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12/10/2014
NOM's bald-face lies about the 2014 midterms
In a hilariously desperate pitch letter (that many of you have sent me today precisely because of its hilarious desperation), National Organization For Marriage president Brian Brown makes the following claim:
...the National Organization for Marriage was 100 percent successful in the last Congressional election in defeating targeted supporters of same-sex marriage and electing those who support the truth about marriage.
In all three Congressional contests where Republicans abandoned the truth of marriage we launched campaigns to defeat them—and we did defeat them.
FULL: A Clear, Direct Question [NOM]
While it's true that the three pro-equality Republicans that NOM targeted (Carl DeMaio, Monica Wehby, and Richard Tisei) all lost their races, it is an abject lie that NOM "was 100 percent successful in the last Congressional election in defeating targeted supporters of same-sex marriage and electing those who support the truth about marriage." All three of the aforementioned contests went to pro-LGBT Democrats (Rep. Scott Peters, Sen. Jeff Merkeley, Rep-elect Seth Moulton). These were NOM's big three money races, and their efforts, negligible as they even were, led to three pro-equality Democrats taking/retaining office. (*NOM also tried, unsuccessfully, to oust Carl DeMaio before he even started, but didn't have the clout to get favored candidate Kirk Jorgensen out of the gate.)
Not to mention, the 2014 season actually started even before the official midterm. Let's also remember NOM's summer affair in New York's 22nd, when they backed conservative Republican Claudia Tenney in hopes of ousting pro-equality Republican Rep. Richard Hanna. NOM was also unsuccessful there, with Congressman Hanna, one of the very few pro-equality Republican members of the House (there are three, I believe), retaining his seat.
And there were 2014 losses too, like Jeff Bell. NOM came out early and sustainably for friend Bell, a former staffer with NOM-allied group the American Principles Project (Robert George is behind both), in his effort to defeat pro-equality US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). This was another loss for NOM and another win for equality.
Sure, NOM played marginal roles in the race to elect Senator-elect Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Senator-elect Tom Cotton (R-AR). But let's be 100% clear: Even in a conservative sweep year, in the races where NOM leant the most time, money, and political capital, pro-equality Democrats won the day. It is a complete and utter lie for NOM to say it was "successful in the last Congressional election in defeating targeted supporters of same-sex marriage and electing those who support the truth about marriage." Completely. And utterly.
But this is NOM we're talking about. Frankly, it's a good day when NOM staffers write out the organization's name without fibbing halfway through.
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