From: “Mary Zicari”
Subject: Lieberman Endorsement

Thank you for sharing your questions and concerns regarding HRC’s endorsement of Senator Joe Lieberman. Here is additional information on our decision to endorse Senator Lieberman.

Connecticut Senate Race

HRC PAC Endorses Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman for 2006 Re-Election

The Human Rights Campaign Political Action Committee (PAC) has endorsed Senator Joe Lieberman because of his strong support of equality and demonstrated leadership on issues of importance to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

What factors does HRC weigh in making endorsement decisions?

HRC’s PAC makes an endorsement only after in-depth analysis of candidates’ support for GLBT equality, leadership on equality issues and viability. HRC favors incumbent members with positive records on GLBT issues.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. HRC focuses exclusively on issues that affect the GLBT community and issues related to HIV/AIDS. HRC looks at the totality of each candidate’s stands on GLBT and AIDS issues, such as employment fairness, hate crime prevention, relationship recognition, fairness for our families, open service in the military, etc.

Where does Joe Lieberman stand on GLBT issues?

Senator Lieberman has stood for fairness for the GLBT community through his public service, beginning with his early advocacy for workplace protections based on sexual orientation in the mid-1970s. In his time in the U.S. Senate, Lieberman has:

voted and spoken out against the Federal Marriage Amendment on the Senate floor in both 2004 and 2006;
been one of the lead cosponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act since its introduction. He has continuously spoken out in favor of this bill, has voted for it, and has worked to secure cosponsors from his Senate colleagues;
spoken out and worked with HRC to shed light on the issue of Bush appointee Scott Bloch’s unilateral roll-back of protections for federal workers based on sexual orientation. He brought up Bloch’s actions in the Government Affairs Committee, on which he is the ranking member;
adopted a non-discrimination policy that says his office will not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression;
supported in the past, and this year is the lead sponsor of a bill to provide domestic partnership healthcare benefits and other benefits for 1.4 million federal employees;
voted for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act several times, and continues to support a sexual orientation and gender identity and expression-inclusive version;
worked with HRC and civil rights allies to ensure that faith-based initiatives do not undermine state protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression;
supported all benefits of marriage through civil unions, including support of Connecticut’s extensive civil union coverage;
said he believes federal benefits should apply to Massachusetts marriages;
supported HRC’s position on adoption, saying “I believe that judicial authorities should be able to make adoption decisions solely on the basis of the child’s best interests and that sexual orientation should not be a bar to adoption”;
voted against the codification of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. military that bans open service of gay persons;
supported increased funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, the massive block grant funding program for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care;
cosponsored the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which would allow low-income persons to access anti-viral drugs as soon as they test positive for HIV;
voted with HRC on needle exchange programs, a science-based, proven HIV prevention measure;
voted with HRC on numerous Boy Scouts-related issues, standing each time for fairness; and
been pro-choice and was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America for re-election in 2006.

Did Lieberman make anti-gay statements?

Some blogs have incorrectly reported that Senator Lieberman made negative comments about the morality of homosexuality. Lieberman did not make such statements, and they were not reported in any newspaper.

Mary Zicari
PAC Fellow
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
mary.zicari@hrc.org | http://www.hrc.org

Help fight the discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment: http://www.hrc.org/voteno

—–Original Message—–
From: Me
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:51 PM
To: hrc
Subject: Joe Lieberman?

Is this true?
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..t-support/

You endorsed that repugnican in “liberal” clothing? I can only think that your “reasoning” was that, gosh, he’s a democrat. What in the world was your reasoning?

Why not endorse W? Or Dick and his dizzy daughter? Sure. She’s gay, she’s gotta be OK! Joe’s a Dem! Gotta be good, eh?

Of course there was one famous gay man with AIDS who died some time ago. And for some reason, I can’t seem to bring a tear to my eye for him. For so many others that have died that tore my heart to shreds, somehow knowing that Roy Cohn was a “homosexual” who died of AIDS elicits little but the most minimal sympathy.

I don’t have much faith in organizations that endorse individuals who have represented nothing but the same vile, vindictive platitudes as the majority of the repugnican party has.

Please, get out to where ever you are shopping these days and purchase a grip. Your organization certainly does not represent me.

George

I am disappointed that Senator Lieberman has refused to rule out leaving the Democratic Party to run for re-election as an Independent.

I plan to support the winner of the Democratic primary for Senate in August because I believe that Democrats need to stand together in November. All Democrats, both inside and outside the Beltway, must do the same. We can’t afford to divide ourselves — too much is at stake.

I hope you will join DFA, Ned Lamont, and thousands of other grassroots Democrats by pledging to fully support the winner of the Democratic primary on August 8th.

Respectfully,
Jim

Jim Dean
Chair, Democracy for America

Help us find out when Lieberman has filed by calling the Secretary of State’s office. The Legislation and Elections Administration Division contact info is phone: 860-509-6100. EMail: lead@po.state.ct.us .

you can email: info@dscc.org,
Put Att: Schumer.

Say you are not giving one more dime until they make it clear they will back ONLY Democrats this upcoming election.

And that they better come out and say they will back whichever candidate wins the August Primary in CT. They are making calls right now for funds! Be ready !

I don’t think that this is really good for the Democrats, not in the long run. Even now, they can only hope for Republicans to lose, rather than for Democrats to win. Simply put, anger buttressed by a rear-gaurd politicking does not an agenda make.

just called schumer’s office which wouldn’t discuss the matter and referred me to the dscc who i then called. they won’t take a position and are claiming lieberman is still running as a democrat and it’s all speculation at this point. i asked how this is even an issue given the roll of the dscc to elect democrats to the senate. he said the senator was still undecided on the matter and thanked me for calling. i replied that even being undecided was outrageous and i’d be witholding money until he supported the democratic winner.

i then called back schumer’s office and told the previous staffer who wouldn’t discuss campaign matters that schumer’s answer on this matter transcended electoral issues and called his loyalty to the party into question. i finished by telling her i am a strong schumer supporter from brooklyn and would hate to see this blow up in his face which is what going to happen here if he doesn’t get on the right side of this.

If there’s a three-way race for the CT senate seat in November, it would be terrible to lose this seat currently held by a Democrat to a Republican. But as I’ve thought since the 2004 election, Republican-leaning Democrats like Lieberman need to be challenged and given notice by progressives, even if means losing an election to the Republicans. There need to be consequences for people like Holy Joe. In this example, not only does he lose the election, but he coughs up the seat to the other party.