by Kathleen Gray

for link to story, CLICK HERE

Hayley Drozdowski was intrigued but wary.

She’s a member of the Young Democrats organization at Michigan State University and looked at Fred Karger, a Republican presidential candidate from California, with skepticism.

He supports abortion rights and gay marriage, and he’s the first openly gay major-party presidential candidate. Not your typical Republican.

“He’s appealing to college students here,” said Drozdowski, 20, of Livonia. “But without doing some more research, I’m a little leery.”

Karger has focused on Michigan for the last month, courting votes at MSU last week and speaking to GOP groups and others who might support him in Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary in the state.

A liberal on social issues, Karger said he’s conservative on government spending, which he called out of control.

President Barack Obama, he said, “spent way too much time on health care instead of the economy. I definitely want to balance the budget.”

Karger is on only six primary ballots — those in Michigan, North Carolina, Maryland, California, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico.

He got 485 votes in New Hampshire, “and I probably know every one of those voters,” he said.

In Michigan, because most delegates are awarded by congressional district, Karger is focusing on the 8th District, which includes the Lansing area.

He’s hoping his message will appeal to moderate Republicans, some Democrats and independents. He’s airing a commercial in the district, but campaigning statewide.

“I know it’s a long shot,” Karger said.

He’s hoping to blunt gay bashing, saying it’s “driving away a generation of people” from the GOP.

At MSU, he appealed to supporters of Obama to vote for him because Obama is unopposed.

“It’s a little unethical,” he said. “But they can make history and send a message.”

For him, it’s a message of freedom. He’s 62 and knew he was gay for decades, but didn’t come out until he was 57. He had a live-in partner for 11 years.

“I lived a double life for so many years. I had a great lesbian friend, and we’d act as each others’ beards,” he said. “The hardest thing is I didn’t get to spend a single Christmas with my partner because we had to spend it with our families.”

Karger has worked as a political consultant to the campaigns of GOP Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Most recently, he worked against a California ballot proposal to ban gay marriage.

He spent about $500,000 on his campaign, 75% of it his own money. Most of his friends, he acknowledged, are Democrats. Although he has been welcomed by the Republican National Committee, he has been pilloried by some Republicans.

MSU student Sam Wilson, 19, of Pinckney questioned Karger at an appearance.

“How’s that Republican thing working for you?” she asked.

“There are third-party groups that won’t let me speak,” he said. “And people may be a little uncomfortable, but I’m an activist for civil rights.”

Wilson, a Democrat, is undecided, but acknowledged that it’s “good to hear from the Republican side of things.”

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4407 or kgray99@freepress.com

More Details: MICHIGAN’S OTHER GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Michigan voters will see 11 Republican presidential candidates on the ballot Tuesday, but only seven remain active campaigners:

• The big four: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich
• The little three: Fred Karger, Buddy Roemer and Gary Johnson

About the candidates

Name: Gary Johnson
Age: 59
Experience: Governor of New Mexico, 1995-2003; founder and chairman of Our America Initiative, a nonprofit promoting fiscal responsibility
Politics: Leans Libertarian
Personal: Two children; mountain climber and Ironman triathlete. Learn more: www.garyjohnson 2012.com

Name: Fred Karger
Age: 62
Experience: Political consultant to former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George Bush
Politics: Social moderate, fiscal conservative
Personal: Only openly gay presidential candidate
Learn more: www.fredkarger .com

Name: Buddy Roemer
Age: 69
Experience: Congressman from Louisiana, 1981-88; Louisiana governor, 1988-1992; founder, CEO and president of Business 1st Bank
Politics: Started out a conservative Democrat and is now a Republican
Personal: Married, three children
Learn more: www.buddyroemer .com

By CLAUDIA KOERNER / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

For link to story, CLICK HERE

The California Secretary of State released the list of generally recognized candidates for June 5′s presidential primary election, and one local name made the list.

Laguna Beach resident Fred Karger is one of six Republicans who will be on the ballot. Karger is running as the first openly-gay Republican candidate, and he hopes his moderate views will resonate with voters.

Fred Karger made his name in Laguna Beach as a gay rights activist. The Republican political consultant is now running for president. (Ken Steinhardt, The Orange County Register)

The Secretary of State’s office may add to the list until March 29, when it will be officially certified. So far, 24 candidates are listed including President Barack Obama for the Democratic Party, the six Republicans and various American Independent, Green and libertarian candidates.

