As David informed us earlier this week, CPAC is losing significant chunks of the gay-bashing right over their invitation for GOProud to attend their convention this year. Cenk Uygur attempted to get their chairman, Christopher Barron to explain why he's a Republican in the first place given the way the party benefits from attacking the LGBT community.
UYGUR: All right. President Obama has said many times if you want to go forward, you put it in "D." If you want to go backwards, you put it in "R." Get it?
All right. Now, the president and the Democrats made history last week. They repealed "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell," and that is a huge step forward for gay rights.
But, as always, the "Grand Old Party" is stuck in the stone age. Two major conservative groups, Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council, are boycotting the conservative political action conference this year. They`re out -- they`re sitting it out because GOProud, a national organization of gay conservatives, was invited to the event.
For more on this, let`s turn to the chairman of the board of GOProud, Christopher Barron.
All right, Chris. First, let me get it out of the way. Why on God`s green earth are you even a Republican?
CHRISTOPHER BARRON, CHAIRMAN, GOPROUD: Why am I a Republican? Well, first off, I`m not just a Republican, I`m a conservative Republican.
And I`m a conservative because while I was born gay, I wasn`t born to believe that government has all of the answers. In fact, I`ve seen throughout my life that, in fact, government is often the problem, because I believe in free markets, because I believe in a strong military defense, because I believe in the power of the individual. That`s why I`m a conservative Republican.
UYGUR: Right. I understand that. And are gay people -- do they have opinions that range from liberal to conservative on economic matters and other matters? Of course.
BARRON: Absolutely.
UYGUR: Right. I get that.
But what I don`t get is how you can, with a good conscience, vote for a party that does not like you? They don`t like who you are. They don`t like your identity.
BARRON: First off, I completely and totally reject that. We`re, for the second year in a row, participating in CPAC, the largest --
UYGUR: Congratulations. Two years in a row. How about all the other years?
BARRON: Well, first off, we`ve only been around for two years. So every year that we`ve been in existence we`ve participated in CPAC.
And what I think has been so amazing is that during this controversy, major organizations, opinion leaders, have all stood up for GOProud, stood up for gay conservatives, and said, yes, they`re an important part of this movement and we need them to win. We need them going forward.
UYGUR: Chris --
BARRON: I think that`s the real story here. The real story is that the conservative movement is more united than ever.
There are a few people, people like birther king Joseph Farah and the WorldNetDaily crowd who make their living trying to grab attention, grab headlines, divide the movement. The fact is the conservative movement is united. We`re winning --
UYGUR: No you`re not.
BARRON: -- and we`re united. Absolutely.
UYGUR: No you`re not. You`ve never been united.
(CROSSTALK)
UYGUR: Chris, get real.
BARRON: We`re completely --
UYGUR: Are you telling me with a straight face -- hold on. Are you telling me with a straight face that the Republican Party has been welcoming to gays all this time?
BARRON: No, the Republican Party hasn`t always been welcome the gays. What I`m telling you right now --
UYGUR: And is it welcoming now?
BARRON: -- is the conservative movement -- the conservative movement is absolutely welcoming to gay people. I can tell you right now, I have an easier time --
(LAUGHTER)
UYGUR: On which planet?
BARRON: -- being openly gay with the conservatives than I do being a conservative with other gay people. That`s the truth. That`s the absolute truth.
You might not like it, but it doesn`t change reality. That`s the reality.
UYGUR: OK. You want to know reality, Chris? When "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell" was up for repeal, only eight of the Republican senators voted for it and 15 of the Republican House members. All of the others, overwhelming majority, voted against you. Why won`t you recognize the most obvious, simple truth?
(CROSSTALK)
BARRON: Look, you wouldn`t have had "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell" repealed if it weren`t for those Republican votes.
And secondly, there`s a whole range of issues. At night, when I`m sitting at the table with my partner talking about the issues that affect us, surprise, surprise, those issues are the same issues that affect Americans all across this country -- health care, the economy, jobs, taxes, retirement security. And on issue after issue after issue, the conservative movement offers policy fixes that are better for gay couples. You might not like it and liberals might not like it, but that`s the truth.
UYGUR: That`s the truth.
Look, Chris, we have got to leave it here, but you`ve got to wake up, man. In 2004, they ran the whole national campaign against hating you. In 2006, they ran a whole national campaign against hating you!
BARRON: I am wide awake. And we are winning -- we are winning, the conservative movement is winning, and we`re a proud part of that movement.
UYGUR: All right. Well, good luck to you.
BARRON: Thanks.
UYGUR: All right. Thank you for joining us, though, Chris. We really do appreciate your time and your thoughts here.
