The Republican National Committee has
dropped its anti-gay Hope Isn't Hiring micro-site.
The website, which went live the day
after President Barack Obama announced his 2012 reelection bid,
attacked the president on a wide number of policy fronts,
specifically the economy.
But the website also took a swipe at
the president for his support of the LGBT community.
Under a section devoted to social
issues, the RNC slammed Obama for supporting repeal of “Don't Ask,
Don't Tell,” the Clinton-era law that bans gay and bisexual troops
from serving openly, instructing the Department of Justice to no
longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the law that bans
federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples, and opposing California's gay marriage ban,
Proposition 8.
According to the site, “Despite it
being the law of the land, Obama refused to continue defending the
Defense of Marriage Act in court,” “Obama repealed 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell' while U.S. troops are still on the battlefield,” and
“Obama opposed California's Prop 8 and has expanded government
recognition of same-sex couples.” (A Hope Isn't Hiring web
ad is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay rights advocate, had
criticized the site's anti-gay message in a letter to the RNC.
“Hopefully, the Republican Party
leadership has come to their senses and realized that attacking LGBT
families offends the great majority of Americans,” Solmonese said
on Tuesday. “Polling overwhelmingly shows that Americans support
LGBT equality and the Republican Party would be foolish to campaign
on a platform based on discrimination and ignorance.”