Contact the writer: ckoerner@ocregister.com or 949-454-7309

This is historic: http://tinyurl.com/7nfurw6

California makes five states (New Hampshire, Michigan, Maryland and North Carolina) plus Puerto Rico which have included me on their ballots.  Next week New York will make its decision, and the fact that I am on California’s should help a lot.

I’m off to the annual CPAC conference in Washington, DC early tomorrow, and will be there until Sunday. Then we will head to Michigan until that state’s February 28th Primary.  Looks like 11 of us on the Michigan ballot, but 5 have dropped out.

Our campaign will be based in Lansing, the capitol.  That is in the 8th Congressional district.  Michigan gives out delegates to whomever wins each Congressional district.  We’re putting all our emphasis in the 8th, and going to try to pick up those delegates. Our new Michigan commercial will be out and on the air next week and we have lots more planned.

Any Michigan ideas or contacts, please let me know.

“I am extremely grateful to California Secretary of State Debra Bowen for including the first openly gay candidate to run for President of a major party on the ballot of the country’s most populous state.  There are 37 million residents of California and 17 million voters.   This first sends a powerful message to the enter Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and  Transgender community, that you can anything that you want to do.”

Fred Karger
www.fredkarger.com
Follow on Twitter
323-656-1931

For link to story, CLICK HERE

As a staff, the SheBomb writers have shown little regard for the slew of Republican hopefuls vying for the 2012 presidential nomination. I’m the first to admit that the lineup looks bleak, but hey, at least we ruled out the crazies like Per-bear and Bachmann. Mitt Romney is once again front-running the race, only to be attacked by #2 Newt for the “moderate skeletons” in his past. But things don’t look too pretty on the left, either. Obamarama is over; the promise of “hope and change” isn’t going to galvanize voters this year.

It’s great that we can express our political ideologies by dressing up as colonial revolutionaries and yelling about economic policies we don’t understand. But were the Tea Party and Occupy movements populist statements reflecting democratic dialogue, or did they serve only to undermine perfectly capable “establishment” candidates? Is there no hope for a moderate middle ground? Are we consigned to political perdition for the rest of time?

The answer is no, as long as select passionate and reasonable individuals continue to trickle through the filters of the increasingly polarized national media. Meet Fred Karger.
On Friday evening, due to an unexpected chain of events that traces back to a certain politics editor of a Michigan newspaper, I received a phone call from Fred Karger, who, despite a historic campaign, has failed to come to my attention (and probably yours too) until very recently. He’s the first openly gay man to run for president. And he’s running as a Republican. I naturally flew to Wikipedia for a quick background-check of the Illinois (New Trier alum) native:

Karger is a committed Republican, yet he is also the self-professed anti-Romney candidate. So, what would he do if an Obama v. Romney election presented itself this fall? Well, he voted for Nader in the last two presidential elections. I mentioned conscientious non-voting, which he seemed to think was a valid – though not ideal – option for educated voters. Explaining that “voting is personal,” he elaborated that one will never agree with a candidate 100%, but we nevertheless elect the best one available. In short, he has immense confidence in the political decisions of the average American voter.

I certainly don’t. I feel that, in general, Americans are uninformed and concern themselves too much with social issues, avoiding more pressing ones such as foreign policy and economic concerns. Politicians, displaying effective advertising techniques, respond to that. (Well, they should… shouldn’t they?) Karger, however, believes that Americans don’t limit themselves to one issue, instead voting according to the “whole package” of the candidate.

Or at least they did when they did when they elected Ronald Reagan. (Karger’s firm did major consulting work for Reagan’s presidential campaign.) He explained the former president was popular because “[Reagan] knew where he stood, he didn’t vacillate, he didn’t flip-flop.” Reagan saved the economy by sheer optimism, even if the fiscal policy turned out to be not quite right. Consistency, according to Karger, is far more important than winning any individual block voters.

Could I overlook Reagan’s tenacious conservatism for his consistency and charisma? As far as LGBT rights during Reagan years go, I point to the award winning drama “Angels in America.” Subtitled “a gay fantasia on national themes,” the story focuses on the AIDS epidemic that peaked during the height of the Reagan years, and the abandonment and resentment felt by many in the gay community. The “I hate America” speech beginning at 3:15 largely reflects the tone of the play.

