Buerkle Meets the Gays

Update: Homophobe KSE heatedly commented here that gay conservative Republican group, Log Cabin Republicans, was not a sponsor for this fundraising event for Buerkle. Blueskygirl's blog post made him blister.

Beep beep ... last minute scramble! Apparently Buerkle was able to get the Auburn blog, auburnpub.com, to print a retraction on the day of the event, Feb. 9. She correctly anticipated having a tough go of it with phobe phans.

Blueskygirl begs to differ as she continues to find evidence on February 27 to the contrary. Also, Blueskygirl doesn't buy that syr.com fabricated the quotes in its article from Mr. Berle. Dear commenter: u mad.


Update: Blueskygirl posted a slightly different version of this post on Daily Kos and has received some terrific comments there. Thanks everyone!
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The original article:

Teapartiers, do your know where your US Representative Ann Marie Buerkle, NY 25, is?

Buerkle will be honored tonight in Washington by Log Cabin Republicans for her conservative agenda. Log Cabin Republicans share many values with moderates and progressives. In this case they are, if nothing else, utilitarian, and Blueskygirl thinks they are caught in an awkward position. 

Buerkle personally gets super high points for cynicism on this one.

Buerkle's history on gay issues is anything but stellar. Please read Blueskygirl's article from last year about Buerkle's very short tenure on the Syracuse Common Council eighteen years ago.

From the article earlier this week in syr.com: 

[Christian] Berle [Deputy ED of Log Cabin Republicans] said he understands that Buerkle is a "strong social conservative" but added, "We, of course, look to engage with legislators at every opportunity to discuss our agenda. We have met with members of Congress who have done a complete 180 on gay rights issues." 

Good luck with Buerkle, Mr Berle. How we in Syracuse would love to see a shift.

But folks, don't be offended if she wears surgical gloves tonight. Her belief system is pretty fixed.

See syr.com's article from February 7, reprinted at bottom of this page, for more details.

Side note, of interest: The LCR event tonight is sponsored by One Nation PAC. Its website has almost no content. It actually did endorse Nevada's racist losing Senate candidate Sharron Angle and our own Adirondacker Doug Hoffman in 2010. No new news since then. Languishing, waiting for just that right moment to endorse more nonsense Tea Partiers in the coming election, no doubt. One Nation PAC's mission statement:

One Nation PAC is a conservative political action committee dedicated to limited government, economic prosperity, and traditional values.  We fight for lower taxes, strong national defense, the 2nd Amendment, common sense healthcare, superior education, and right to life.

syr.com article from February 7, 2010 announcing Log Cabin Republicans' honoring of Ann Marie Buerkle tonight, Thursday, February 9, 2012:

Republican gay rights advocates to honor U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle

Published: Tuesday, February 07, 2012 Mark Weiner

Washington -- As an unwavering conservative, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle has never supported same-sex marriage or other equality initiatives proposed by the gay community. But that won't stop Washington, D.C.'s largest gay Republican group from honoring her on Thursday.

The Log Cabin Republicans, the only national GOP organization dedicated to representing the interests of gays and lesbians, will honor Buerkle and three other House Republicans at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

The fundraising reception hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans and One Nation PAC will include a keynote speech by former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich and special guest Grover Norquist, the anti-tax crusader.

Christian Berle, the deputy executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said in an interview that he is aware that Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, is not a supporter on gay rights issues.

"We're recognizing members of Congress for their positions on fiscal issues, and she has been a hawk on the Balanced Budget Amendment and fiscal matters," Berle said of Thursday's event. "We find ourselves working with many different organizations on fiscal matters."

Berle said he understands that Buerkle is a "strong social conservative" but added, "We, of course, look to engage with legislators at every opportunity to discuss our agenda. We have met with members of Congress who have done a complete 180 on gay rights issues."

The Log Cabin Republicans prominently feature a photo on their Web site of U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, Buerkle's neighbor in the 24th Congressional District. Hanna, a supporter of gay rights issues, is featured as one of the "Republican Champions of Liberty."

Tickets to the fundraising event, billed as a "Scotch and Cigars" reception range from $20 to $1,000 per person.