Maggie Gallagher appeared on MSNBC today and refused to defend the language in NOM‘s race-baiting memos — but refused to apologize for any of NOM’s race-baiting actions. Denouncing the language in the previously-sealed court documents supplied by the National Organization For Marriage that HRC uncovered this week, Gallagher did defend her organization’s actions and associations with virulently anti-gay minority leaders, but sought to minimize the perception of the role NOM plays — despite spending years positioning herself and the organization she created as the pre-eminent leaders in the fight against same-sex marriage. Gallagher refused to apologize for any of the projects in the internal NOM corporate documents, included those that included race-baiting.
READ:Â GLAAD Adds NOM And Pat Robertson To New Commentator Accountability Project
“This was an in-house document. I don’t like the language because I think it makes us sound way too big for our britches,” Gallagher told MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts. “The truth is what we’ve done since 2009, when that was described, is reach out and work with people across lines of different races, different creeds and different colors who believe we need to protect marriages, the union of husband and wife. I would never want to think that any of the minority leaders whether it’s my hero, [New York State Reverend and] Senator Rubén DÃaz from the Bronx, or the bishops from the church of God in Christ, the largest black pentecostal denomination, or any other leaders. You know, I’m — it makes me seem more — NOM seem more powerful than it is. It’s insulting to suggest the African-American or Latino leaders are standing up because NOM is manipulating them. The only reason anyone stands up for marriage at this point in this culture is out of principle because we believe it’s a good thing and we’re fighting for what we think is right.”
Also appearing in the segment was GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger, who is openly gay and has battled NOM for years. Karger, which The New Civil Rights Movement reported earlier today, stated NOM is “manipulating not just race baiting and doing things to divide and conquer but also inserting themselves into a federal election which they also have not reported any money, and I’m looking at filing charges against them on that as well.”
(Emphasis ours.)
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Here’s the remainder of the transcript, via MSNBC:
>> fred, why did you lead the charger in maine to have this started?
>> i’ve the organization since they formed themselves in qualify to pass prop 8 and saw they spent 500,000 in maine and they hadn’t reported where their donors came from, which is illegal in the state of maine . i was asked by the ethics commission to file the report which i did and used my attorneys to ask for an investigation and they accommodated with 3-2 vote. despite the army of lawyers they brought with them.
>> how does this change the work that nom does? done the publicity that all of us provide send a dog whistle for people who support its work?
>> it opens a can of worms-toworms-to, thomas. they’ve got a lot of power, they’ve claim $20 million in the second year of their formation but reported $6 million on their irs statements manipulating the presidential race . they’re citing this $3 million they were going to spend in 2011 and ’12 to make marriage a requirement, fighting gay marriage a requirement for the presidential republican number anies and three signed the nonmarriage pledge. they’re manipulating not just race baiting and things doing to divide and conquer but also inserting themselves into a federal election which they also have not reported any money. and i’m looking at filing charges against them on that as well.
>> maggie, i want to ask you about the latest inendeavor from nom to recruit celebrities, we also recognize the opportunity to gather and connect a community of artists, at leets, writers and, beauty queens and other noncognitive elites across national boundaieboundaries. what is nom’s goal in putting something like that out? noncognitive elites?
>> noncognitive elites, many sources of pow, influence and authority, truth, goodness and beauty. we would reach out across all of those lines. it’s the conspiratorial — the conspiracy that you’re describing is a conspiracy quote/unquote to find people who believe marriage is the union of husband and wife, whether they’re christians, jews, black, white, hispanic, whether you’re smart people like professor robbie george or impressive athletes to get our message out. and it’s what’s cynical is describe that as a conspiracy or illegitimate activity. it’s really common sense.
>>Â twice now in the boardroom right here, the board notes and also in the new advertisement you’re going after elites. why is marriage just for elites?
>> marriage is not for elites. we reach out — of course we’ve got the majority of the american people on our side. it’s like 15 or 20 different projects that we think we could or that we fougthought at the time could help in winning fight for marriage as the union of husband and wife. i don’t apologize for any of them though i don’t like the suggestion that somehow we have the power to make gay marriage advocates call other people bigots and haters, we don’t. we wish they would stop or they have power to make african-american or latino democrats to do anything. we are grateful and respect the leadership they’ve shown for the values that they hold dear and we share.
>> fred karger, maggie gallagher , thanks to both of you for coming on today. appreciate it.