Mayor Gray, Pick Any Analogy

Drip, drip, drip.  Death by a thousand needles.  There are many others, I’m sure.  WaPo just came out with this little tidbit.

Mayor Gray’s 2010 campaign used information of thousands of city public housing residents, sources say

The Washington Post reports, “the data was used to target residents in get-out-the-vote efforts in the last week of the election, the sources said. The use of such information could violate a variety of laws and regulations, according to experts.”
It’s time to give it up, Mr. Gray.  Leave now, with what little dignity you have left.

March Madness Coming to DC

WaPo is reporting that the Verizon Center will host the East Regional of the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.  This will be the sixth time the Verizon Center has hosted men’s tournament games.  Georgetown will act as the host school.  The Final four will be held in Hot-lanta.

OP-ED: City needs Tim Day on Council

by Robert Turner & Mike Hubbard

More than a century and a half ago, Ivan Turgenev explained that individuals tended to be either Hamlet or Don Quixote. A Hamlet, for all his intelligence, is too stuck on himself to do much good in the world. Even if there were threatening giants, Hamlet is too glibly ironic to fight them. At the other extreme is Don Quixote. As opposed to the self-centered Hamlet, Quixote selflessly throws himself into battle, even if he’s only tilting at windmills. In all the best senses of the character, Tim Day is a Quixote, and we are honored to endorse him for D.C. Council.

Every nonconformist is said to march to the beat of a different drummer, but Day will see your nonconformity and raise you two more. A Republican in a Democratic town, gay and black in the party known for being straight and white, an accountant in a land of lawyers and lobbyists—he has worn out enough drummers that he deserves his own marching band.

When he first ran for the Council in 2010, most people told him that it was quixotic.  Who could take down Harry Thomas Jr., son of three-term Council member Harry Thomas Sr., and who had outraised all his challengers 10 to one? But Day was used to thankless tasks. As an accountant, Day knew that Thomas had liabilities. Further, Day had the two greatest assets one can have: the truth and the courage to tell it when it was unpopular. Despite getting trash literally thrown at him and having to clean up vandalism done to his home, Day stood his ground. He patiently laid out the case that his opponent was a crook, but Harry Thomas Jr. comfortably won the election.

Plenty of people would have been content to go back to daily life after such a defeat. But Day continued to raise questions about Harry Thomas’s earmarks for his nonprofit, Team Thomas, which seemed to be a slush fund. The accountant was right: upon federal investigation (which might never have happened but for Tim Day’s persistence), it turns out the Harry Thomas Jr. was using city funds not to help poor children play sports but to buy himself an Audi, among other toys.

Now that Harry Thomas Jr. has resigned in disgrace, pled guilty to felonies, and is trying to wrangle a nicer prison cell, it is clear that Tim Day, once mocked for tilting at windmills, has actually killed a giant.

In a divided field, Day stands out for his command of the issues. The Washington Post, which would not normally notice if a Democrat grew fangs and started sucking blood out of taxpayers, looked at the field and endorsed Day. The Victory Fund has put its support behind him as well with an endorsement.

We at Log Cabin Republicans are proud of Tim Day not simply because he’s a member of our chapter, but because he’s a good man. We could use an accountant on the

Council. He’d be at once an asset to the taxpayers of D.C. and a liability to Kwame “Fully Loaded” Brown and the other denizens of the Wilson Building — an unassisted double play. Don Quixote may kill another giant if he wins in Ward Five. We heartily endorse Tim Day.

Jay Carney’s Worse Day on the Job

There’s been much belly-aching since Vice President Joe Biden said he supported marriage equality on Meet the Press Sunday.  WaPo sums up today’s White House briefing with absolute clarity.  And the best quote comes from my friend, GLAAD Media Award-winning Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly.

Chris Geidner from Metro Weekly, a gay publication, pointed out the obvious: “If he’s crystal clear, why is everybody in this room asking you questions?”

What’s more, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said on MSNBC that President Obama should “man up and tell the truth on his gay marriage position.”

A Beastie Boy Passes

The line that sticks in my head right now is, “one lonely Beastie I be.  All by myself without nobody.”

I just read over on WaPo that Adam Yauch, known as MCA has just passed away.

Adam Yauch, co-founder of the trailblazing hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, has died at age 47. His death was first reported by GlobalGrind.com, the Web site of hip-hop mogul Russel Simmons. A person close to the group confirmed the report.

A cause of death was not disclosed, but Yauch — also known by his stage name, MCA — announced that he was being treated for cancer in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland. He was not present when the Beastie Boys were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this April and his treatments have kept the band from touring since 2009.

Morning Shot: April 13, 2012

• Birthday Shots
  A birthday shot today go out to another friend from my Capitol Hill days. Jenny Silva, who is both beautiful on the outside and inside, gets a little bit longer in the tooth. Are Dewey Days in your new future, Jen?

• Un-FARE
  It’s official! Cab riders in the District will soon pay more for most trips after the D.C. Taxicab Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to give final approval to a fare hike that’s been in the works for months. Read the WaPo article about it here.

• Able to Leap Taller Buildings
  If you haven’t already heard, there’s new momentum to relax federal building-height limits in the District, reopening decades-old debates about the look, feel and character of the city as well as whether the restrictions stifle economic growth. It appears that both Mayor Vincent Gray and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) agree on increasing the limit of most city buildings above 130 feet.

• Crepes R Us
  New Columbia Heights blog recently announced that Coffy Cafe, “the tasty little crepe and coffee shop at 3310 14th Street NW, is holding their grand opening celebration this Saturday from 3 to 7 pm.” They go on to say that they’ve been open a few weeks but decided to have a special event. Here’s the important part! There’s a 3 pm ribbon cutting, door prizes, and a free chocolate Nutella crepe for the first 100 people.

Morning Shot: April 9, 2012

• Birthday Shots
  A birthday shot goes out to my dear friend Sean D, who this weekend celebrated a birthday.  I ran into him and his boyfriend Carlos, on Sunday as they were coming from Easter service.  It’s always nice to see a good looking gay couple walking down the street holding hands.

• …from the Washington Blade
  NOM President Brian Brown responded to the document leak this week, claiming the anti-gay group works with black and Hispanic leaders to combat marriage equality. The National Organization for Marriage is calling for a federal investigation of the Human Rights Campaign and the IRS. In a statement released last week, NOM expressed outrage that HRC on March 30 released a confidential 2008 IRS tax return from the Washington, D.C.-based group showing a list of 50 contributors to the group’s campaign supporting Proposition 8.

• And the list goes on and on
  This is why I love the folks over at DCist. They’ve compiled a list of “Offensive Shit Marion Barry Has Said Over the Years (Well, Some of It)”. Take a look. It’s goooooooood!

• Jail Break vs. Unlocked
  AT&T will now unlock your off-contract iPhone. AT&T announced last Friday that it would allow mobile subscribers in good standing to unlock out-of-contract iPhones starting yesterday, April 8. An unlocked iPhone has the ability to be used on any GSM network that meets the iPhone’s wireless specifications, such as T-Mobile’s EDGE network in the US.

• No More 24-Hour Service
  Just when we thought DC was on its way to becoming a 24-hour city, we get a setback. WaPo reported this weekend that burger joint Black and Orange and the new Hamilton dramatically scaled back their hours. Black and Orange has backed off their daily 5am close and will now be closing the doors at 11pm Sunday-Wednesday, and 3am Thursdays.

Parallels between GOP and LGBT rights movement

By ROBERT TURNER & MIKE HUBBARD

In a recent op-ed penned for the Washington Post titled “A Republican litmus test harms our party,” four former prominent Republican senators — William Brock (Tenn.), Jack Danforth (Mo.), Trent Lott (Miss.) and Don Nickles (Okla.) — correctly address a major problem within the Republican Party today. Interestingly enough, their advice to Republicans is something that the queer rights movement would also be wise to heed.

