In the wake of Senator Ashburn’s arrest last week, I found myself actually hoping for communication from the CRP. Those are the moments when leadership is needed, and the party needs a positive and unified message. But unfortunately, the CRP was deafeningly silent when the Senator was arrested.
So I called my friend, Charles Moran, who ran media for the California delegation at the RNC convention in 2008, to find out what the Log Cabin Republicans think about Senator Ashburn’s predicament. And as you will see below, there is a good reason why Charles is the national spokesperson for the Log Cabin Republicans…he is excellent at communicating on subjects that can be very difficult. I appreciate what he had to say.
JIll: Generally speaking, what was your reaction to the news regarding Senator Ashburn’s arrest for DUI, and the mention that he was driving from a gay bar?
Charles: The first reaction was one of concern of the safety of the pubic – drinking and driving is a grossly irresponsible and dangerous practice that claims too many innocent lives each year. The morning following his arrest, I received a note from a colleague in Sacramento alerting me that he was spotted coming from a gay bar, I soon knew that the issue of his sexual orientation would far eclipse any story about his DUI charge.
I’m not going to sugar-coat it: when an elected official who has a stated public policy position that contradicts the way he/she personally conducts his/her private life, it becomes an issue of concern to the public. And when you’re talking about sexual orientation, the tabloid sensationalism rises exponentially.
Senator Ashburn’s sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with the circumstances concerning his arrest – which is wholly different than the circumstances and allegations surrounding former NJ Governor Jim McGreevy, Senator Larry Craig or Congressman Mark Foley. Both Republicans and Democrats, the “sword cuts both ways.”
Jill: If Senator Ashburn were single and there were no issue of adultery, would the information about his sexual orientation be a big deal?
Charles: The real issue here is authenticity. We certainly saw it in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama – possibly the most under-qualified presidential candidate we’ve seen in decades – where the public is not making voting decisions based on party, platform/issues or the like. It’s about the image…the “sense of the man.” Any closeted politician – and trust me there are plenty more in Sacramento and Washington, DC – runs the risk of being inauthentic to his constituents and supporters if he’s not being his or her true self. Politics is still a pretty conservative environment, and even with all the advancements the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) community has fought for over the years, homosexuality is still perceived by some as liability. Politicians and party leaders are so concerned about their “public perception” that anything they can identify as being a detracting force will be quietly swept away, and thus causes the issue of inauthenticity in politics today.
Sexual Orientation is a very private matter and none of the leading LGBT advocacy organizations – Log Cabin Republicans included – support “outing”, or the forced revelation of sexual orientation. Senator Ashburn’s sexual orientation was revealed without his consent on a timeline that was not of his choosing – which is the most unfortunate way for information like this to be revealed. But Senator Ashburn showed great courage in taking responsibility for his actions and revealing his true sexual orientation to his family, colleagues in the Legislature and to his constituents. I would hope that this revelation would go far in re-establishing the level of trust between his constituents and himself, which is the ultimate measure for being a good public official.
Part II of this interview coming tomorrow….