June 09, 2014 10:37 AM UTC

Log Cabin Republicans' Tasteless War On Jared Polis Continues

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Post's Lynn Bartels keeps the non-AM radio, non-print news world up to date on the Log Cabin Republicans, "the nation’s original and largest organization representing gay conservatives and allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality," and their ongoing campaign attacking Rep. Jared Polis over his support for ballot measures to enhance local control over oil and gas drilling:

The Log Cabin Republicans are back with another attack on Rep. Jared Polis, this time using his background in internet floral delivery to ding the Boulder Democrat over his support for ballot measures that critics say would cripple Colorado’s oil-and-gas industry.

The national conservative group took out a full-page ad in Monday’s Denver Post that featured a bouquet of roses with a card that read, “Dear Colorado: Sorry about the lost jobs, the good news is your energy costs will be higher. Best, Jared.”

The role of the principal LGBT Republican organization in attacking Rep. Polis over these ballot measures invites obvious questions about how this fits with the organization's stated mission:

Some have questioned why the group is targeting Polis, the first openly gay man elected to Congress, but Angelo said the issue is not sexual orientation but sound business policy. [Pols emphasis]

So folks, you're free to accept at face value that the nation's principal Republican LGBT advocacy group is not launching cheeky paid media attacks on the first openly gay man elected to Congress, on an issue totally unrelated to their mission, because Polis is gay. But there's simply no other reason for them to be attacking Polis than the fact that he is gay, and everyone knows it. It's more than stupid for the Log Cabin Republicans to deny it, it's an insult to the intelligence of everyone who hears them deny it. Of course they are attacking Polis because they are gay, and because Polis is gay, and because in a conservative media strategy roundtable meeting, this offensive tokenism made some kind of misguided groupthink sense. At best, this campaign against Polis is a distraction from the Log Cabin Republicans' stated mission, and at worst, it makes a mockery of their mission.

If we had ever given a dime to the Log Cabin Republicans, we'd be on the phone, and we wouldn't be happy.