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Brownback-ing Out

Sam Brownback calls it quits.

After disappointing poll numbers that showed him at one percent, lackluster fund-raising and failure to create any traction, anti-gay social conservative and Republican presidential candidate throws in the towel. Excellent analysis at Colorado Confidential:

Yet Brownback was sometimes described, along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, as standing one of the better chances to get the blessing of [James] Dobson—whose influence on the religious right has inspired high-office seekers to seek his blessing for more than 12 years.

For those who are keeping track, so far Dobson has so far eliminated Rudy Giuliani ("an unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand"), John McCain ("under no circumstances") and Fred Thompson ("Not for me, my brothers. Not for me!"). Newt Gingrich, who appeared to be a strong Dobson possibility, is out of the race.

Brownback will make the formal announcement tomorrow, the same day he was scheduled to join the other Republican candidates at the "Value Voters" summit in Washington sponsored by Christian right theocrats such Dobson's Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. "With Brownback out, Dobson has six Republicans left to pick from: Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, Mitt Romney, Alan Keyes, Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul."

Although he is one of the senate's more conservative members, the Kansas Republican has long shown moderation on racial issues and is one of the leading voices for American intervention in Darfur. The senator was also one of the five lower tier GOP candidates who participated in the recent PBS debate on issues related to the black community, saying it was a "disgrace" the top tier Republicans did not appear.

More San Brownback HERE.

Brownback Out, Dobson 6 to Choose From [CO Confidential]
Brownback Set to Drop Bid [CNN]

Some Background ...
Audience Boos Brownback [R20]
Brownback to Introduce Apology for Slavery [R20]
News: Hillary Internet Chats, Richardson, Brownback [R20]
News: Black Gay Evangelicals, Brownback [R20]
Anti-Gay Brownback Considers Presidential Bid [R20]
Giuliani to Speak at Anti-Gay "Values Voters" Summit [R20]
Republican Candidates Skip Black Voters Debate [R20]
Thompson, Leading GOP Candidates Refuse Debate [R20]
Thompson is "Right with God" But Not Churchgoer [R20]
This is the One Photo the Republican Party ... [R20]
News: UCC Slams Fundies [R20]
James Dobson: Just Say "No" to Giuliani [R20]
Focus on the Family Will Not Support Thompson [R20]

Brownback to Introduce Apology for Slavery and Segregation

At the same time the House debates a controversial proposal to officially recognize the Ottoman Empire's 1915 mass killing of Armenians as "genocide", one of the Republican presidential candidates "plans to offer a resolution this week for Congress to apologize for slavery and segregation."

Surprisingly, the proposal will come from Sen. Sam Brownback, the conservative Republican well-known for his opposition to gay rights, same-sex marriage and abortion. Brownback "told The Boston Globe's editorial board yesterday he will join an unnamed Democrat in sponsoring the proposal," which will not call for reparations.

"They were federal policies," he said. "They were wrong. The only way for us to move forward ... is at the end of day acknowledging those, taking ownership for it, and asking for forgiveness."

Brownback's resolution is a bold move to gain some traction. Although he is one of the senate's more conservative members, he has long moderation on racial issues and is one of the leading voices for American intervention in Darfur. The Kansas Republican was also one of the five lower tier GOP candidates who participated in the recent PBS debate on issues related to the black community, saying it was a "disgrace" the top tier Republicans did not appear. Brownback polls in the single digits and says he "will drop out of the race unless he places in the top four" in the Iowa caucuses.

Brownback Proposal Apologizing for Slavery [Globe]
Turkey Genocide Resolution [Bloomberg]

Did You Read? ...
Republican Candidates Skip Black Voters Debate [R20]
Thompson, Leading GOP Candidates Refuse Debate [R20]
Thompson is "Right with God" But Not Churchgoer [R20]
This is the One Photo the Republican Party ... [R20]

News: Hillary Internet Chats, Richardson, Brownback [R20]
News: Black Gay Evangelicals, Brownback [R20]
Anti-Gay Brownback Considers Presidential Bid [R20]
News: UCC Slams Fundies [R20]

Republican Candidates Skip Black Voters Debate to Raise Cash

The four leading front runners for the Republican presidential nomination—Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney and character actor Fred Thompson—are sharply criticized after their decision to ignore last night’s debate that focused on issues related to the black community.

Much of the outrage comes from members of their own party and the candidates who attended the debate. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he is "embarrassed" and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) described the no-shows as "disgrace."

Giuliani, Thompson and Romney were all at fund-raisers on Thursday night. Romney defended his choice to sit out the Morgan State forum to the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody: "You've got to raise the money, and you've got to do the grassroots work and getting on in the early primary states."

Not everyone on the right is whitewashing the decision by the Republican top tier. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls the decision "fundamentally wrong" and "baloney." The money quote is from former Rep. Jack Kemp: "We sound like we don’t want immigration; we sound like we don’t want black people to vote for us. What are we going to do—meet in a country club in the suburbs one day?"

Candidates Skip Debate [Think Progress]
Mitt Romney on the Tavis Smiley Debate [CBN]
GOP Leaders Choose Fundraisers [Huff Po]
Gingrich, Kemp: Republicans Can't Hide [AJC]

Did You Read? ...
Thompson, Leading GOP Candidates Refuse Debate [R20]
Thompson is "Right with God" But Not Churchgoer [R20]
This is the One Photo the Republican Party ... [R20]

Debate Audience Boos Brownback's Proposal to Ban Gay Marriage

At last night's Republican presidential debate, correspondent Carl Cameron asked a New Hampshire woman whether she wanted gay marriage banned. Her answer—“Absolutely not. We're the state of 'live free or die' and people should be able to marry the person they love"—received wide cheers from the audience.

Moderator Brit Hume asked the same question to third tier, social conservative candidate Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS). "The answer to that is yes. And the reason is, this is a foundational institution. It is a foundational institution," the candidate replied as the audience loudly booed. Video here.

New Hampshire recently passed legislation establishing civil unions and Gov. John Lynch (D) proudly noted his state has "a long and proud tradition taking the lead in opposing discrimination."

Brownback Booed at Debate [Think Progress]

GOP Prez Candidate Brownback: No "Choice" for Rape Victims

Remember Sen. Sam Brownback?

The Kansas Republican is mounting a long-shot bid for the White House and has made his opposition to abortion, gays and same-sex marriage the central platforms of his campaign. The Associated Press reports Brownback's recent address to the National Catholic Men's Conference where he questions if women who are victims of rape should be allowed a choice on abortion.

"Rape is terrible. Rape is awful. Is it made any better by killing an innocent child? Does it solve the problem for the woman that's been raped?" [Brownback] asked at the St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers gathering.

"We need to protect innocent life. Period," Brownback said, bringing the crowd of about 500 to its feet.

Bownback currently polls at less than one percent. Perhaps those were "the crowd of about 500" that he brought their feet.

Brownback Stands Firm Against Abortion [Miami Herald]
LA Times/Blomberg Poll [LA Times]

Some Background ...

News: Hillary Internet Chats, Richardson, Brownback [R20]
News: Black Gay Evangelicals, Brownback [R20]
Anti-Gay Brownback Considers Presidential Bid [R20]
News: UCC Slams Fundies [R20]

Decision '08: Hillary Internet Chats, Richardson, Brownback

· Just days after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's ground-breaking internet announcement that she will seek the presidency, our former first lady next president will once again use cyberspace to target audiences. Later tonight, Senator Clinton will begin a series of live, interactive discussions about the future of the country. The chats will begin at 7:00 PM EST, tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday night. You can begin submitting questions on her website at 5:00 PM EST and, hopefully, watch her answers.

Clinton's announcement dominated the weekend news and eclipsed two other presidential announcements...

· New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson formally announced that he is exploring a White House bid in 2008. The former congressman who also served as President Bill Clinton's energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations said the country has deteriorated under George Bush. "Our reputation in the world is diminished, our economy has languished, and civility and common decency in government has perished.” If elected, Richardson would be the nation's first Hispanic president.

· From the right, the very anti-gay Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) also threw his hat in the ring. His campaign themes will be "reviving faith and families in America; combating abortion, poverty and wasteful government spending; opposing same-sex marriage."

News: "Surge" Already Underway, Gay Sex Ed, Bow Wow & Omarion

· President Bush's speech is just moments away but new reports say the troop "surge" escalation has already begun. ABC News: "Ninety advance troops from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Baghdad today. An additional battalion of roughly 800 troops from the same division are expected to arrive in Baghdad Thursday.”

· Bush escalation will cost $6.8 billion.

· The thousands of troops that President Bush is ordering to Iraq "will join the fight largely without the protection of the latest armored vehicles that withstand bomb blasts far better than the Humvees in wide use, military officers said.”

· Republican White House hopefuls are for—and against—the escalation. Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani support the action, but, surprisingly, right-wing homophobe Sam Brownback (R-KS) opposes the policy. Naturally, John McCain (R--AZ) supports the escalation; after all, this is the "McCain Doctrine."

· The Montgomery County Board of Education (Maryland) approved new sex-education curricula for the 8th and 10th grades that teach what it means to be gay "but omitted five positive messages about homosexuality, including a note that gays can live happy lives."

· Speaking of being happy, carefree and gay, you'll be happy to learn that very! straight! Bow Wow and girlfriend-less Omarion are no longer feuding over "top" billing on the "Scream Tour." Bow Wow says it was a "big misunderstanding" and "we squashed it like men should do. I'm about to be 20 years old. O is 21. I'm a positive dude. I try my best to keep my head on straight."

