Group Calling Hagel 'Anti-Gay' Has Republican Roots

The New York Times today has a piece about the myriad groups trying to hold-up Chuck Hagel's confirmation as the next Defense Secretary.

Such organizations, anonymous and amorphous, are a direct descendant of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling giving nameless dollars even more power in the electoral sphere. Yet none of these anti-Hagel groups really think they can use their new positions to actually stop the former Republican senator's confirmation. They just want to erode the president's political capital.

Jim Rutenberg reports: "[At least seven groups are] organizing to stop Mr. Hagel's confirmation, a goal even they acknowledge appears to be increasingly challenging. But the effort comes with a built-in consolation prize should it fail: depleting some of Mr. Obama's political capital as he embarks on a new term with fresh momentum."

One of these groups is Use Your Mandate, which launched itself last week with a series of ads denouncing Hagel's past comments about gay people and Israel.

Most LGBT activists wondered whether this "pro-gay" group really had roots in the equality movement, or if it was just a smoke screen for GOP machinations. Not surprisingly, it was the latter:

[Use Your Mandate] has no Web site and it only lists as its address a post office box in New York. But paperwork filed with the Federal Communications Commission link it back to Tusk Strategies, a bipartisan political group founded by Bradley Tusk, a former strategist for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York.

In an interview, Mr. Tusk would only identify its financiers as Democratic "gay and L.G.B.T. people who have been active in campaigns around the country."

Yet federal records show that Use Your Mandate uses Del Cielo Media, an arm of one of the most prominent Republican ad-buying firms in the country, Smart Media, with clients that have included the presidential campaigns of former Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. of Utah and Senator John McCain of Arizona; the 2010 Senate campaign of Christine O'Donnell, who was known for positions against homosexuality, in Delaware; and, as it happens, the Emergency Committee for Israel.

And there you have it...

Code Pink Protester Interrupts Kerry Confirmation: VIDEO

As Senator John Kerry sat before his peers today to begin confirmation hearings for his Secretary of State nomination, a Code Pink activist stood up to protest drone and other targeted killings in the Middle East. You can watch the Talking Points Memo video, via Joe.My.God, AFTER THE JUMP.

Before that, though, take note that Kerry was asked about former Sen. Chuck Hagel's Defense Secretary nomination, a nomination marred by controversy over comments about gay people and Israel, and that Kerry said he thinks Hagel is a "strong patriotic former senator."

[GOP Sen. Bob] Corker asked Kerry whether Hagel's past involvement with Global Zero, an international group promoting the elimination of nuclear weapons, would be appropriate at the Defense Department.

"I think he is a strong patriotic former senator, and he will be a strong secretary of defense," Kerry responded. "And I think some of the things that have been -- some of the efforts to color Senator Hagel's approach on some of these things don't do justice."

"I don't think Hagel's going to sit there and going to go over to the Defense Department and a proponent [of Global Zero]," Kerry added.

Watch the protest video AFTER THE JUMP.

HRC President Chad Griffin Reacts to Obama Inauguration Speech: VIDEO

HRC President Chad Griffin spoke with Andrea Mitchell about Obama's inaugural address:

"The President really has begun his legacy on this issue. This civil rights moment in our history. He has done that in his first term and it's now time to take it to the next step and to really fully bring about full and complete equality under the law. Because as long as our government discriminates, it gives license to everyone else to discriminate."

Griffin also talked about Chuck Hagel:

"We've accepted his apology with regard to what he said. I look forward to hearing how he plans to fully implement the repeal of DADT and bring about equal benefits to all our men and women serving in uniform in this country."

Mitchell also asks about DOMA, Prop. 8, and the Supreme Court.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Anonymous Group Runs New 'Anti-Gay' Chuck Hagel Attack Ad: VIDEO

Today's Sunday talk shows bring a mystery: who is behind a new ad attacking Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel?

The ad, a 30-second spot calling former Sen. Hagel anti-women, anti-gay, anti-Israel and pro-assault weapons, will run on NBC's Meet the Press, CBS' Face the Nation and ABC's This Week today*, and clearly hopes to churn up the many varied controversies that have swirled around Hagel - but no one is taking responsibility for it. Not directly, at least.

