May 21, 2014 03:43 PM UTC

Log Cabin Republican Tokenism Gets Kind Of Gross

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• by: Colorado Pols

​We ignored the first round of this–but as the Denver Post's Lynn Bartels reports, the Log Cabin Republicans, which bills itself as "the nation’s original and largest organization representing gay conservatives and allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality," is once again attacking Rep. Jared Polis for his support of Colorado ballot measures to increase local control over oil and gas drilling:

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis is lampooned and lambasted in a new radio ad from Log Cabin Republicans that welcomes listeners to “Lifestyles of the Rich and Out of Touch.”

A narrator imitates TV host Robin Leach in ripping the Boulder Democrat, a key player in controversial oil-and-gas, local control and fracking ballot measures…

It’s the third attack from Log Cabin Republicans attacking Polis on the ballot measures. The latest plays off the TV show that first aired in the 1980s.

Certainly, the Log Cabin Republicans are entitled to spend their money any legal way they wish. But we did some checking on LCR's website, and we can't find any instance of this group singling out anyone, Republican or Democrat, for attacks on oil and gas issues. Looking back through LCR's press releases for the last several years, the attack on Polis over these local control ballot measures seems oddly out of place from the rest of the organization's stated agenda–which, as you can read above, focuses on LGBT civil rights and equality.

And then were remembered something obvious: Rep. Jared Polis is a gay man.

In these attacks over oil and gas drilling, it appears the Log Cabin Republicans are taking part only because Rep. Jared Polis is gay. Without a doubt, the Log Cabin Republicans won't be the only group attacking Polis should any of these measures reach the ballot, but Polis' sexuality is the only connection to the Log Cabin Republicans that makes sense. Whether the Log Cabin Republicans came up with the idea to attack Polis on their own, or were asked to attack Polis by straight Republicans is irrelevant: it's an unseemly abuse of the Log Cabin Republican brand. At the very best, it looks shallow and catty, and at worst this is the kind of rank tokenism that should give even the most insensitive conservative pause.

No doubt for a moment, this seemed terribly clever, but then you realize it's not. Not even a little bit.