There were two questions (well, at least) asked to the Republican candidates last night that are of particular interest to the GayPatriot community.
First, a question about gays in the military.
The answers were disappointing. Especially, in my view, from John McCain. Alex and Jarrod have a lot of work to do!
Unfortunately, the entire topic itself may be overshadowed: For the second time in the YouTube debates, a Clinton campaign staffer/volunteer was planted and CNN allowed the question.
Second, here’s a question to Governor Mike Huckabee about his willingness to accept support from Log Cabin Republicans.
PatriotPartner and I part ways on our potential support for Huck (I like him and would vote for him), but the Governor gave a very thoughtful and respectful answer. I think a President Huckabee would be an open participant to having substantive discussions with the gay community — if he were given the same respect by the gay community, of course.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Disclaimer time: Huckabee is an honorary member of my college fraternity.
I like Mike. I think the better question to ask the candidates is: would you hire openly gay and lesbian people to work in your administration (assuming they are qualified, etc). I don’t care if they will “accept” my vote or not. That’s far too low a bar. I want a promise that any candidate I will consider voting for thinks I am equal under the law and that what gay people have to contribute to society is valued. Will gay government employees be treated with respect and fairness?
Huckabee did give a good answer (second clip).
As for the first clip:
– Hunter: Idiot. Stuck on the old chestnuts that (a) gays somehow can’t be Judeo-Christians, (b) real Judeo-Christians somehow can’t get along with responsible and well-behaved gays, (c) military people somehow can’t get along with each other if they happen to disagree. It’ll be interesting to see what Hunter and his ilk do, if Colin Powell ever changes his mind (so they can no longer hide behind “Colin Powell said it”).
– Huckabee: Focused on conduct and adherence to UCMJ, making slightly more sense than Hunter. But not much.
– Romney: Resolutely evasive. Was booed rightly.
– McCain: Sincere in commending Kerr. I just didn’t like what he had to say š
Kerr: Kudos for standing up!
Hunter displayed the asinine condescension I’ve grown used to from the extreme Right. All of the Republican candidates didn’t look too good from this — especially Hunter. CNN’s stupidity doesn’t surprise me, but also doesn’t dissuade me from seeing this for it was: GOP candidates once again making themselves look like idiots.
I agree with ILC on Kerr. That took tremendous courage of him.
Also agree with John that the CNN-YT format produced an overall picture of lunacy across the stage. Seemed like a competition to determine who was purest in terms of God, Gays & Guns. America’s got to look at that stuff and ask “what century are these people from?”
No, I don’t think it did. For instance, I would have found it easy, I dare say. I only think Kerr did a good thing.
I watched the CNN version that featured the “immediate reaction” graph. This graph showed the agreement or disagreement from a couple dozen undecided viewers. The graph moved across the TV screen throughout the debate. The candidates’ responses to the gay-issues questions were not unexpected. Frustraing yes, but standard “greeting-card literature.” WHAT SURPRISED ME during the gay-issue questions were the peaks and dips of this graph showing the gut reaction of average joes. The graph bottomed out when gays asked questions and topped out when the cadidates gave these plucky, silly answers. What this says is that the candidates know what they’re doing. The majority of average Americans simply dislike and distrust gays as a knee-jerk reaction. THAT’S what truly frustrated me. Makes me want to fire a straight employee or two today. But I won’t. š
Mike:
My guess would be that “normal” people find the squabbles of identiy politics to be utterly boring and irrelevent.
I know I feel that way.. with all the challenges facing the country , I feel like the people of this country are in total denial about the risks… that time would be squandered on something like gay special rights… and at a republican primary debate no less.
With war against Islam, looming Federal budget disaster, invasion through the southern border, the people in this country are so fed up with the dysfunction of the Federal Govt. and CNN is going to talk about gays? who cares! Gays could join the military now, they just have to be discreet.
Thats what goads me. This is a Republican primary , DADT is not controversal within the party, so why pick the question in the first place.. and then fly the guy in from wherever he lives and have him ask the question again in person.
CNN has made this all about them (CNN) and what they think is important.
This whole modern “debate” format is a fraud.. these are nothing except press conferences.
