GayPatriot

The Internet home for American gay conservatives.

My old drinking buddy Ralph Reed

by

After a very pleasant lunch with an old friend from College Republicans, I’m taking a brief break to do some blogging in a Borders in downtown Atlanta.  Given my bibliophilia, I’m amazed that I have gone this long without spending more than a few minutes on this journey in a bookstore (and then only in a small speciality shop at the Jung Institute in New York).

That old friend was none another that Ralph Reed, former leader of the Christian Coalition.  I’ve always liked Ralph.  When I was a College Republican (CR) state chairman, he was a most able executive director, keeping the lines of communication open between the national office and various state federations.

If ever we needed something done in Washington, we just needed to call Ralph and it would get done.  He was a superior organizer, getting information out to the states and offering good counsel to CR officers.  And he was a fun person to be around — even when he was sober.

Well, today, we had a wide-ranging conversation, sharing war stories and discussing Republican prospects for the current electoral cycle (among other things).  Oh, and, I came out to Ralph.  I say this almost as an afterthought because it didn’t change his regard for me — or affect the tenor of our conversation.

Ralph remains opposed to state recognition of same-sex marriage, but not to the participation of gay people in the GOP.  Still, he’s a nice guy, a great storyteller with a puckish sense of humor (even if he has long since given up drinking).

Another illustration of the greater facility we gay conservatives have coming out to our conservative colleagues, even the social conservative ones (than we do coming out as conservative to our gay peers).  And a reminder that many opponents of gay marriage base their opposition not on animosity to gay people, but on their religious principles.

Comments

  1. Well congratulations on the courage to come out.

    I don’t mean the gay thing. I mean this and the Abramoff piece from a couple of days ago. Coming out to the world as a friend and admirer of the absolute lowest corrupt scum in American politics.

    You have zero credibility when it comes to criticizing anyone in politics, on just about anything. And judgement???? my gawd…..

  2. Tano, you are so narrow-minded, it’s incredible. Amazingly incredible. I have never defended Jack’s underhanded activities. Never. Not once.

    I’m just reporting that he is a complex man, something the MSM do all the time when it comes to reporting on Democrats caught in scandals. So, are you telling me that when I report on someone whom I once knew and who suddenly becomes notorious that I should ignore the good qualities he once had?

    I didn’t identify myself a friend of Jack because I don’t consider myself one. So, obviously you misread my posts. Your comment is revelatory though. It shows how you see the world in such manichean terms.

    And if we so lack credibility, how come you spend so much of your time on our blog?

    I have never suggested Jack should be excused for his crimes. Indeed, I believe he got the punishment he deserved. And yet you’re incapable of understanding why I wrote about it or of understanding that a person who does bad deeds can also have good qualities. At least when that person is a conservative — or otherwise affiliated with the American right.

    And they say those on the right lack nuance. Well, with your comment above, you’ve just demonstrated an incredible absence of compassion and indifference to basic human decency (at least when it comes to conservatives).

    I don’t like to be so harsh, but, well, just look at yourself. You come to this blog, all ready to accuse and attack and unwilling even to consider the points we made.

    I have made several about Jack. And yet you can’t see beyond the left-wing talking points you spit out.

    If you want to understand corrupt figures like Jack, I suggest you start by reading Greek tragedy, then move on to Shakespeare. They might help you understand that people who end up doing dark deeds often start out seeking to do good.

    I could go on and on and on. But, you have now exposed yourself for what you are. And if it weren’t for the cover the media provided to the American left, we’d see more folks like you scurrying out from the rocks were our reporters to lift them.

  3. Coming out to the world as a friend and admirer of the absolute lowest corrupt scum in American politics.

    Well, isn’t that hilarious.

    Now, Tano, point blank: either you condemn Barack Obama for being friends with, supporting, giving money to, and lobbying on behalf of “corrupt scum”, state that he has “zero credibility” and no judgment, or stand permanently shown to be a partisan hypocrite.