News: Black Gay Evangelicals, Brownback Says GOP Should Include Gay Supporters

· Sam Brownback says there is room in the Republican party for gay supporters. Kind of. The presidential candidate and arch-conservative Kansas Republican says the GOP "is a big tent party and has been for a long period of time, particularly since Ronald Reagan talked about this being a party of different viewpoints," Brownback remarked. However, the senator noted that moderate Republicans will face an uphill battle against conservatives focused on social and religious issues.

· Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) remains "in critical condition" after successful surgery following a brain hemorrhage. Some concerns have been raised that the Democrats could lose their slight majority if Johnson becomes incapacitated. However, as stipulated by Senate rules, Johnson could retain his seat even if he is incapacitated, unable to vote, and not even able to show up to work.

· The New Republic profiles Rev. J.R. Finney II, the black and gay pastor of Covenant Community Church of Birmingham, Alabama. Covenant is the largest gay church in a state "where 78 percent of residents identify themselves as born-again Christians, [and] these churches are at the forefront of the gay rights movement."

Finney's message is slowly crossing over into the mainstream: "A local, predominantly black religious radio station invited Finney to speak about issues facing gay Christians for a live program. There was such a huge response that the station brought Finney back the next week."

· An update on ADAP, the federal- and state-funded AIDS Drug Assistance Programs which provide HIV/AIDS-related medications to the poor and under-insured. The recent reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act will provide more money to these programs. However, new data show hundreds of patients remain on waiting lists in at least three states—Alaska, Montana and South Carolina.

News: DADT, Far-Right Christians Not Interested in Poverty

· Ten of the nation's leading constitutional law experts have called to overturn the ban on gays in the military, filing a brief in the recent lawsuit brought by 12 veterans that challenges "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The academics argue the law denies “the freedom of mind that protects the individual from being compelled to affirm an identity, idea or belief that is not his own" and "there is no greater threat to First Amendment values than a law that skews political debate in this manner.”

· From "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to... "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." CBS4 in Denver finds recruiters are ignoring the policy on gays to meet recruitment goals.

· The United Church of Christ has formally accepted a predominantly gay Dallas mega-church into its fold—the 4,300-member Cathedral of Hope, now the fourth largest congregation in the denomination. The church decided to affiliate with the UCC after the denomination endorsed gay marriage last year.

· A change of heart from Sen. Sam Brownback? The notoriously anti-gay Kansas Republican senator says he may stop blocking a judicial nominee over concerns that her appearance at a lesbian commitment ceremony betrayed her legal views on same-sex marriage.

· The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America has stepped down before his term began. The New York Times reports Rev. Joel Hunter says the group resisted his efforts to broaden its agenda beyond gays and abortion "to include reducing poverty and fighting global warming. When we really got down to it, they said: ‘This just isn’t for us. It won’t speak to our base, so we just can’t go there.’”

Anti-Gay Sen. Brownback Considers Presidential Bid

Noted arch-conservative and anti-gay Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) says the Republican Party has room for a "full-scale Ronald Reagan conservative" and pledged to make a final decision next month for a White House bid in 2008.

Brownback was elected in 1996 and is a strong foe of abortion, same-sex marriage and embryonic stem-cell research. This fall, he blocked a Michigan judge's elevation to the federal bench because she attended a family friend's lesbian commitment ceremony in Massachusetts in 2002, before same-sex marriage was legal there.

Brownback is probably best known for his comments in a Rolling Stone profile when he criticized countries like Sweden that allow same-sex civil unions. "You'll know them by their fruits," Brownback said, claiming he was quoting the Bible and meant no offense to gays.

Brownback says his ideals and policy positions will trump low name recognition among a better-known field of GOP presidential candidates. Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have set up presidential exploratory committees. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) are weighing bids as well.

Kansas' Brownback Considers Prez Bid (MSNBC)

More Republican Presidential Politics:

Giuliani's In (Rod 2.0) McCain Flip Flops on Roe v Wade (Rod 2.0) Let's Meet the New Chairman of the Republican National Committee (Rod 2.0) Breaking: Ken Mehlman is Out (Rod 2.0) Bill Maher Outs Ken Mehlman on Larry King (Rod 2.0) Repub Party Accepts Money from Gay Porn (Rod 2.0) Mr. Mehlman, You've Given So Many Confusing Answers About Your Sexuality" (Rod 2.0) Parody of the Racist Bimbo Ad (Rod 2.0) Repub Party Accepts Money from Gay Porn (Rod 2.0) How Low Will They Go? (Rod 2.0) Repubs Obsessed with Gays and Sex (Rod 2.0) How Low Will They Go? (Rod 2.0)