The senators wrote, “Many of these more recent assaults constitute an attempt at a political purge, an effort to remove from the party all but the ‘doctrinally pure,’ however critics define purity. Such efforts would deny all that our party is. We do not have the right to determine who can ‘be’ a Republican on the basis of some litmus test, ever.”

These senators speak about a trend that could marginalize the Republican Party and relegate it to minority, regional or third-party status. As we have stated before, Ronald Reagan’s 80 percent philosophy is vital: the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend rather than a 20 percent enemy. But the litmus test trend is prominent in the gay rights movement, and it can have equally bad effects.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” wasn’t repealed solely through the efforts of Democrats.  Republican senators like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Mark Kirk and Scott Brown, among others, were vital in getting that loathsome law repealed. Yet few gay rights groups other than Log Cabin recognized those senators for their support.

Just as too much stock has been put into being a “real” Republican, there has been too much bickering in the gay rights crowd about selling out. There is no one arbiter of who can and cannot call oneself a Republican or gay. There is no agency with which to check as if you were verifying a credit score.

The senators closed their Post piece with this: “Republicans have learned from 150 years of practical experience in elective politics that inclusion, not exclusion, is the winning formula.”

This is the mantra of the Log Cabin Republicans. Inclusion Wins! Log Cabin works to build a stronger, more inclusive Republican Party by promoting the core values of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free markets and a strong national defense while advocating for the freedom and equality of all LGBT Americans. We emphasize that these principles and the moral values on which they stand are consistent with the pursuit of equal treatment under the law for gay and lesbian Americans.

Just as we (obviously) do not want to see the Grand Old Party marginalized, neither do we want to see the gay rights movement hamstrung. But when gay groups put liberalism first and gay rights second, they start making 20 percent enemies.

We realize, of course, that there is tension between LGBT rights advocates and some Republican politicians. We at Log Cabin try our best to support conservative policies that help gay people. And we’re relatively unconcerned about the Republicans: a party that has weathered Watergate and Civil War will endure. But if the gay rights movement gets too closely tied with liberalism, it can get marginalized. And that would be a shame.

Robert Turner is president of the D.C. chapter of Log Cabin Republicans. Reach him at robert.turner@dclogcabin.org or @DCBigPappa on Twitter. Mike Hubbard is a board member of the D.C. chapter of Log Cabin. Reach him at mike.hubbard@dclogcabin.org or @mikeahub.

Morning Shot: April 3, 2012

• Reboot!
  Today I am attempting to reboot a feature I had a few years ago called Morning Shot.  We’ll see how long it will last this time.  HA!

• Today’s Shot!
  Today shot will go to the social media folks at @DDOTDC and @DCRA.  They are guest tweeting for @DCBOEE today for the Primary.  Great to see such team work and partnership.  Now if this could be replicated throughout DCRA that would be a treat!

• Primary Day in DC
  Today is Primary Voting Day in DC, as well as Maryland and Wisconsin.  The polls are open from 7 am. to 8pm.  Be sure to go vote regardless of your party affiliation.  And if you happen to vote Republican, vote Teri Galvez (@TeriGalvezDC) for National Committeewoman and Bob Kabel (@BobKabelDC) for National Committeeman!  If you’re on Twitter, use the #DCision12 hashtag, and tweet @DCBOEE with any issues or complaints.

• Quoted in WaPo
  Yesterday, I was quoted in the Washington Post’s District of DeBonis feature talking about the race for National Committeeman between Bob Kabel and Jordan Gehrke.  Check it out!

Speaker Boehner Stands up for DC Students

…from the Washington Post

President Obama did not request any funding for the District’s Opportunity Scholarship Program in his fiscal 2013 budget, and the program’s biggest backers on Capitol Hill want the White House to know that they took notice.

In a letter sent to Obama on Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said they were “very disappointed” by Obama’s decision, contending that the program “is a critically important part of K-12 education in the District of Columbia.” more…