    You are so gone. You won’t answer this. You will run away like you always do, and you need to have this publicly posted to the main board to demonstrate what complete and total hypocrites you and your Barack Obama Party are.

  5. So why not really come clean, Dan? What exactly were those underhanded things you did for Jack? And did Ralphie cut you in on any of that casino money? How much of a nice guy was he?

    Well, well, well — looks like Tano can accuse GPW of all sorts of things of which Tano has no proof, but deny the clear FACTS of how Tano and his Barack Obama enabled, supported, and endorsed criminal activity.

    By the way, Tano, this comment by you is a clear accusation of criminal activity against GPW that was made out of malice with the intent to damage his reputation personally, professionally, and publicly.

    Do you know for what that matches the legal definition?

  7. The underhanded things were in poor form, but typical activities for college political activity, but far from illegal. I have long since refrained from engaging in such behavior so really don’t feel I need detail them here.

  11. GP Ed Note: This comment has been deleted due to its repeated violation of the community terms of conduct.

    Ordinarily, I’d be curious to know just what it was exactly that Tano said that warranted being deleted. However, I’d just like to take this opportunity to preach to the choir for a moment and point out that this is precisely the nature of the left’s response to anything less than abject submission to their abhorrently self-absorbed worldview.

    There are few things in this world that are truly predictable, but the histrionic vitriol displayed by a leftist at the mere mention of a person’s name is something I can set my watch to.

  12. We should save Tano’s comment #2 the next time a Democrat is caught in a scandal in case liberals try to defend him as a noble soul sucked into the dark and dirty maw of politics.

    And heck, I never called Jack noble, just noting that he had some admirable qualities.

  13. Eric, I hit the Refresh button just before I send the comment… it’s become second nature. AND, I use Firefox because Firefox preserves what I typed, as I hit the Refresh button. IE 7 didn’t. (I don’t know about IE 8.)

    Life on the internets!

  14. well here is something timely: Casino Jack and the United States of Money

    from the review:

    It goes without saying this should be required viewing for any political junkie or history buff, but if you’re on the fence you can probably wait for the DVD or the next Abramoff movie. Set for release this October, the shorter-titled drama “Casino Jack” stars Kevin Spacey as Abramoff and Kelly Preston as his wife Pam. (Magnolia)

    more from the review:
    Riding in on the wave of the Reagan revolution, Abramoff quickly established himself as a major player by leading a nation-wide contingency of tunnel-vision college students demanding a return to far-right conservatism after the end of the Carter administration. Working closely with Georgia’s Christian Coalition, fire-breathing mouthpiece Ralph Reed, the Jewish Abramoff proved to be an expert glad-hander and consummate schmoozer who could, as one of the interviewees proclaims, “talk a dog off of a meat truck.”

    http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/entertainment/headlines/95459414.html

  16. Something I’ve never understood is the phenomenon of lefties being so violently opposed to gay conservatives. It seems to go beyond the political, even the logical, and in to the pathological.

    Good on you GPW for coming out to Ralph Reed, and good on him for taking it in stride.

  17. Coming out to the world as a friend and admirer of the absolute lowest corrupt scum in American politics.

    I’ve not seen where Dan “comes out” as a friend and/or admirer of Il Douche, Blago, Jarrett, Emanuel etc. Could you point those posts out to me?

    Thanks.

    Hey Rusty:

    the Jewish Abramoff proved to be

    Why is it relevant to point out that he’s Jewish? Isn’t that a shorter way of saying “the f-ing Jew bastard Abramoff”???

    Sieg heil, baby!

  19. Oh TGC, hitting the Jack a little late. . .it was a review of a documentary written by someone else. . .not me.

    but then again, Dan pointed out the Jewish background in his post about Abramoff ‘But, then again, if he had been elected the first Jewish president (as some of us predicted)’

    time to freshen up the Jack. . .on the rocks or with Coke?

  21. Oh TGC, hitting the Jack a little late. . .

    If only. Haven’t had any since December, but what the hell does that matter when you can use it as a piss poor attempt to smear someone as an alcoholic. So much for liberal compassion™.

    it was a review of a documentary written by someone else. . .not me.

