GOP names longtime gay foe to replace Delay

Republicans have voted to make Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) the permanent replacement for Tom Delay as House Leader. Boehner is a sponsor of the federal marriage amendment which would ban same-sex marriage under the Constitution. He has repeatedly voted against the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act which would add sexuality to groups protected under federal hate crime law. He also has voted against non-discrimination legislation that would bar employment bias based on sexual orientation, and endorsed a bill that would allow the federal government to strip school libraries of books with gay themes. In addition, Boehner voted to bar same-sex couples in the District of Columbia from adopting children. He is one of a handful of congressmen who have refused to sign a non-discrimination pledge, indicating that he would discriminate against his own staff based on sexual orientation, and has consistently earned a "0" rating from the Human Rights Campaign. Delay was forced to step down as House Leader following his indictment on corruption charges in Texas, but Boehner has had his own allegations of corruption. He was forced to apologize in the mid-1990s for distributing checks from tobacco companies to his colleagues on the House floor. Boehner recently has been scrutinized for accepting donations, parties and trips from Sallie Mae, the nation's largest provider of student loans, as it lobbied the House Education and Workforce Committee, which Boehner chairs. "Republicans couldn't have chosen a more ethically-tarred and corrupt replacement for Tom Delay than John Boehner. Congressman Boehner, who famously handed out tobacco-lobbyist money on the floor of the House of Representatives, continues to be entangled with the most extreme anti-gay lobby interests in Washington," said Eric Stern, the executive director of National Stonewall Democrats. "As a lead sponsor of the federal anti-marriage amendment, and an advocate for anti-gay legislation, Congressman Boehner concerns himself more with the cash donations of special interests than the interests of his own constituents." Boehner's political action committee (PAC), The Freedom Project, has given nearly $3 million to Republican candidates since 1996. In the last election cycle, the PAC contributed $718,630 to 103 Republican candidates for the House and eight Senate candidates, as well as $30,000 to the Republican campaign committee and $10,000 to state parties.