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Rauner nod was GOProud’s last act before dissolving

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* The pro-gay rights tea party group GOProud is shutting down, just days after endorsing Bruce Rauner for governor…

In 2004, GOProud was born when Jimmy LaSalvia and Chris Barron split from the Log Cabin Republicans. Fast forward to today: both have stepped down from the organization and it is shutting down for good.

GOProud has been mired by several controversies since the departure of their founders. The group has bled donors since the widely reported departure of Jimmy LaSalvia from the Republican Party earlier this year. […]

Finding it difficult to continue without securing more funding, GOProud will be shutting down immediately - an homage to an era gone by. The shuttering is undoubtedly necessary as the organization’s full effectiveness has been tarnished.

The organization may rebrand and regroup later, but for now, the organization will no longer be functioning. Co-director Matthew Bechstein stated in an interview that the “brand is broken” and a rebrand is necessary.

* More…

After Andrew Markle’s story yesterday that the far-right conservative LGBT group GOProud was shutting down, the organization’s leadership took to Facebook to deny the reporting saying, “Nothing could be further from the truth” and “GOProud is not closing. It is growing.”

Today, however, the group confirmed it plans to kill the GOProud brand and will attempt to reorganize as a grassroots online organization with a new name.

A “grassroots online organization” is not a political committee.

So, is the Rauner endorsement now essentially worthless? Seems so.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 5:59 pm

Comments

Usually Rauner gets “something” out of a “Bust Out”.

Rauner could have floated them some cash, to keep up appearances and all…

“Right? Exactly right.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 6:04 pm
So, is the Rauner endorsement now essentially worthless? Seems so.

Bruce couldn’t slip ‘em $100k to keep their lights on until November?

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM (@MisterJayEm) Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 6:07 pm
So, they knew they were going to fold and decided to endorse Rauner before pulling the plug? Why?

Comment by Wensicia Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 6:21 pm
These are unrelated events to a normal person. To a political person, anything can be read into it. That is why folks find politics so ridiculous most of the time.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 6:56 pm
“These are unrelated events to a normal person.”

And the striking of a bell is totally unrelated to the ringing sound that follows.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM (@MisterJayEm) Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 6:59 pm
VM, why would we listen to a political group’s endorsement that can’t even engage in keeping itself politically relevant, i.e. active and operational? The events are related. The endorsement is a last desperate grab for media attention as the ship is sinking.

Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 7:45 pm
I love that Rauner gets an endorsement from a group that folds days later. So it’s like a “hedge fund investment” that went south?

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 8:16 pm
This group was a joke with no support in the LGBT community. It was a collection of a few people, happy to be treated as lapdogs by the far right for appearances, when they weren’t booting them out of GoPAC because they were gay. Sad and pathetic with zero constituency. Rauner either knows this and is still craven enough to trumpet a fake endorsement by a fake group, or his organization is so disconnected from the LGBT community that there is literally no gay in the village to ask. Either choice should be an eye opener for anyone who cares about equality.

Comment by Kevin/Chicago Monday, Jun 2, 14 @ 8:29 pm
The press seems over concerned with gay issues.

Comment by rahms roomate Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 2:09 am
Down here at ShakeyMitt Rauner HQ we are wondering if a phony defunct group endorsement still counts? Perhaps we will ask Mr. Shrimp to opine
Meanwhile there are still about 395 funding scams to check out and only 150ish days to our defeat.

Comment by NoBody's Perfect Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 6:48 am
Hey let’s ask Mr. Shrimp if Mitt Rauner will support any wing nut idea to repeal or put a bunch of roadbloacks in place to suppress gay marriage — photo ideas, special taxes, AIDS tests, literacy tests, etc.

Comment by NoBody's Perfect Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 6:50 am
Was this a political action committee or a Rauner nursing home?

Comment by Mittuns Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 8:42 am
Adios to another political vampire group.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 8:46 am
=== So, is the Rauner endorsement now essentially worthless? ===

Not any more so than prior to dissolving. If the “endorsement” helps Rauner with more liberal Illinoisans… he could still truthfully trumpet the endorsement.

Comment by Just Observing Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 9:14 am
Maybe they could come back as a township

Comment by Langhorne Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 9:21 am
He’ll still use the endorsement. No one will even notice that they aren’t there anymore.

Comment by DuPage Bard Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 9:25 am
–These are unrelated events to a normal person.–

Define normal, lol.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 9:32 am
Good one Langhorne!!!

Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 10:00 am
“Rauner could have floated them some cash, to keep up appearances and all…

“Rauner could have floated them some cash, to keep up appearances and all…”
Then Rauner would have been criticized by some for buying support. Dope.

‘

Comment by Apacolypse Now Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 10:03 am
Get a few of your buddies together. Pick a great and unlikely political name. Make the news.

Dissolve when golf season comes around.

Comment by Walker Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 10:15 am
This is worth 2 minutes of a 24 hour news cycle. A tree fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it. Not much relevancy a week ago, even less today.

Comment by A guy... Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 10:19 am
- Apacolypse Now -,

===Then Rauner would have been criticized by some for buying support. Dope.===

It’s called…Snark

Learn. Thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 3, 14 @ 10:20 am