    See, I wouldn’t have used a “review” with such garbage contained to help make my point. But then I’m not an anti-Semite.

    Dan pointed out the Jewish background in his post about Abramoff ‘But, then again, if he had been elected the first Jewish president (as some of us predicted)’

    And that was relevant and was complimentary in nature. This, on the other hand, isn’t. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to point out that he’s Jewish.

    If you don’t see the difference, maybe you should put down your crack pipe for a while, asshole.

  22. Well kudos to you on not drinking Jack since December. . .but did remember this from awhile back from your old blog site (which is actually spewing gay porn) but did happen to find it again under a blog profile *

    from TCG ‘I do like my libations. Every now and then you might spot a post co-written by Jack Daniel.’

    with hands on hips, girl, TGC, you might want to consider this ‘complimentary in nature.’

    *05968315519418877272

  23. (which is actually spewing gay porn)

    Yeah. I don’t know what that’s about except that my account with GoDaddy expired. Can’t seem to find out how to get around that.

    with hands on hips, girl, TGC, you might want to consider this ‘complimentary in nature.’

    Not sure what that’s supposed to mean.

    *05968315519418877272

    Nor that either, but whatever creams your twinkie.

  24. Ah rusty, such a great showing of liberal compassion…

    Barack Obama: Did coke back then, no big deal

    George W. Bush: Clearly a cokehead and alcoholic, not worthy to be president.

    Randy Rhodes: So seh got drunk, fell down and claimed she was mugged, no big deal

    Glenn Beck: He’s a recovering alcoholic, don’t ever forget the man was a drunk!

    Harry Reid: Who cares he’s a Mormon?

    Mitt Romney/Glenn Beck: He’s a Mormon? Get him!

    nice to know the double standard lives on.

  28. “Serve in a Collins glass”

    Psssh. I just use the left over quart-sized soup containers from the local Chinese place. Half Jack, half Coke. Drink and repeat.

    Still wondering why it’s relevant to point out, in your “review” above, that Abramoff is Jewish. Dan had context. This doesn’t.

  29. ok TGC Michael Clark, Movie Critic wrote the review on Jack, I found it interesting. I am not sure exactly what Clark might be leading to when he was identifying Jack as Jewish and Ralph as the lead of the Christian coalition. . . maybe it was the idea of the two men coming from different places, had built a relationship but with notions of the Coalition as not being so much anti-semitic but rather insensitive to Jewish folk.

    Washington, DC — Trampling its policy of “casting a wider net,” the Christian Coalition has excluded observant Jews from participation in its annual Road to Victory political convention in Washington, DC, scheduled for September 13-15, 1996. September 13th marks the beginning of the holiest days of the Jewish year, which start with Rosh Hashana and conclude with Yom Kippur. These days are devoted to prayer, solemn festivities, and rest from work.

    The Christian Coalition claims to promote the Judeo-Christian culture, but the group is obviously ignorant of the signifcance of Jewish holidays to Jews. While the scheduling error is probably not intended to be anti-Semitic, it smacks of insensitivity. http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/9607/update.html

    but as for me, I loved being part of a wonderful family from Chevy Chase MD who happened to be Jewish, who I worked for back in the late 80’s and I experienced the world through three children growing up in a kosher household (that was such an interesting time learning to keep a kosher household and to keep a kosher kitchen). I also have found memories of sharing a Xmas with a friend who was Jewish and an agnostic artist in SOHO that same time and was told that even though XMAS was a christian holiday, that even Jews (many in the DC area would rent out social halls, indoor soccer halls and attend movies for there was nothing else to do on Dec 25.) took time out for XMAS. We went and saw the opening of Beaches in NYC.

  30. Ralph remains opposed to state recognition of same-sex marriage, but not to the participation of gay people in the GOP.

    Well it’s nice you can still work for a man who thinks you are going to hell and don’t deserve the same rights as him.

    Deleting comments? Sad. I thought more of this blog.