Houndentenor #1 writes: “I think the better question to ask the candidates is: would you hire openly gay and lesbian people to work in your administration (assuming they are qualified, etc).”
Funny you say that… I recall an impromptu press conference down at Crawford TX during the backwash/muddle caused by Al Gore’s failure to capitulate to reality. Bush was asked by the press if he’d hire someone on his staff who was gay… Bush, without any prompting from the handlers, said he wouldn’t discriminate against anyone who was qualified… being gay wasn’t a strike in his playbook… and he’d welcome them into the govt or his staff.
I think it was the day that Cheney and Powell were there… I was stuck back in Waco with mexican desert fever.
No big ‘ta-da” from the LogCabineers. No big ta-da from the gay rights groups. In fact, it was kind of a non-issue… a couple of religious right leaders tried to spin it into “Bush better not” threats but it didn’t carry.
I remember turning to Michigan-Matt partner and saying Bush is my hero. I got hit with a pillow in the face even tho I was green with the flu.
Yeah, all Gov Huckabee would have had to do is step up to the plate like Geo W and bat it out of the ballpark.
Bruce, how many gays do you think W brought into the WH/Executive Office… my last count was 58.
“This whole modern ādebateā format is a fraud.. these are nothing except press conferences.”
I agree. We’re getting nothing from these “debates” but well crafted sound-bites. Okay occasionally someone flubs one of these, but we aren’t really getting any information that we need to make an informed choice.
So here’s my question: what kind of debate format would you like to see? I don’t have an answer myself. I need to think about it and I’m open to suggestions.
I’d like to see the candidates have total control of the converstation. The moderator can be there to watch the clock.
So in other words it would be more like a conversation between candidates and not a pop quiz.
this would neccesitate a low number of partiicpants ,. definately not 10.
Lets here them flesh out their ideas, challenge each other, explain thier thought process.
This would go a good ways to showing who can even think and who is an empty shell
After Romney’s performance last night, anyone here want to vote for him?
By the way, would Huckabee hire openly gay people? Apparently not in the US military. Because obviously Gays are too disgusting to serve in our military with honesty. Because they are getting kicked out for behavior, not orientation according to Huckabee.
Tom, to answer your question directly: I am voting for Mitt Romney in the Michigan GOP caucus/primary. He is our favorite son, after his Dad was Governor and his sibs have all served honorably in countless public posts. He was born to be President! I just hope he isn’t brainwashed between now and the Inaugration.
After all the debates, is there anyone YOU will be voting for? Given that gays have a lower voter turnout record than even 18-25 year olds, I’m wondering what effect a “gay bloc” vote could even have on the election? Hillary thinks she deserves the entire gay vote –including gay GOPers. The GayLeft has sold our agenda and prospect for progress down the river that runs thru the Democrat Plantation a long time ago. If you vote Democrat, it’s a wasted vote because it was sort of discounted before it was cast.
Vote for Mitt! Your vote will have greater impact and, when he wins, I’ll round up all the gay votes for Mitt and we’ll have a VIP tour of the WH. Honest. There’ll only be 3-4 of us; but it’ll be sweet tour. I’ll get you some Presidential Cufflinks… do you have a french cuffed shirt?
Hunter – supports Powell (who actually crafted DADT) and the answer was complete bs. When did military cohesion depend on the personal feelings of the members of the unit? I always thought chain of command, discipline, and adherence to following orders were the most important.
Huckabee – Ditto
Romney – Snake. DADT does not work. a flip-flopper by the way.
McCain – again, DADT does not work.
If these people truly respected the retired general asking the question, that would form the basis of what should have been the answer to this question.
Change the word “gay” to “black” and we’ve heard nothing short of the excuses we heard before Truman signed the executive order to integrate the armed forces.
I always thought chain of command, discipline, and adherence to following orders were the most important.
Unfortunately, gay liberals want all of those to be ignored so that gay soldiers can do as they see fit.
The problem here is, Kevin, that when a gay soldier is caught groping other guys in the shower and masturbating while watching them, you and your fellow liberal gays are going to whine and scream that the army is being “sex-negative”, that such rules create a “repressive culture”, and that the soldier should be free to express himself sexually.
