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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1995)
national news Eye on Newt Gay and lesbian leaders join campaign to shadow Newt Gingrich in his Atlanta district ▼ by Richard Shumate to sit down with the speaker’s local staff before henever Newt Gingrich steps any meeting will be scheduled with Gingrich. into public view in his subur And, Lipsett notes, the Newt Watchers have al ban Atlanta district, there’s ready had plenty of contact with Gingrich at the som eone in his shadow— various meetings they have attended. watching, asking questions, “It’s not his like they haven’t been allowed a even tape-recording what he says to document chance to speak,” says Lipsett. many utterances. Organizers of Newt Watch, who represent a But this surveillance doesn’t come from the variety of feminist, consumer, labor, sexual mi media. It is being done by Newt Watch, a loose nority rights, abortion rights, labor and environ coalition of leaders of progressive groups from mental groups, insist that the effort is about more around the Atlanta metropolitan area who dog the than just annoying the speaker or making his speaker’s every step. public appearances uncomfortable. The main idea Leaders of gay and lesbian organizations have behind the campaign is to demonstrate to Gingrich joined the coalition, although the organizations that opposition to portions of the new Republican themselves haven’t officially endorsed the effort. agenda exists even in the heavily GOP suburbs Newt Watchers include local representatives of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, GAPAC (Georgia’s gay and lesbian political lobby), the Cobb Citizens Coalition (formed to fight Cobb County’s discrimina tory resolution) and even Digital Queers. “Every day. Newt says something that really outrages mainstream America,” says GAPAC executive director Larry Pellegrini. “We need to document that.” This past w inter, as Gingrich came back to town to hold a series of town hall meetings, Newt Watchers sat in the audience asking pointed questions. At his final appear ance, they managed to turn almost the entire focus to gay and lesbian issues. Newt Watchers have also followed the speaker to what are normally benign appear ances before constituent groups, such as an appear ance at a Marietta synagogue attended by a group of Jewish Newt Watchers. Perhaps the biggest splash came April 12, when the coa lition crashed a reception at a Newt Gingrich suburban hotel w here Gingrich was being honored as citizen of the year that make up his district on Atlanta’s north side. by the Georgia March of Dimes. The ceremony “Over the course of the next year, we hope to was being held on the 50th anniversary of the build a coalition of groups that is sizeable,” says death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who helped found Frank Jackalone, Southeast regional director for the March of Dimes. Protesters carried signs Public Citizen (the consumer group founded by saying “Newt is no FDR.” Ralph Nader), who is spearheading Newt Watch. Gay activist Floyd Taylor, who had sparred “We think we might force him to the middle or at with Gingrich at earlier appearances, managed to least convince him of the possibility of an election get close enough at a pre-ceremony cocktail re challenge by a moderate Republican or an inde ception to run into Gingrich. pendent.” “He looked at me and said, ‘It’s good to see Public Citizen, in fact, is so dedicated to this you again.’ He apparently didn’t remember that new Newt-watching function that in February it the last time he saw me, I asked him to quit playing moved its regional headquarters from downtown God and start acting like Jesus, to let the healing Atlanta to Gingrich’s district. begin,” says Taylor. Mimicking Gingrich’s victory tour around his That night, a clearly annoyed Gingrich chal district earlier this year, the Newt Watch coalition lenged his critics to come up with constructive is now planning its own series of town hall meet ideas, instead of just lambasting his. So the Newt ings covering topics such as campaign finance Watchers fired off a letter, accepting the chal reform, abortion rights, and the influence of the lenge and asking for a face-to-face meeting to Christian right. And a special invitation to those outline their ideas about what a contract with forums will be sent to a certain big-domed build America should look like. ing in Washington. Whether that meeting will take place remains “We will give Newt the opportunity to re to be seen. Gingrich’s local press secretary, Alan spond,” says Jackalone. Lipsett, says leaders of Newt Watch will first have W IS YOUR PET PARI' OF THE FAMILY? Tender, loving care for the furry and feathered members of your family! Dr. Patricia E. Huff, D.V.M . and Associates 2519 E. 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