Even in spite of the political climate of the Reagan years, I am inclined to agree with Karger. Political agendas change, but an individual’s quality of character does not. Consistency supersedes policy. 16 years ago, when running for Illinois state senate, Obama came out as one of the first influential public figures to fully endorse marriage equality. Now, however, his view on gay marriage is “evolving.” Karger, in fact, wrote a Huffington Post article in response, calling on Obama to “evolve already!” He noted that our president is possibly the only major political figure to publicly alter his attitude toward marriage equality in the wrong direction. Even though Obama clearly still supports gay marriage, he’s bowed under political pressure and given up that conviction.

We can yell across the aisle about abortion and the 2nd Amendment all we want, but on Election Day, we vote for charm. That’s what you get in the land of Hollywood, baby. (The issues are too fuzzy for most of us to understand, anyways.) That’s why Obama rode the “hope and change” wave to the Oval Office in 2008. Maybe Reagan was “wrong” in certain (liberal-identified) respects, but at least he was optimistic. And consistent. And so is Fred, with whom the typical SheBomb reader will probably agree socially. He wants to see equal marriage rights as the “law of the land.” He supports a woman’s decision to choose regarding her reproductive rights. He believes in the legalization and regulation of marijuana (without the batshit-idealogical tradeoff you get with Ron Paul).

Great! What next? Is Fred Karger going to appear next to Obama on the ballot come November? No, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t making an impact.

During our phone call, I detailed my experience with LGBT leadership before coming to college. After coming out my junior year, I jumpstarted a Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school. As the seemingly (and maybe actually) only “out” individual in a school of approximately 1600, I felt that the hidden LGBT community needed a haven to discuss sexuality safely and openly. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I knew that in the scheme of things I was doing a good thing, but it was tremendously emotionally draining.

A sizable amount of guys stopped speaking to me after I made such a public declaration of my pro-gayness. Since leaving high school, I’ve been conflicted as to whether or not I regret it. It was like I was limited by this stupid sexual label; it felt that people saw me as just gay. And that I had put myself in that position. Having garnered media attention for being the first openly gay candidate, I asked Fred if he had any of the same feelings and reservations about the attention to his sexuality. He first reminded me that whatever the price I paid for being out in high school, it was better than living in the closet. And that the lives of other closeted kids might just be a little better because of the group I created.

So, as it turns out, I’ve been asking myself the wrong questions. It’s not a matter of how difficult it was for me then, it’s a matter of how selfless I want to be now. And Fred is certainly being selfless. He says of his campaign that his “goal in running” is “to inspire the next generation through his candidacy.” Well, I’m certainly inspired; he’s effecting a change, because there always has to be a first. There was once a first African-American to attend the University of Mississippi. There was once a first woman to join the Navy. And now there’s the first openly gay person to run for president. He mentioned that the notoriously conservative Dick Cheney has a gay daughter he unconditionally loves.

Change isn’t realized by TV commercials featuring Hilary Duff telling us not to use the word gay disparagingly. That’s great, really. But attitudes are changed by individuals – by real, respected people who come out and change society’s schema of what it means to be gay.
What I noticed at the end of my conversation with Fred is that I want to like him; it’s just this inexplicable bias I have. Is it because he’s gay? Because his social views align with mine? Because we’ve partied at the same gay club in Ann Arbor? No, it’s because he’s personable, charming, and consistent. And regardless of his political party, he’s doing a good thing for the country, so the rough edges don’t matter so much. Just like he said.

I’m not too interested in politics. I watched parts of some Republican debates, but they just made me nauseous. The way I see it, we won’t remember the Republican contenders in ten years, so why even pay attention now? The offensive comments Michelle Bachmann made won’t be relevant after this short-run political cycle. That kind of person doesn’t have a legacy. But if gay rights – not as a political agenda, but as a concern for human decency – can be advanced just a little because this man, I consider his campaign success. Even if he’s just quietly upsetting the status quo in the Republican party, he represents a brighter future for a better GOP and an elevated national discourse. But most importantly, he inspires hope of a brighter future for the next generation of leaders, gay or not.

For link to story, CLICK HERE

If you’re Finnish, Pekka Haavisto wants your vote. He’s an environmentalist. He was elected to the parliament in 1987. He represented the European Union in peace talks over Darfur. And he’s gay.

