in the wrong era. Soundly refuting
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Audacity of Truth
"Diplomacy":
"People are saying what in the world is going on with North Carolina, we look like Mississippi." - NC Gov. Bev Perdue (D) on the passage of Amendment One, 5-11-12
Ken Mehlman, former RNC chair and Bush campaign manager, comes out of the closet
Marc Ambinder has the exclusive story here, a story which – as expected – is being picked up all over the MSM via outlets like CBS and CNN. Supposedly, according to Twitter murmurings, this was an “open secret” in DC for years. Not surprisingly, in addition to “coming out,” Mehlman’s also on board with overturning Prop 8 in CA. He also noted that Bush was not the “homophobe” the left made him out to be.
This is a big deal, of course, because in the left’s minds, as well as the MSM’s (I know – same thing), Republicans “hate” gay people so it’s a “shocking development” to find out such a formerly high ranking GOPer would say “I’m gay.” Not only that, but this is a big deal more so to the left than the right because we all know how the far left, in particular, gleefully treats gay conservatives – very much like they treat black conservatives. That is, with the same contempt and bigotry that they accuse US of. Make no mistake about it: Mehlman’s “coming out” party has already started The Usual Suspects to crank up the Hate-O-Meter in ways only they have mastered over the years – especially when it comes to “outing” gay conservatives.
The little secret that is not really a secret except in the closed-minded world of the left is that most conservatives don’t “hate” gay people. Apparently, because most conservatives don’t support gay marriage and don’t support gays openly serving in the military, they “hate” them. This is “hate” – in spite of the fact that most conservatives also do not support polygamy nor any other type of “alternative” marriage, nor do they support women serving on the front lines in war. It’s an issue of not wanting to tamper with the existing social structure of the two parent man/woman family, and not wanting to create an atmosphere of great uncomfortableness in the military between those who are openly gay and those who aren’t. We’ve seen the disastrous results of the left’s tampering in the social arena for decades now, and we’re opposed to signing onto anything else they have to offer on that front. Because of that, WE ARE ALL BIGOTS, didn’tcha know?
That’s not to say that they’re aren’t conservatives who are against gay marriage solely because they “hate gays.” A small minority of conservatives are militantly anti-”gay rights” purely on that basis alone. The left (and big and small “L” libertarians) like to pretend that’s *THE* reason most conservatives oppose gay marriage and the like simply because they want to ignore any rational arguments against it that have nothing to do with “bigotry” and/or “hate.” They don’t understand that there has been a gradual change over the last couple of decades on the issue of gay marriage amongst conservatives and Republicans. It used to be that Christian groups were the faces of the opposition to gay marriage, civil unions, and the like and – being Christian groups – they routinely gave Christian rationales for opposing gay marriage (and sometimes it went WAY beyond that, unfortunately), rationales that might have a strong foundation Biblically but which didn’t and don’t mesh with laws on the books that are not supposed to be Biblically based.
Nowadays, most of the vocal faces of anti-gay marriage are Christian and non-Christian alike, but those (like me) who are Christians, more often than not don’t use the Christian rationale to explain the opposition because it’s not necessary. Most of us even support a civil-union type arrangment for gay couples that would give them most of the same rights that “straight” married couples have, something you wouldn’t have seen 20 years ago. There has been an “evolution” of sorts on the issue on the right side of the aisle, but civil unions are where the line is usually drawn – even amongst the pundit class.
I’m digressing a bit here, but the overall point is that, in response to Mehlman’s announcement that he’s gay, you’re going to see the “tolerant” left treat him like red meat, which the MSM will dutifully ignore, while the “intolerant” right’s response will be a lot more measured … which the MSM will also dutifully ignore via confining their “the GOP reax” segments to the Pat Robertsons of America who haven’t “spoken” for conservatives in decades.
This is an almost literal 180 degree turn from how things used to be between the left and right on the issue of “gay rights,” which just shows you which side has been “progressive” on the issue – and which side has most definitely not.
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Agreed that the bulk of conservatives and Republicans are not anti-gay and join me in considering the issue of Ken Mehlman or any other person coming out of the closet with a massive sigh of “so what?”. I will repeat that at the end of this post for emphasis.
Where the left finds its ammunition on things like this and is able to conflate the bizarre and bigoted statements of a small number of people as the “party line” is the failure of mainstream conservatives to condemn, discipline, control, or disavow such weird bigotry when it comes out. It’s the same problem with the “tea party racists” from a few months ago — no movement at any point of the political spectrum is going to be free of nutjobs, but it’s up to the leaders of that movement to find a way to convincingly portray them as such. (I offer no defenses of, nor explanations for, the frequent failure of libertarians or liberals to define away their own nutjobs.)