The Huffington Post reports that an anonymous group calling itself "Use Your Mandate" says they're behind it, but they refuse to reveal their actual identities because they claim they're Democrats and independents who work with the president and don't want to complicate that relationship.

The source close to the group said that for now, those involved are choosing to stay anonymous because they are allies with the Obama administration and hesitant to criticize the president publicly or fear retribution or pressure from the White House. The source characterized members as a "concerned group of people who ... have some questions about Chuck Hagel," including individuals who have "fought for LGBT rights for a long time."

Chris Geidner at BuzzFeed asked the usual suspects — HRC and GetEqual, for example — but found no leads, but Paul Yandura, a former Democratic staffer who helped get GetEqual off the ground, said whoever is behind it is simply "chicken" and totally eroding the power of their message.

"It's laughable that they want to stay anonymous because they are too chicken to criticize the president since they are his supporters. Either this is a serious enough issue to call out the president or not," he said.

Watch the ad, AFTER THE JUMP.

(*Apparently they're running online ads, too; some are popping up on this very site.)

Schumer, Boxer Get Behind Hagel Nomination, Cite His 'Sensitivity and Understanding' of Gay Military Issues

New York Senator Charles Schumer and California Senator Barbara Boxer are getting behind the nomination of Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary.

Politico reports that Boxer has been swayed by a persuasive letter and "extensive" phone conversations:

“First and foremost, he has pledged without reservation to support President Obama’s polices — policies that I believe have made our world safer and our alliances stronger,” Boxer said in a Monday night statement.

“I asked him about a number of issues — including America’s special relationship with Israel, the threats posed by Iran to the world and the treatment of women and gay and lesbian members of our military — and his answers were reassuring and show a sensitivity and understanding of these issues.”

Boxer added Hagel would meet with her about the Pentagon’s efforts to eliminate sexual assault in the military, presuming he’s confirmed by the Senate.

The outreach shows how the White House has placed a premium in wooing key Democrats early in the confirmation process — even ones like Boxer, who does not serve on the Armed Services Committee.

And Schumer says he's now on board too, saying, in part:

On issues related to female and LGBT service members, Senator Hagel provided key assurances as well. He said he is committed to implementing the Shaheen amendment to improve the reproductive health of military women. He also supports the full repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In general, I believe any President deserves latitude in selecting his own advisors. While the Senate confirmation process must be allowed to run its course, it is my hope that Senator Hagel’s thorough explanations will remove any lingering controversy regarding his nomination.

Read Schumer's full statement here.

Read Hagel's letter to Boxer, AFTER THE JUMP...

Colin Powell Defends Hagel, Chides Racist Republicans: VIDEO

Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, defended Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel on Meet the Press today.

Asked about Hagel's past remarks about gay people being unfit to represent the United States abroad, and whether those remarks would impact the continued implementation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell's repeal, Powell said, "I think that what Sen. Hagel will do — as he has said, and as he will certainly testify at the confirmation hearing — is that he will fully implement 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' [repeal]."

There are still issues that have to be resolved, but, I think, he will go after these issues in a way that will be very consistent with the administration’s position, with the law and with the aspirations of our gay and lesbian men and women in the military. He is now responsible for them, he is now responsible for them having a proper environment in which to do their jobs. And that will include making sure that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and the elimination of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is fully implemented.

Powell also said Hagel is "superbly qualified" for the post and described him as a "strong supporter" of Israel, a commitment Hagel's opponents on both sides of the aisle have questioned.

In addition to addressing Hagel's nomination, Powell, a registered though moderate Republican, accused his party peers of sustaining a race-based "dark veil of intolerance," particularly their use of racially-loaded terms when discussing the president and his policies.

Via ThinkProgress:

There's also a dark — a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party. What do I mean by that? I mean by that that they still sort of look down on minorities. How can I evidence that?

When I see a former governor [Sarah Palin] say that the President is "shuckin' and jivin'," that’s racial era slave term. When I see another former governor [John Sununu] after the president’s first debate where he didn't do very well, says that the president was lazy. He didn't say he was slow. He was tired. He didn't do well. He said he was lazy.

Now, it may not mean anything to most Americans, but to those of us who are African Americans, the second word is shiftless and then there’s a third word that goes along with that. The birther, the whole birther movement. Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?

Watch video of Powell's comments on racism within the Republican Party and on Hagel AFTER THE JUMP.