Gay Republicans Cheer Party's New Chairman

Shortly after voters dealt Republicans another devastating blow in November, Robert Kabel, openly gay chairman of the D.C. Republican Party, received a call from a longtime friend, Michael Steele.

Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland credited with coining the chant "Drill, baby, drill" at the Republican National Convention, told Kabel he intended to run for chairman of the Republican National Committee.

"I said, 'Michael, you would be fantastic,'" Kabel recalls. "'I am with you and will do whatever I can.'"

Kabel helped Steele round up enough votes to win the five-man race on Jan. 30.

The victorious Steele, the first African-American RNC chairman, voices a "big tent" theme: "We're going to say to friend and foe alike, 'We want you to be a part of us; we want you to be with us.' And for those who wish to obstruct, 'Get ready to get knocked over.'"

Steele's triumph is wildly applauded by many Log Cabin Republicans, the ever-upbeat gay group that volunteered for the often-thankless mission of attempting to steer its party toward equal rights for gay Americans.

Kabel and other Log Cabin members express hope that Steele will broaden the party, reaching out to gays, young voters, people of color and pro-choice voters, as well as restoring the party's competitiveness in places that have become solidly Democratic.

To change the tint of an increasing "blue" political map, they say, Steele must lure moderates back to the GOP — and get them on the ballot.

"He was elected (lieutenant governor) statewide in a very blue state," notes Kabel, one of the 168 RNC members who voted in the chairman's race.

"He knows how to talk to people of all political stripes. He is extremely inclusive. From the day he met me, he knew I was gay. He is the embodiment of positive energy."

Here are big signals Log Cabin is watching for:

Big Tent. Will Steele agree to speak at Log Cabin's national convention in April?

Big '09 races. Will middle-of-the-road GOP candidates be recruited and bankrolled to run for the upstate New York House seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton's Senate replacement and for governor in New Jersey and Virginia?

Big switch. Will Steele change the GOP channel away from gay marriage to low taxes and strong defense?

"If he stays away from frequently mentioning gay marriage, that'll be a positive sign," says Scott Evertz, the openly gay AIDS czar appointed by George W. Bush in his first term. "He wants a party of addition. I sense he has little tolerance for different factions dragging the focus to the sidelines."

Steele's gay views beyond marriage aren't clear, although he has voiced support for including Log Cabin in the party.

He campaigned against same-sex marriage as an unsuccessful Senate candidate in 2006. News reports say he personally opposes adding an anti-gay marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but would support a congressional push for such a ban because his party's platform does.

To Patrick Sammon, past president of Log Cabin, Steele's election means the Republican Party reached a "fork in the road" and made a smart choice: "I feel so positive that the party knows it needs to go in a different direction."

Deb Price of The Detroit News writes the first nationally syndicated column on gay issues. To find out more about Deb Price and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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