I had been very concerned that the local print media would bury the story of Scott Rigell's endorsement by and ties to Lou Sheldon, the head of Traditional Values Coalition - a registered hate group with the Southern Poverty Law Center ("SPLC") The SPLC tracks hate organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi groups, and white supremact groups among others. Both the Daily Press and the Virginian Pilot had endorsed Rigell, falling for his "experienced businessman" propaganda. Fortunately the Daily Press is doing the right thing and has reported on the Lou Sheldon scandal. Whether the Virginia Pilot - which has a huge conflict of interest problem since Rigell's Freedom Automotive with three dealerships is a significant advertiser with the Pilot - will do the same remains to be seen. Not surprisingly, Rigell's campaign is whining over the fact that the extremism of Rigell's positions on social issues is belatedly being exposed on the eve of election day. I'm sure Rigell's goal was to be a stealth Christianist candidate. He is cut from the same wacky cloth as Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle and voters need to know that fact. Here are highlights from the Daily Press story:
*
The gay rights community is up in arms after discovering that Republican congressional hopeful Scott Rigell displays is touting the endorsement of a California religious leader that the Southern Poverty Law Center has considered an "anti gay hate group" for five years.
*
The uproar online surrounds Louis P. Sheldon and his organization the "Traditional Values Coalition" an Anaheim Calif.- based group that says it speaks for 43,000 churches. Sheldon is listed alongside Rigell's other endorsements in alphabetical order between Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and former Virginia Beach GOP chair Chuck Smith.
*
But the gay rights community noticed Sheldon first and the story was picked up by liberal bloggers throughout the state, who found inflammatory details about Sheldon sitting all over the Internet.
*
The director of research for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Heidi Beirich, said Sheldon has been listed on their collection of hate groups for the past five years. Beirich said that of the 932 hate groups that the SPLC tracks nationwide, only a handful are branded "anti-gay."
*
"Sheldon and his outfit consistently defame gays...(with) rabidly anti-gay propaganda," Beirich said. "They're especially nasty about pushing the idea that gays are coming after people's children."
*
Beirich said that Sheldon and his daughter Andrea Lafferty are "some of the worst" when it comes to anti-gay rhetoric promoting ideas like "AIDS patients should be sequestered in separate cities."
*
Rigell's campaign has already had to distance itself from a pair of former Virginia Beach Republican Party officials who forwarded or sent along emails including racist jokes and diatribes against minorities.
*
Rigell is obviously linked to parts of the evangelical movement, most notably Pat Robertson, because like Gov. Bob McDonnell, Rigell went to Robertson's Regent University for graduate school. On Wednesday he held a fundraiser with former Arkansas governor and onetime presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, a star in the evangelical movement.
*
[N]o one forced Rigell's campaign to put Sheldon's name up on the candidate's Internet headquarters. Cameron said the campaign was "unaware" of any controversy surrounding Sheldon or any accusations against him or his organization, and said that Democrats appear to launching late attacks to help U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye. .
*
Sheldon's name was still listed on Rigell's website as of noon Thursday.
*
The gay rights community is up in arms after discovering that Republican congressional hopeful Scott Rigell displays is touting the endorsement of a California religious leader that the Southern Poverty Law Center has considered an "anti gay hate group" for five years.
*
The uproar online surrounds Louis P. Sheldon and his organization the "Traditional Values Coalition" an Anaheim Calif.- based group that says it speaks for 43,000 churches. Sheldon is listed alongside Rigell's other endorsements in alphabetical order between Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and former Virginia Beach GOP chair Chuck Smith.
*
But the gay rights community noticed Sheldon first and the story was picked up by liberal bloggers throughout the state, who found inflammatory details about Sheldon sitting all over the Internet.
*
The director of research for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Heidi Beirich, said Sheldon has been listed on their collection of hate groups for the past five years. Beirich said that of the 932 hate groups that the SPLC tracks nationwide, only a handful are branded "anti-gay."
*
"Sheldon and his outfit consistently defame gays...(with) rabidly anti-gay propaganda," Beirich said. "They're especially nasty about pushing the idea that gays are coming after people's children."
*
Beirich said that Sheldon and his daughter Andrea Lafferty are "some of the worst" when it comes to anti-gay rhetoric promoting ideas like "AIDS patients should be sequestered in separate cities."
*
Rigell's campaign has already had to distance itself from a pair of former Virginia Beach Republican Party officials who forwarded or sent along emails including racist jokes and diatribes against minorities.
*
Rigell is obviously linked to parts of the evangelical movement, most notably Pat Robertson, because like Gov. Bob McDonnell, Rigell went to Robertson's Regent University for graduate school. On Wednesday he held a fundraiser with former Arkansas governor and onetime presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, a star in the evangelical movement.
*
[N]o one forced Rigell's campaign to put Sheldon's name up on the candidate's Internet headquarters. Cameron said the campaign was "unaware" of any controversy surrounding Sheldon or any accusations against him or his organization, and said that Democrats appear to launching late attacks to help U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye. .
*
Sheldon's name was still listed on Rigell's website as of noon Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment