Why Did Wendy Greuel Dispatch a Homophobic Preacher to Criticize Gay Kevin James?

Originally posted at The Foothills. Observed.

Out of money, out of time and not getting the broad based coalition of support she had figured she was entitled to, unable to slide to an easy victory, Wendy Greuel figured one way to get some traction back was to deal the race card and deal it from the bottom of the deck.

Ever since it was exposed that Wendy Greuel HEAVILY solicited former opponent Kevin James' endorsement, to wit she was deeply scorned, Wendy has decided that she can attempt to tar and feather the former broadcaster and Federal prosecutor with all kinds of old and ridiculous charges that have just never stuck.

To recap, they are:

Kevin James hates Latinos because he has advocated for immigration reform
Kevin James hates Black people because he has differed on policy with President Obama.

With folks like Najee Ali, Jasmyne Cannick, Bernard Parks, Jan Perry, Karen Bass, Mayor Cory Booker, Richard Alarcon, Xavier Becerra, Irene Tovar, Monica Rodriguez and other prominent Latinos and African-Americans of the progressive stripe behind Eric Garcetti and fully comfortable with James' role in the campaign, Wendy doesn't have many options to gin up some anger in minority communities.

Supporter Magic Johnson is a little busy at the moment trying to the get Dodgers back off the ground (after the nightmare ownership of Frank McCourt), so Wendy isn't finding too many people of color to shill for her. For sure, surly African-American blogger Betty Pleasant and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas are voices for Wendy, but the Pixie really screwed the pooch with her latest spokes-hole.

Bishop Noel Jones, a Gardena based pastor, making a foray into the world of Mayoral campaigning told the Los Angeles Sentinel that James' “...apparent relationship with Eric Garcetti eliminates any doubt that the people’s choice for Mayor should be Wendy Greuel.”

But here's the rub. Besides being the lone Republican in the mayoral primary, Kevin James, who for 6 years served as Co-Chair of AIDS Project Los Angeles, was also the lone LGBT candidate. As reported by the blog, Venice for Change, Jones has a long history of homophobia and anti-LBGT activity. The blog stated that Bishop Jones "traveled to Jamaica in 2004 to urge that country's political leaders to "stand their ground" against efforts by LGBT activists to repeal some of the most restrictive anti-gay laws on the planet."

Venice for Change had more on Jones:

In 2004, it was reported Jones, a native of Jamaica, believed his homeland should resist the pressures being placed on it by gay rights advocates to reform their draconian anti-sodomy laws. He said the nation should "stand its ground by simply allowing your laws to stay the way they are."

He was responding to reports published earlier this week in which local and international human rights groups called for a relaxation of laws that curbs homosexual conduct.

Bishop Jones, who is the pastor of the City of Refuge church in Gardena, California, and an internationally renowned television preacher, said: "If you have laws and legislation that ban certain things based on the principles of the Scriptures and based on your Christian background, then let it stand there. Who is having big debates with the Islamic people about it (gay rights)? Who is telling them to bend their laws? If your laws are based on your Christian points of view, then you must stand your ground?"

The pressure being placed on Jamaica by United States homosexual interests, Bishop Jones hinted, is inconsistent with the best traditions of the United States. "The thing that bothers me about America is if they are so democratic, why don't they allow the rest of the world to be what they are? Their democracy says a person has the freedom to do many things, so why won't they leave Jamaica alone?" Bishop Jones said.

To the best of our knowledge, the Greuel campaign has not yet commented on Jones' anti-LGBT rhetoric and positions; with the exception of stating something to the effect that the campaign is not attacking James for being gay, but for being a racist.

Something kind of tells us that they'd have a completely different tone if James had accepted one of those Wendy Greuel text messages to endorse her.