Because that’s what you do now.
Try enforcing civilian laws against public sex and demonstrate that you CAN obey rules and follow orders first when it comes to your sex drive, instead of whining how you shouldn’t have to do so.
Je-Suess, Je-Suess: the boy just hates gay people. Expects them all to be just like the Senator from Idaho that he supports.
Kevin writes: “Change the word āgayā to āblackā and weāve heard nothing short of the excuses we heard before Truman signed the executive order to integrate the armed forces.”
I am surprised that this canard is still floating around even though it’s been thoroughly thrashed, logically mashed and appropriately trashed. The incredible stretch of taking a grossly political and purely opportunistic policy move by Truman 60+ years ago and applying to gays in a modern, volunteer military has been roundly discredited. And it shows how desperate the “Repeal DADT Now” advocates have become.
Try making the pitch for the repeal of DADTDPDH on persuasive grounds… not based on decisions made by a president who was probably the 2nd worst president of the 20th C… JimmineyCricketCarter takes the top spot… in this dubious category Truman shows his true legacy. It reminds me of the radicalDemLeft trying to use BenFranklin quotes to “prove” former AG Gonzales and the Patriot Act were wrongheaded.
Will the dozens of former generals speaking out against the policy today (Friday) help convince you?
ND30, where do you come up with this stuff???
Really.
First of all, any soldier who did that would have to worry more about getting the crap beaten out of him than about being discharged from the service.
Wow. I don’t know where all this hate comes from but I think someone needs a hug.
You can keep repeating this absurd claim until you are blue in the face, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are flat wrong. The repeal of DADT is coming and the most you and NDT and all the others out there can do is delay it a few more years.
How is it not relavent? Because you don’t want it to be relevant? The same arguments were made about integrating the military as are being made now about gays serving. Except gays are already serving and always have. That’s the only difference.
This is a weird tactic of the right and it’s incredibly annoying. They decide unilaterally that an issue has “already been decided” or “he already answered that questions” when in fact no consensus has been reached and the question has not really been satisfactorily answered.
Believing something does not make it true. Ignoring facts does not make them go away.
That was:
according to UPI.
Now, when you consider the number of generals and admirals out there, it’s not nearly as impressive. One also must wonder who, exactly, these generals and admirals are.
…more phoney soldiers?
First of all, any soldier who did that would have to worry more about getting the crap beaten out of him than about being discharged from the service.
And then you and your fellow liberal gays, Houndentenor, would scream “hate crime” and demand that the soldiers be court-martialed and punished.
Just like your fellow liberal gay KY claims it’s antigay hate to criticize gay people for having sex in an area where they are legally and contractually forbidden to do it AND where it causes a public health hazard.
Why should the armed forces be required to put up with that?
More and more Mike Huckabee is getting my attention. His plan to reduce spending by eliminating the IRS by simplifying the tax code sounds good to me. The savings would be in the billions. I like the idea of a flat tax it is fair as opposed to the VAT. The IRS a parasitical agency to say the least. IĀ“ve always thought of them as a collection agency for the Democrats. It was a shame that the late Senator Roth lost his reelection bid and never had a chance to finish them off. In 1996 I suggested to the Dole campaign to make the center piece of his campaign, simplifying the tax cade and eliminating the IRS. I thought heĀ“d have a better chance at the White House than attacking Bill ClintonĀ“s character.
Also, I liked Gov. HuckabeeĀ“s response to the question about the death penalty. Two professors from Pepperdine did a study and concluded that the death penalty is a DETERRENT to crime. Having a firearm at home also helps. Mike supports the second amendment.
Gun grabbers, please note that the choice of weapon of Willie Horton on his rap sheet is a knife. OJ was knife wielder too. A few years back in Bucks County, PA. a 14 year old stabbed to death the mother a of two week old baby to get money for drugs. Why arenĀ“t the libs out to grab knives? How about an organization called MAK, mothers against knives.
Mike is willing to accept support from Log Cabin. Senator Dole returned LCCĀ“s contribution. I think this candidate deserves a lot of consideration and IĀ“ve been in Fred ThompsonĀ“s camp but more and more IĀ“m liking Mike.