Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 13:31:59 -0500 X-Sender: kevyn@pop.ksu.ksu.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 To: Kansas Queer News From: kevyn@KSUVM.KSU.EDU (Kevyn Jacobs) Subject: (DOLE) UDK Editorial: Bob has sold his soul Sender: owner-kqn%vector.casti.com@KSUVM.KSU.EDU Precedence: bulk FROM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS - LAWRENCE SEPTEMBER 1, 1995 =================================== CHRIS HAMPTON STAFF COLUMNIST Dole rebuffs support from gay rights organization Bob Dole has sold his soul. Why am I not surprised? This summer the Republican presidential campaign front-runner became the first member of his party to accept a campaign contribution from a national gay group when he took a $1,000 donation from the Log Cabin Republicans. The group is an organization made up of more than 10,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people who have deluded themselves into registering as Republicans. That makes about as much sense as an African American trying to join the Ku Klux Klan. Dole backpedaled madly last week. His campaign paid the money back to Log Cabin as soon as a syndicated columnist informed them that she intended to write about the gift. Hanging on to their money after it became public would have made Dole look bad in front of the radical religious right that has taken over the Republican party. Last Friday, the Dole campaign's press secretary issued the following statement about the Log Cabin contribution: "Our policy is to decline contributions from political groups that have an agenda that is in opposition to Senator Dole's positions on the issues ... If we had been aware of this particular contribution in advance, it would not have been accepted, and it will be refunded." Rich Tafel, Log Cabin executive director, confirmed that the Dole campaign cashed the check in June and said that he was upset about the rejection. Dole's people invited Tafel to attend a $1,000-a-person campaign fundraiser in Washington, D.C. two months ago, Tafel said. Tafel said that, sporting a Log Cabin Republicans name tag, he spoke extensively with Dole at the fundraiser. The Dole campaign's statement on returning contributions only counts when the money comes from queer folks. Dole had received more than $21,000 in contributions from Time Warner Inc. since 1987, but he refuses to return these contributions in spite of his diatribes against entertainment giants for debasing America. Without a doubt, his decision to return the Log Cabin's contribution is tied to the Iowa straw poll held August l9, in which he unexpectedly tied with Phil Gramm. Gramm partially credits his strong showing in Iowa to a get-out-the-vote letter about how the "radical homosexual community" is a threat to "our children." Gramm's surprise success evidently has scared Dole straight, so to speak. Surely Bob Dole and his fellow Republican presidential candidates haven't forgotten how the radical right bigotry of the 1992 campaign derailed a once-popular George Bush's re-election effort. Nonetheless, Dole--who last spring had enough guts to say he thought employment discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals was wrong--is quickly learning to spout tired "special rights" rhetoric like a good little good ol' boy. I guess we all know what Dole is now. All that's left to do is quibble over the price. Chrls Hampton Is a Lawrence graduate student in hleher educatlon.