the general election 55 percent to 45 percent. Since his election, Moore has maintained a high profile in what is usually a closet for political ambition. His 2-ton rock in the Supreme Court lobby kept him in the news for a while. And on at least one occasion, when he wanted to express his views publicly on a political issue not suitable for a judge to comment on, he took another page out of George Wallace's book: His wife, Kayla Moore, issued a statementshades of Lurleen Wallace. Alabamians are not uniformly supportive of extremism. Former Gov. Fob James (R) was not re-elected in 1998, primarily because the state's middle- and high-end voters were embarrassed by his statement that he would call out the national guardas Wallace did to stop racial integrationto allow prayer in the schools. The week following Moore's antigay opinion, the Alabama state senate's judiciary committee passed a bill adding sexual orientation to the state's hate-crimes law. The vote was narrow and partisansix Democrats voted yes, five Republicans voted no. Last year, the Alabama House passed a similar bill by 49 to 39. What will happen this year is unclear, but at least Moore faces some opposing views from Alabamians as he tries to ride to higher office on the backs on gay people. Campaign War Chests Offer Political Clues The end-of-year campaign finance reports suggest that the openly gay members of Congress are in good shape heading into this fall's elections. Some 11 openly gay challengers are running for Congress this yeara record high. Most are in long-shot races, however, and way behind in the money game. But several gay challengers are raising reasonable campaign war chests and bear watching. Among the gay incumbents, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) is the top money-raiser. In the last half of 2001, Baldwin raised $240,000, leaving her with some $347,000 cash on hand. Baldwin may or may not have a serious challenge on November 5; either way, she's prepared. In second place is Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who raised $145,000 and has $233,000 on hand. That's respectable, but modest enough to indicate that the foreign trade expert doesn't expect a major challenge this year. Kolbe's last close race was in 1998, when he squeaked by with 52 percent. In 2000, however, Kolbe finished 25 points ahead of his Democratic challenger. The same goes for Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who raised $36,000 in the past six months and has $104,000 on hand. Barney, who is the second ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, could raise plenty if he needed it. But he most likely doesn't: In the last election, he beat his Republican opponent 75 percent to 21 percent. Among the gay challengers, four-term state senator Susan Longley is running for the open seat in Maine's 2nd District. Longley, who has $77,000 cash on hand, will be competing in a field of seven in the June 11 Democratic primary. If she wins the primary, she'll have a shot in this toss-up district. And Hank Perrit (D) in Illinois' 10th Districtthe Chicago suburbs has $112,000 on hand. Perrit, a law school dean and an undersecretary of labor during the Ford administration, is running against freshman Mark Kirk (R), who won with only 51 percent last time, but has $694,000 on hand. Two gay candidates with significant political credentials have yet to raise serious money. In California, Gerrie Schipske (D), who lost by one percentage point in her congressional bid against moderate Republican Steve Horn in 2000, has yet to mount a serious campaign against conservative incumbent Dana Rohrabacher (R). Schipske has a mere $2,000 cash on handplus a debt of $40,000. Rohrabacher has $122,000. There's a similar picture in North Carolina's 8th District, where former state judge Ray Warren is one of four Democrats vying for the nomination against U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes (R). Warren dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, where his chances seemed slim, to enter the congressional contest. However, he raised only $6,000 in the last reporting period and has no funds on hand. HRC Endorses Gay Incumbents In February, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued its initial endorsements for the U.S. House of Representatives156 Democrats and 18 Republicans. HRC endorsed all three gay incumbentsTammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Jim Kolbe (R)but it did not endorse any of the 11 openly gay nonincumbent congressional candidates. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund has not endorsed any gay nonincumbents either. "Viability is a very important factor," says HRC spokesperson David Smith. Unfortunately, the prospects aren't great this year for electing more openly gay members of Congress. In California, for example, Gerrie Schipske (D) made a major congressional bid in 2000, but this year her chances were hurt when she was redistricted into a more Republican area; she is not on HRC's list. And in Illinois' 10th District, where freshman Mark Kirk (R) is favored for reelection, the HRC nod went to Kirk, not to his openly gay challenger, law school professor Hank Perritt (D). Additional endorsements will be made as the campaigns progress. Stay tuned. Republican Unity Coalition Nets Big Fish In the past several weeks, the Republican Unity Coalition (RUC), a group of gay GOPers and their allies, has landed two major catches and is moving forward on fundraising. RUC's latest addition is Paul Holm, a San Francisco Republican political consultant and former partner of Sept. 11 hero Mark Bingham. Holm will be RUC's national political strategist. His involvement follows RUC's announcement that former President Gerald Ford (R) is joining its advisory board. Holm, who will volunteer his time for RUC, once worked for President Reagan, as well as for former Senator Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.) His firm, The Paul Holm Group, has handled polling and public affairs for corporate and political clients. Bringing Ford on board came about after RUC head Charles Francis read lesbian columnist Deb Price's interview with the former president, in which he endorsed legislation banning antigay discrimination and supported social security benefits for gay couples. These stands prompted Francis to ask RUC's board chairman, former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), to recruit Ford for the board. Francis says Ford's joining RUC is "a major signal" both to gay and lesbian voters and to the Republican Party. In addition, it was a public relations coup, even making the pages of the Wall Street Journal, required reading for many GOPers. Incidentally, this is not Ford's first effort on behalf of gay concerns. Last fall, he came out publicly against antigay initiatives in three Michigan cities. RUC is also moving on the fundraising front. The group has already more than met the $100,000 matching grant contributed by former Congressman Michael Huffington (R-Calif.) toward RUC's $1 million goal. RUC will also be a part of a major fundraiser in Washington, D.C. this spring to benefit the Republican National Committee (RNC). The GOP's ayatollahs are also noticing the RUC. Gary Bauer, former presidential candidate and head of religious right group, American Values, recently attacked what he calls RINOs (Republicans in Name Only), citing "the pro-abortion, pro-gay rights forces" who plan to raise "an incredible amount of money." Richard Lessner of the socially conservative group American Renewal, attacked RUC for making "serious inroads in the White House and into the top levels" of the RNC. 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. 12, No. 02, March 8, 2002. |