Gay caucus talks strategy
Boyd: Group's power lies in voting as bloc
By Bill Cotterell
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR
U.S. Reps. Barney Frank and Allen Boyd told Florida gay activists Saturday that Republicans are pushing constitutional amendments against same-sex marriage and flag burning as "wedge issues" to rally social conservatives who will vote to keep a GOP majority in Congress.
Frank, a nationally known gay activist, said the Democrats have a crowd-pleaser of their own - raising the minimum wage - but that the White House and GOP leaders can stifle it.
"I can sum up the Republican agenda in nine words: Burning the flag, spurning the fag and earnings that lag," Frank, D-Mass., said.
Boyd, D-Monticello, said he attended the Florida Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender conference because the group represents a well-organized voting bloc that can help Democrats win the House.
"I represent a district here in North Florida that John Kerry got 42 percent in," Boyd said. "That might make it one of the more conservative districts, counting even Republican districts, in the state. Certainly from a social-conservative perspective - whatever in the hell that means - it probably is."
Boyd, who is unopposed for re-election in his Big Bend and Panhandle district, said Florida Democrats "have a real good shot" at winning three of the 15 seats Democrats need nationally to take over the House. He said his party might beat Reps. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale and Gus Bilarakis of Palm Harbor and gain the seat Rep. Katherine Harris of Sarasota is vacating for her U.S. Senate race.
"I see a group of folks, a group of Democrats, organizing themselves and working hard to make a change and have an impact on the political process," Boyd said of the 100 caucus members.
Speaking with reporters on his way out of the meeting in Tallahassee, Boyd said he voted for a federal marriage amendment two years ago. He said he will not commit on a new amendment until he sees the wording of any proposal that is brought before the House, but "I'll be consistent with whatever I do."
A federal marriage amendment recently failed in the Senate. But Boyd said Republicans will bring it up in the House.
"The floor of the House of Representatives has been used as a place to wedge and divide people," Boyd said. "The gay-marriage issue is a perfect example. You never see or hear anything about gay-marriage issues until an election is being decided, then they figure how to use it as a divisive issue."
Boyd said flag burning "is an issue that is used similarly."
Frank said he doesn't agree with Boyd on several issues. But he told the Florida activists that they should rally around Democratic candidates in November to give the party control of the committee system and congressional agenda.
"The biggest difference it will make, in terms of our rights in November, is which party controls the House of Representatives," Frank said. "As long as Republicans control the House of Representatives, no matter how much individual Republicans profess support, nothing will come up that we will be allowed to do - we will be on the defensive on every measure.
"And similarly, if the Democrats win, we will be in a position to deliver."
Michael Albetta of Fort Lauderdale, president of the state GLBT Caucus, echoed Frank's comments. He estimated that his group influences more than 1 million votes.
"We will not be silenced," Albetta said. "We are taxpayers, just as good as anyone else. We can make a difference in the 2006 election, and we must."
Florida Republican Party spokesman Jeff Sadosky said Boyd and Frank were doing the same thing they accused the GOP of doing - using emotional arguments to rally their party base. But he said having a large following of social conservatives is politically better than appealing to gay activists.
"If that's their definition of our base and their base - taking their words and not mine - then I guess the question has to be asked: Is it any wonder which party more and more Floridians are identifying with," Sadosky said.
John Stemberger, chairman of Florida4marriage.org, which is gathering voter signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot, said Republicans were not cynically exploiting hot-button issues. He said voters care about defining marriage.
"Yes, we definitely want to know where our congressmen stand before the elections," he said. "But an amendment is defensive on our part. We're responding to what the gay-rights activists are doing."
By Bill Cotterell
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR
U.S. Reps. Barney Frank and Allen Boyd told Florida gay activists Saturday that Republicans are pushing constitutional amendments against same-sex marriage and flag burning as "wedge issues" to rally social conservatives who will vote to keep a GOP majority in Congress.
Frank, a nationally known gay activist, said the Democrats have a crowd-pleaser of their own - raising the minimum wage - but that the White House and GOP leaders can stifle it.
"I can sum up the Republican agenda in nine words: Burning the flag, spurning the fag and earnings that lag," Frank, D-Mass., said.
Boyd, D-Monticello, said he attended the Florida Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender conference because the group represents a well-organized voting bloc that can help Democrats win the House.
"I represent a district here in North Florida that John Kerry got 42 percent in," Boyd said. "That might make it one of the more conservative districts, counting even Republican districts, in the state. Certainly from a social-conservative perspective - whatever in the hell that means - it probably is."
Boyd, who is unopposed for re-election in his Big Bend and Panhandle district, said Florida Democrats "have a real good shot" at winning three of the 15 seats Democrats need nationally to take over the House. He said his party might beat Reps. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale and Gus Bilarakis of Palm Harbor and gain the seat Rep. Katherine Harris of Sarasota is vacating for her U.S. Senate race.
"I see a group of folks, a group of Democrats, organizing themselves and working hard to make a change and have an impact on the political process," Boyd said of the 100 caucus members.
Speaking with reporters on his way out of the meeting in Tallahassee, Boyd said he voted for a federal marriage amendment two years ago. He said he will not commit on a new amendment until he sees the wording of any proposal that is brought before the House, but "I'll be consistent with whatever I do."
A federal marriage amendment recently failed in the Senate. But Boyd said Republicans will bring it up in the House.
"The floor of the House of Representatives has been used as a place to wedge and divide people," Boyd said. "The gay-marriage issue is a perfect example. You never see or hear anything about gay-marriage issues until an election is being decided, then they figure how to use it as a divisive issue."
Boyd said flag burning "is an issue that is used similarly."
Frank said he doesn't agree with Boyd on several issues. But he told the Florida activists that they should rally around Democratic candidates in November to give the party control of the committee system and congressional agenda.
"The biggest difference it will make, in terms of our rights in November, is which party controls the House of Representatives," Frank said. "As long as Republicans control the House of Representatives, no matter how much individual Republicans profess support, nothing will come up that we will be allowed to do - we will be on the defensive on every measure.
"And similarly, if the Democrats win, we will be in a position to deliver."
Michael Albetta of Fort Lauderdale, president of the state GLBT Caucus, echoed Frank's comments. He estimated that his group influences more than 1 million votes.
"We will not be silenced," Albetta said. "We are taxpayers, just as good as anyone else. We can make a difference in the 2006 election, and we must."
Florida Republican Party spokesman Jeff Sadosky said Boyd and Frank were doing the same thing they accused the GOP of doing - using emotional arguments to rally their party base. But he said having a large following of social conservatives is politically better than appealing to gay activists.
"If that's their definition of our base and their base - taking their words and not mine - then I guess the question has to be asked: Is it any wonder which party more and more Floridians are identifying with," Sadosky said.
John Stemberger, chairman of Florida4marriage.org, which is gathering voter signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot, said Republicans were not cynically exploiting hot-button issues. He said voters care about defining marriage.
"Yes, we definitely want to know where our congressmen stand before the elections," he said. "But an amendment is defensive on our part. We're responding to what the gay-rights activists are doing."
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