That last detail could be a sticking point for Finnish voters in Sunday’s election, despite the fact that Nordic nations take pride in being progressive and tolerant, the Associated Press reports.

He and his conservative opponent “are very similar in their views on foreign policy — the president’s traditional domain — and there is no obvious clash there,” political analyst Olavi Borg told the AP. “But a majority of Finns are not prepared … to be represented by a homosexual.”

If Haavisto does win over the voters, he won’t  be the first openly gay leader in the world. Iceland elected Johanna Sigurdardottir as prime minister three years ago. In Belgium late last year, Elio Di Rupo was sworn in as prime minister.

Here in the U.S., there’s also a  gay presidential candidate, Fred Karger, a Republican who spent nearly 30 years advising the top Republicans in California. It’s no surprise if you haven’t heard of him; Karger has struggled to get attention and credibility, The Times reported in August:

Trying to wedge his way onto the debate stage, Karger has lobbied TV networks and event organizers, urged pollsters to include him in their surveys — poll numbers being one criterion to participate — and started a website, http://www.letfredin.com, to make his case. So far it has been to no avail; he will look on Thursday night as others participate in the third debate of the campaign.

What may be most frustrating, though, is the way Karger, a skilled and respected political pro, is so often treated as a kook. He mentions a New Hampshire visit where a local reporter showed him photos of Lobsterman, a costumed crustacean and perennial candidate, suggesting a kinship. “Not even Pat Buchanan or Alan Keyes,” Karger lamented, citing Republicans who at least debated their opponents before voters ushered them away.

The American Conservative Union Foundation, the 501(c)3 arm of the American Conservative Union (ACU), runs an annual conference called CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Washington, DC.  It boasts that it is “the largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists in the country.”  Each year the conference brings more than 10,000 attendees to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

As a Republican candidate for President, I had hoped to be invited to speak at CPAC 2012, but once again I was not invited to join my fellow candidates.  So I applied to purchase an exhibitor booth at the CPAC trade show.  Having been denied a booth last year because CPAC claimed it was “sold out,” I applied extra early this time on November 30, 2011.  I sent in my application in so early in fact that I qualified for the “early bird discount.”  I was sure this time that CPAC could not use the same excuse as last year, but it turned out that it did.  CPAC has denied my request to purchase a booth at their trade show for the second year in a row.

I have never heard back from anyone with CPAC, but they issued a statement when asked about my application on January 24, 2012.  CPAC communications director Kristy Campbell told BuzzFeed, “The ACU is sold out of exhibitor space for CPAC 2012, and priority is given to previous sponsors and partner organizations.”

My Application to CPAC 2012

On November 12, 2011, I sent an email to CPAC asking when the exhibitor booths go on sale for the February 2012 conference.  Two days later on November 14, 2011, Jillian Weleski, Deputy CPAC Director, responded by email, “Exhibitor booths for CPAC 2012 are currently on sale.”  She attached the application and the information package, and finished her email by saying “Please let me know if you have any questions.”

I spoke to her by phone on November 29, 2011, and she walked me through the application process.  I was told that all applicants were screened by a committee to make sure that the applicants for exhibitor booths were in keeping with the “values of CPAC,” and that I would hear back within one week.

The next day on November 30, 2011, I faxed my application to Ms. Weleski for a booth (application and fax receipt attached), along with my credit card information to cover the $2,000 booth rental fee.  By submitting my application on November 30, 2011, I met the deadline for the “early bird discount” and would save $500.  I was sure that CPAC was not sold out that early.  One week went by and no word from CPAC.  Then a second week went by, still no word from CPAC.

Beginning December 15, 2011, I called or emailed Ms. Weleski every few days.  I also called Al Cardenas, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union at his office in Florida.  I never received a call back from him either.

Legitimate Candidate for President

I am currently one of the six 2012 Republican Presidential candidates still running.  I received more votes than two invited CPAC speakers in the recent New Hampshire Primary, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain.  I was the first to file in person to be on the New Hampshire ballot.  I am one of the six candidates still running who appears on the Michigan, Puerto Rico and Maryland ballots.  I will be on other state ballots in several more upcoming primaries as well.  Throughout the primary process, I have been tied with Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann , Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and beat Rick Santorum in many national polls.

I have repeatedly stated that I will be in the Republican Presidential Primary for the long haul.  I have been profiled in hundreds of publications including the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Jerusalem Post, The Observer, OC Weekly and Chicago Magazine.   Stephen Sackur host of BBC’s HardTalk interviewed its first 2012 Republican candidate when he interviewed me.  Fox News, MSNBC, CBS News, New Hampshire’s WMUR TV, The Manchester Union Leader, The Des Moines Register, Politico and The Huffington Post all regularly include me in stories and on their lists of 2012 candidates.

CPAC’s History of LGBT Inclusion

In 2010 and 2011, GOProud, a gay Republican organization was an exhibitor at CPAC.  GOProud’s inclusion led to threatened boycotts by some major far right organizations.  David Keene, then the Chairman of the ACU stood up to them and stated, “CPAC is inclusive and welcomes all of those who agree with us on most issues.  I don’t know the GOProud people personally, but we find it difficult to exclude groups because of disagreements on one or two issues no matter how important many of us believe those issues to be.”

That was the right thing to do.

The campaign to ban the participation of gay groups was spearheaded by Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (ATAH) and the Liberty Council.  The Southern Poverty Law Center lists ATAH as a Hate Group.  The Southern Poverty Law Center defines Hate Groups as groups that “have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.”  ATAH states on its website that homosexuality is a “lethal behavior addiction,” and that gays ran the German Nazi Party.

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Liberty Council with its list of anti-gay hate groups.  J. Matt Barber, who has led the anti-gay CPAC campaign for the Liberty Council, has argued that there is “medical evidence about the dangers of homosexuality.”

The other organizations that joined in the campaign to exclude gay groups are the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and the National Organization for Marriage.  The Southern Poverty Law Center has included these three organizations with its list of Anti-Gay Hate Groups.

GOProud was allowed to purchase exhibitor booths at the 2010 and 2011 CPAC trade show, but was not invited back in 2012.

New ACU Chairman Al Cardenas announced after the 2011 CPAC that diversity would end, and caved in to the pressure and voted to “realign plans for those who participate next year to exclude homosexual advocacy.”   Translation – no gays allowed.

A copy of the letter from ACU Executive Director Gregg Keller to GOProud is below.  In it he tells GOProud that they are no longer allowed to sponsor or exhibit at CPAC.

First Openly Gay Presidential Candidate and
First Jewish Republican Presidential Candidate

I am making history every day as the first openly gay candidate of a major political party to run for President of the United States, and I am doing so as a Republican.  I am also the first Jewish Republican candidate to run for president and be on state ballots.  Would CPAC refuse to rent me an exhibitor booth because of my religion?  I doubt it.

I have been a Republican my entire life, and was a Republican political consultant for 27 years.  I have worked on nine presidential campaigns including those of Presidents’ Ford, Reagan and George H W Bush.  I have managed or been involved with dozens more federal, state and local campaigns.  My Republican credentials are impeccable.

CPAC Denies My Rights Because I am Openly Gay

Al Cardenas and his American Conservative Union have violated my civil rights and certainly appear to be in direct violation of the District of Columbia’s 1977 Human Rights Act.

The Washington, DC Human Rights Act was passed to “secure an end in the District of Columbia to discrimination for any reason other than that of individual merit” and specifically forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation.  The Human Rights Act forbids discrimination in “any place of public accommodation.”

The Act further states, “It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice to do any of the following acts, wholly or partially for a discriminatory reason based on the actual or perceived… sexual orientation… To deny, directly or indirectly, any person the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodations.”

CPAC has held its annual conference at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel for many years.  This hotel is located at 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008.  The hotel is well within the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia and well within the authority of the Human Rights Act.

My individual merit has me currently as one of the top six candidates in the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary.  My individual merit has convinced Secretaries of State across America to include me on their state ballots.  My individual merit has convinced thousands of voters to vote or caucus for me.

My individual merit should qualify me to rent an exhibitor booth at CPAC’s 2012 trade show.  CPAC discriminated against me when it denied me equal enjoyment of the facilities of public accommodations at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington DC for the second year in a row.

The District of Columbia has always been a leading advocate for Human Rights and a leader in equality for all.  Therefore, I ask the DC Office of Human Rights to immediately investigate my claim of discrimination by the American Conservative Union Foundation.  I would like to be allowed to rent a booth at this year’s CPAC Conference which begins February 9, 2012.
Thank you very much for your help.

Best regards,

Fred Karger