The guy who could do the most here, I think, is Dick Cheney, because of his own family situation. There is no doubt that VP Cheney is as solidly conservative as they come; he walked the walk in a big way for eight years in the White House. But there is also no room for reasonable doubt that Cheney dearly and immensely loves his daughter, her partner, and the grandchildren they have brought in to the Cheney family. For some reason, this situation does not seem to be given any prominence by the conservative movement. That a left-of-center media would find this situation dissonant is one thing; that right-of-center media does not make more of it is puzzling.
The right could also do a better job of explaining how “anti-gay-marriage” is not the same thing as “anti-gay,” IMO. It can be done, at least in theory, but I don’t think it has been. I’m not the one to make such an argument because I favor same-sex marriage – and same-sex marriage is not the topic of discussion here, the portrayal of conservatives as “anti-gay” is. Nevertheless, agreed that the bulk of conservatives and Republicans are not anti-gay despite how the media might portray them.
Of course. This is how the left operates. Support illegal immigration enforcement? It’s because you hate Hispanics. Disagree with the Mosque near Ground Zero? It’s because you hate Muslims. Disagree with gay marriage? It’s because you hate gays. Disagree with the trillion dollar stimulus? It’s because you hate the poor.
The left is truly the party of hate because its all they have.
Everybody knew he was gay. This is such old news.
Prop 8 not 9
Fixed. Thanks! -ST
Ditto to all that you say, Sister. Another well written post
And don’t you know, it’s all the rage now on the liberal blogs that because Mehlman is gay all conservatives are supposed to be in favor of gay marriage? We have to be, you see, because otherwise we’re hypocrites. Don’t ask me to explain the logic, but that’s what they’re saying.
Madness
And yet again, I’m the last one to learn something everyone else has known for a long time. You guys never tell me anything.
And most conservatives don’t hate gays. Myself, I really don’t care if someone is gay. It’s their business. Just don’t make it my business.
Although I don’t approve of homosexuality, I accept it. I don’t approve of smoking either but so long as people don’t blow smoke in my face and refrain from smoking in my house, car and office, there is no problem. I don’t demand that everyone approve of everything I do either. Just accept it.
No one should care whether or not I or anyone else approves of someone being gay. Just be the person you are and so long as that person is honorable and respectable, we won’t have a problem.
Well, if he’s a Republican then he isn’t really gay. QtheHellED, man.
Plus, do I have to point out that he isn’t black either?
Waaaaaaaacist!!!!11!!!eleventy!!11!!!
I don’t approve of homosexuality and I don’t accept it. Why should I ever accept or tolerate bad behavior? I realize that all sorts of bad behavior continues, but accept or tolerate it? Not this dude! I reject their arguments and defenses. They are all based on lies, not the least of which is that they have a “right” to freely engage in bad behavior. Where is that written? Is bad behavior covered under our right to pursue happiness? I don’t think so.
Does this mean that I should not accept homo support for conservative policies? That would be stupid. But that has nothing to with their sexual lives.
Before I go any further, none of this means I hate any of them, though I freely admit that I hate when people engage in bad behavior.
They are NOT entitled to the same considerations normal married people have. Neither do “domestic partners”.
Regarding people like Cheney, I also realize that friends and family of homos and lesbians are likely to sing a different tune because nobody wants to view a loved one in negative terms. But it is also a lie to pretend that is proves there is nothing wrong with the bad behavior simply because a loved one engages in it.
Ah yes, Mehlman is gay. Was it the Hillbuzz boyz or the Gay Patriot bunch saying that years ago?
I should care, why? My wife doesn’t let me fool around, even if I swung that way. Meanwhile, the left goes around saying that any disagreement with their line is because of hate.
Mr. Mehlman is no conservative if he wants a judicial oligarchy to overturn Proposition 8 in California.
Whether we as a country create new marriage laws that allow anyone to marry anyone is a legislative decision, not a constitutional one to be decided by judicial overlords.
Our current marriage laws are definitely NOT discriminatory. Regardless of a person’s sexual preference (or race or color or handicap or intelligence or religon or national origin or politics or anything), any one man and any one woman could get married as long as 1) both over the age of consent; 2) both agreed; 3) and the one man and one woman were not direct blood relatives.
I really don’t see why Mr. Mehlman’s sexual preference is front page news. Who really cares?