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Gay Bush Supporters Divided Over McCain, Some Support Obama

Remember the "Austin 12", the dozen well-known gay Republicans who famously met with and lobbied George W. Bush during the 2000 campaign to be more LGBT-inclusive? That was looooong ago when W. was still promising to be a "compassionate conservative." The Washington Blade interviews the 12 conservative homos, and, surprise, they are "not exactly rallying around John McCain." Several are openly supporting Barack Obama.

"In all, three said they either would vote for Obama or are seriously considering it; three are undecided between McCain and Obama; three are backing McCain and three others declined to comment." That means only 25 percent are publicly supporting the party's presumptive nominee. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. The reasons should be obvious.

During the meeting, the “Austin 12” urged Bush to appoint open gays to federal offices, include an openly gay speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention and maintain President Clinton’s executive order banning discrimination against gays in the federal workforce. Bush complied with each of those requests during his presidency.

But Bush’s record, most notably his endorsement of the Federal Marriage Amendment, has soured some members of the “Austin 12” so much that they refuse to support the Republican Party’s presidential choice, even though McCain voted against the FMA in the U.S. Senate.

David Catania, an at-large City Council member for the District of Columbia, has sober words for the capital gains tax cut-loving homos in the Log Cabin Republicans. "I wouldn’t give supporting [McCain] a second thought. ... I think gays are kind of kidding themselves if they think John McCain is going to be any better for the gay community than George Bush.

‘Austin 12’ divided over McCain [Wash Blade]

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"Only Good Reporters" Sit Next to McCain on New Campaign Plane

Leading the cable news broadcasts and the Washington Post ...  breathless coverage of John McCain's new "Straight Talk Express" campaign airplane. The new Boeing 737 "features a special area" outfitted with "a couch and two captain’s chairs" where the presumptive Republican nominee "will conduct group interviews with the press." Via Think Progress is news that reporters must "earn" the right to hobnob with McCain in the "special area."

Top McCain aide Mark Salter said " 'only the good reporters' would get to sit in the specially-configured section for interviews. ‘You’ll have to earn it,’ he said." So how can these reporters "earn" a seat? Never challenge the Senator, as McCain biographer Matt Welch explained in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times:

[McCain is] very open to people. You can come on the bus, everything is great but if he knows or if his team knows that you have a hostile line of questioning or you have a long and well documented critique, they’re not going to talk to you.

Just weeks ago, it seemed the press was tripping over themselves to get invited to "legendary grill man"  John McCain's barbecue to taste his "slow cooked baby back ribs." Now, they're tempted with extra leg room and a "captain's chair" on the "Straight Talk Express" if they ask "good" questions.

McCain Supports California and Arizona Marriage Bans

Happy Gay Pride from John McCain!

In a move that wasn't entirely unexpected, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain endorsed Thursday the controversial California Marriage Protection Act initiative expected to go before the state's voters this November.

"I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona," McCain said in a message widely distributed via PRNewswire. "I do not believe judges should be making these decisions."

McCain also supports recent attempts by the Arizona legislature to offer an anti-gay marriage amendment to voters in the fall. That proposal was narrowly rejected this week and could be re-voted over the weekend.

Meanwhile, CNN confirms the presumptive Republican presidential nominee had an off-the-record meeting with Log Cabin Republicans, the gay Republican group, presumably to wish them a happy gay pride. Still no announcement of the meeting on the virtual Log Cabinette  ... nor any mention of McCain's support for the proposed California and Arizona marriage bans. Happy pride!

McCain endorses CA Marriage Protection Act [Politicker]
McCain reaches out to gay Republican group [CNN]

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McCain's Secret and Off-the-Record Meeting with Log Cabin Republicans

In early June, capital gains tax cut loving homos at the Log Cabin Republicans began attacking the Human Rights Campaign for an exhaustive report that documents the John McCain's long history opposing the gays. The gay Republicans defended McCain's anti-gay record and promised McCain "has had an open door to us at Log Cabin." Apparently the "open door" is an, err, back door because word has just emerged McCain secretly met with the gay Republicans.

Bruce at Gay Patriot has the exclusive.

Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain held a personal meeting with the head of the national gay Republicans organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.   Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon confirmed his meeting with Senator McCain earlier today.

A source with close ties to the Log Cabin Board of Directors provided information about the meeting to GayPatriot earlier this week.  This source disclosed that the Log Cabin meeting was not reflected on Senator McCain’s published schedule in advance and the meeting.  A second source familiar with the Log Cabin-McCain meeting reports that Senator McCain has routine personal meetings that are not shown on the Senator’s public schedule.

Patrick Sammon tells GayPatriot the Log Cabinettes "expect to have more conversations with the campaign as we head toward November."

If McCain was "proud to receive" the pink thumbs up from the Log Cabinettes, he should just as proud to meet with them again. Unfortunately, the gay Republicans have yet to officially announce their conversation and the LCR blog makes no mention of the clandestine event. Meanwhile, the Arizona Republican is preoccupied securing his nomination, pandering to the social conservatives, and, does not wish to publicize his back door diplomacy with the gays. But most offensive is the fact that it's gay pride week and the Log Cabin Republicans refuse to announce their meeting with the Republican presidential candidate. There is no pride in that whatsoever.

McCain Meets with Log Cabin Republicans [Gay Patriot]

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McCain AWOL From Senate

Via Think Progress.  Republican presidential heir apparent John McCain is now the "most absent member of the Senate."

According to the Washington Post’s votes database, McCain has "missed 367 votes (61.4%) during the current Congress." In fact, CQ reports today that McCain hasn’t voted in the Senate since April 8. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) last voted on June 4.

Your tax dollars at work.

Strategist "Deeply Regrets" Saying Terrorist Attack Would Help McCain

The top political strategist to Sen. John McCain apologizes after saying a terrorist attack on United States soil would be "a big advantage" for the Republican presidential candidate. CNN

Charlie Black, a senior adviser to McCain, said he "deeply regrets" his comments to Fortune magazine.

"They were inappropriate," Black told reporters at a fund-raising event in California. "I recognize that John McCain has devoted his entire life to protecting his country."

On Monday, McCain distanced himself from the offensive comments and says he "strenuously" disagrees with Black's horrifying wish and says he "cannot imagine" why they were made. "It's not true," McCain said. "I've worked tirelessly since 9/11 to prevent another attack on the United States of America. My record is very clear."

Speaking of McCain's "record" ...Think Progress reports McCain "himself has made similar assertions in the past."

"In 2004, just three days before the presidential election, McCain argued that a recently-released video-tape by Osama bin Laden would prove 'very helpful to President Bush':  ... 'I think it’s very helpful to President Bush,' said McCain, while stumping in Stamford for U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. 'It focuses America’s attention on the war on terrorism. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I think it does have an effect.' "

Adviser sorry he said attack would help McCain [CNN]
FLASHBACK: McCain Declared Osama Bin Laden Threats Are ‘Very Helpful’ To Bush’s Campaign [TP]

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McCain Strategist: Another Terror Attack "A Big Advantage" to McCain

Charlie Black, the chief strategist with the John McCain campaign, is the subject of a remarkable interview at Fortune. The lobbyist-strategist tells the business publication the shocking assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto "helped"  McCain campaign and another terrorist attack on American soil would be "a big advantage to him."

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an “unfortunate event,” says Black. “But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who’s ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.” As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,” says Black.

Via Think Progress is McCain's response delivered moments ago in Fresno, CA. McCain offer a qualified rejection his adviser's bizarre wish for a terror attack and says, "If he said that, and I do not know the context, I strenuously disagree." Watch it:

In May, the presumptive Republican nominee told reporters the United States invaded Iraq for oil.

The evolution of John McCain [Fortune]
McCain rejects adviser’s claim  [Think Progress]

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NV Poll: McCain 44%, Obama 42%

New poll conducted by Mason-Dixon for the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows a closely contested presidential race in Nevada. 44 percent would vote for John McCain, 42 percent for Barack Obama and "14 percent of likely voters remain undecided."

The cross-tabs are interesting. Obama narrowly leads among Hispanics "with 53 percent, but nearly one-fifth are undecided and McCain still draws 28 percent." Obama leads with women, 47 percent to 39 percent, but a "significant" number remain undecided.  Corroborating recent polls conducted in key swing states is more news that should be troubling for the Democratic Party. "15 percent of Democrats saying they'll vote for McCain and another 14 percent undecided, that's 29 percent of his own party not currently supporting Obama."

Hillary Clinton won the Nevada caucus and some 60 percent of the Hispanic vote. As we've several times before, the Nevada and New Mexico vote, and, to a smaller extent California, will be decided by Hispanics and women. Obama will undoubtedly win a majority of female and Hispanic voters in the southwest. It's the margin that will make a difference.

COMMENTS only on this poll or the general election in Nevada. NO rehashing of the primary.

McCain Highlights Opposition to California Gay Marriage Ruling

'Tis the season to pander to religious voters. At the same time the Barack Obama campaign announces its outreach to young evangelicals and Catholics, Michael Luo at The New York Times reports John McCain is mending fences with evangelical voters. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is  "ramping up its outreach to evangelicals" to counteract their "continued wariness toward him", especially after his high-profile breach with anti-gay evangelical and Christian Zionist Rev. John Hagee.

The campaign has been peppering over 600 socially conservative grass-roots and national leaders with regular e-mail messages—highlighting, for example, Mr. McCain’s statement criticizing a May 15 decision by the California Supreme Court overturning the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, or his recent speech on his judicial philosophy. It has also held briefings for small groups of conservative leaders before key speeches .

So far, the outreach has been described as  a "quiet courting" so as not to turn off Independents and potential crossover Democrats. This is a contrast to Obama's much-publicized faith outreach.

James C. Dobson, the influential founder of the anti-gay evangelical group Focus on the Family, previously announced he would not vote for McCain but recently "softened his stance and said he would vote but has remained critical of Mr. McCain."

McCain Extends Outreach, but Evangelicals Still Wary [NYT]

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Gallup Daily: Obama +7

Barack Obama leads a 48% to 41% lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking presidential election trial heat. According to the numbers, seen above, Obama enjoys a modest bump in the "last three individual days of tracking since Hillary Clinton officially suspended her candidacy and publicly endorsed Obama for president on Saturday."

The seven percentage point advantage is Obama's largest to date since Gallup began tracking the general election in March." The MOE is plus or minus 2 points.

How to interpret the results? It depends upon who you support and/or which metrics you employ. Democrats will point to McCain's three months as the presumptive nominee and say he has failed to make a significant lead and has squandered his head start They will also say Obama is trending higher as the party consolidates around a nominee and will enjoy more of an uptick. On the other hand, Republicans will argue that given Bush's high negatives, unemployment, gas prices and the faltering economy, the Democrat should have a much higher lead, perhaps as many as ten or more points, and Obama's five points outside the MOE is not very impressive. Republicans also note Obama is only outpolling McCain after Clinton suspended her campaign, and, Clinton consistently ran ahead of McCain for months. Choose your poison. Mine is somewhere between the two camps.