The D.C. Log Cabin Republicans, the most influential gay Republican group around, have some fightin’ words for Councilmember David Catania after he made glib remarks about Republican Party’s lack of relevance in District politics.

After the D.C. GOP claimed that 10 out of 13 councilmembers had broken District law by using their constituent service funds to donate to political groups, Catania, a former Republican, told The Washington Post that the local Republican Party is all wet.

“This is evidently all the GOP has, since it has an absence of qualified candidates who can get elected. … So it resorts to backbiting. It’s not a strategy. It’s just entertaining,” said Catania, adding: “If there were a Ward 7 Republican Party, I would have probably given to them, too. … But there doesn’t appear to be any Republican Party in the District outside of Georgetown.”

That last line was evidently too much for D.C. Log Cabin President Robert Turner II, who issued a press release today saying Catania ought to “know that Republicans, while few in the District, are spread all over this city. We are a cross-section of our communities, being of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, and economic status. To insinuate otherwise is simply ignorant.”

Turner goes on to say that “we must now ask if he’s at home with ‘constituent services’ funds that are effectively slush funds for well-connected insiders. Has the former paladin of good government sold out?”

Okay, LL admits it, he had to look up what “paladin” means. From the Internet: “A knight renowned for heroism and chivalry.”

Since the sharp-tounged Catania has probably never been called “chivalrous” before, LL asked Turner about the slight. Turner explained that since Catania is fond of using big words, Turner thought he would “find one of our own and toss it in his direction.”

Turner added that he is has grown tired of Catania’s “nitpicking and name calling,” especially his remarks about the D.C. GOP not being able to find a qualified candidate to run. Republican Pat Mara was an “outstanding” candidate who came close to winning last April’s special at-large council election, says Turner.

Turner says his group doesn’t endorse candidates who aren’t Republicans, but that several Log Cabin members have helped on Catania’s previous campaigns. That support is likely to diminish in the future because of Catania’s rotten attitude toward Republicans, Turner says.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery