The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is funding a conservative Latino group to the tune of $1 million, in order to keep marriage equality from Californians by supporting the Senate campaign of Carly Fiorina and her anti-gay platform.
HRC:
According to a media advisory from the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, the National Organization for Marriage is involved in a $1 million independent expenditure campaign to support Carly Fiorina for Senate, a candidate they point out opposes marriage equality. Today, the Human Rights Campaign – the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – called on NOM, which has a long history of trying to hide political contributions, to disclose how much they're contributing to this effort. As the LA Times points out in reporting on the new campaign, "finding out where the money comes from – if and when it actually does come – is virtually impossible."
"Like a broken record, NOM is again involved in a campaign with an anti-LGBT message yet the public has no idea how deep they're reaching into their coffers," said Fred Sainz, HRC's vice president of communications. "Apparently they have some gas money left from their sham summer tour to once again flood the airwaves with lies about same-sex couples who only seek the same rights as everyone else."
NOM has a history of trying to evade long-established public disclosure laws and to hide their political activities from legitimate scrutiny and accountability. In doing so, they have falsely alleged that their donors have been harassed and intimidated across the country to justify why it shouldn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. These tactics have prompted a state ethics investigation in Maine and recent court defeats across the country.
Added Sainz: "While the stated intent of this independent expenditure is to support Carly Fiorina, clearly NOM wants to poison the well around the marriage debate in California. With polls showing movement towards equality for all families, they see the writing on the wall and will stop at nothing to turn the clock backwards."
The Courage Campaign also sent out an alert:
"Amidst its anti-gay bus tour across 23 eastern and midwestern cities, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has joined a $1 million independent expenditure campaign called 'Tus Valores' — or 'Your Values' — to support Sarah Palin endorsed California Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina.
'In NOM, Carly Fiorina has aligned herself with a fringe group that relies on lies and fear to advocate discrimination and second-class citizenship for millions of loving American families,' said Courage Campaign Chairman and Founder Rick Jacobs. 'Bigotry is not a family value and it has no place in the United States Senate.'
In addition to NOM, the 'Your Values' campaign for Carly Fiorina is being funded by the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List.
'As a failed CEO who killed thousands of California jobs, Carly Fiorina knows she can't run on her record,' Jacobs added. 'The 'Your Values' independent expenditure campaign is an extremist-backed sham steeped in undermining families and limiting the freedoms of millions of Americans. By failing to condemn such a cynical ploy, Carly Fiorina is reminding voters just how out of touch she is with the values of California.'"
