Here’s something you don’t see every day:
Yes, that’s Mike Fallon, MD*, campaiging today at the Denver Pride Fest. Yes. A straight Republican at the Pride Fest. Word has it DeGette was somewhere around, but I didn’t see her anywhere; and Jared had his own booth (likely, I surmised, he actually owns that section of the actual street). I and a few of my friends walked with Mike and a top campaign worker of his around Civic Center for about two hours and stopped to hand out information and Mike answered questions and spoke to anybody who was around.
I was hopeful about his campaign until I spent this extended time with him one-on-one. Now, I’m electric about it. From our talk (as we dodged dudes in thongs and shouldn’t-be-but-were-topless old out-of-shape gals), here’s some stuff straight (as it were) from the horse’s mouth:
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: Mike’s take is that he believes the policy should be repealed, and only cautions that the implementation of allowing openly gay members to serve in the Armed Forces be done in a manner that respects the views of the military commanders. Which is to say, he shares the view of the Chairman and the SecDef in that he supports repeal, and wants to leave the actual specifics to the commanders, as he puts it, to protect those who come out as well as unit cohesion.
Gay Marriage: Mike went to great lengths several times today to emphasize that “I believe all people should have the same Constitutional rights.” As he says, “call it whatever you want”, but that we all should have the same “visitation rights” (as in when we’re in the hospital), and we “everybody should be able to leave their inheritance to whomever they want”, etc.
More important, though, Mike agreed with my summation that, if you’re looking for a crusader to go to Washington and “fight” for “gay” “rights”, Mike’s not your guy. Likewise, however, if you’re looking for a crusader to go to Washington and “fight” against “gay” “rights”, he’s also not your guy. As he said time and again today to anybody who’d listen, Mike’s driving message is to get the government out of our lives. In fact, his first and foremost goal when he’s elected (as I stated before) is to repeal the SoHCA2010 and replace it with free-market solutions to our health care concerns. Mike is a small-businessman himself, and an MD to boot. Clearly, he’s more qualified than the incumbent to see the correct path when it comes to this issue.
We were hoping to run into her today, but as elusive as she’s been so far, we still weren’t able to find her. Would have made for a great post, but hopefully you’ll be satisfied with another pic of him yucking it up with a fellow Pride-goer:
Mike is the real deal. He’s genuine, a non-politician (he’s never been active before; this is a TRULY grass-roots effort), engaging, and has the absolute right view of where the government needs to go. He’s a small-L libertarian who wants to restore sanity to our National government. I urge you to help by contributing to his campaign, and if you live in Denver (or have family and/or friends who do) to volunteer for his campaign. (Who knows, you might even run into me working the phones for him!)
-Nick (ColoradoPatriot, from HQ)
*By the way, I’d earlier referred to Mike as an “emergency room surgeon”. He’s an emergency room physician. For types like him, that makes a big difference, but for me, he’s nonetheless ultimately much more qualified than Diana DeGette to make judgments about a government take-over of the health care industry.
How’d you know he was a top? And why does it matter?
ba domp BOMP!
By the way, is Fallon particularly tall, or are Coloradans unusually short? He looks much taller than everyone else.
If Mike Fallon wants government out of our lives why does he support the repeal of DADT? Surely he knows that when that happens it will only embolden gays to demand more endorsement of homosexuality from the military, such as forcing the armed services to give spousal benefits to the partners of gay soldiers, forcing military chaplains to perform gay weddings, and/or making “homophobia” a crime in the military code on the grounds that making gay soldiers feel uncomfortable or “persecuted” in any way will endanger military readiness (and believe me, that is the ONLY context in which military readiness matters to the repeal crowd).
I’m always amazed at how “getting government out of our lives” never seems to extend to requiring approval of “gayness”. Mr. Fallon may be right on the fiscal issues but he’s no conservative. If he wants gay marriage how could he then oppose, say, gays indoctrinating school kids about the goodness of their lifestyle? Wouldn’t such opposition be violating the newly found right of every American to have his or her libido celebrated by the whole of society? How is Mr. Fallon gonna square that with conservatism? I’m just askin’.
Seane-Anna,
While I understand your concerns, it is my belief that the UCMJ will be enforced still.
And I hate to break it to you, but we’ve had gays in the military since Baron von Steuben. Heck, the ‘old guard’ of the BDSM community was formed mostly by gay military veterans. (I’ve heard ex-enlisted make some of the best subs/bottoms out there.)
What’s remarkable about a straight Republican at a Pride fest? Are GOProud people really surprised by this? There were four straight Republicans working the LCR LA Pride booth last weekend. (Because of this, GayPatriot has called them “leftist nutjobs,” “liberal hypocrites,” “liberal intolerants” and “liberals run amok.” Sheesh! They should have stayed home! “GOhome, you intolerant straight Republican nutjob hypocrites! GayPatriot says so!”) One of them worked both days, and has attended about every LCR LA meeting for a year.
And speaking of LCR LA meetings, nine Republican Congressional candidates attended the LCR LA May meeting – all of them straight – and one who couldn’t make it sent a proxy. Together, they were all of the Republicans running for Congress in five of LA’s districts. Is this remarkable? Maybe GOProud can shed some light on this. Its Facebook page lists a shocking number of past events nationwide – three! And its webpage lists a shocking number of chapters/affiliates – one! How many straight Republican congressional candidates attended its three meetings to date? How many straight Republican congressional candidates are that friendly with its one listed chapter? Enough to surprise a GOProuder?
Good for Mr. Fallon. Things are changing slowly but surely. Side note: couldn’t you manage to get one of those men in thongs in the picture? Eye candy would have been nice. đ
No matter how high we hold the banner, no matter how hard we strive to be better, to pull up from the licentious gutter, to change the horrific image of gay men, the gay community and gay stereotypes (firmly sprouted from TRUTH) all over, there HAS to be one person, often now hiding behind ‘humor’…that finds it necessary, from the gutter…to splash the rest of us.
And now to Mr. Fallon,
Thank you, best wishes and Godspeed!
I find that people who most want to be nude are very rarely the same people who ought to be nude.
Which is why “nude beach” is about the least appetizing combination of words that ought to be wonderful.
BigHoB, reading comprehension isn’t one of your strong suits, is it?
Pridefest–the Renaissance Faire for gay people. Huzzah, girlfriend!
One of the people riding as a Marshall or whatever it is in the Columbus Pride, was wearing a GOProud shirt. I wasn’t sure if there is another kind of GOProud organization, so I assume she is a lesbian republican…or just a republican who supports the conservative gay community.
And another funny thing, Rob Portman was hosting a fundraiser in a hotel near by. I assume he didn’t know it was pride weekend in Columbus but that seems something of a weird schedule conflict. I saw Mike Dewine driving in, so assume some big hitters were there.
Only thing, of course Pride also means a lot of skimpy outfits….so not sure if it did much to help Gay and Republican relations.
You were in Columbus over the weekend, DER? Bother, we could have had lunch.
I’ve a friend who was down there. I was checking out rentals for her and her partner.
Seane-Anna,
(A) Give everyone here the explanation of why YOU are here.
(B) See a psychiatrist.
(C) Get a freakin’ llife. (Oh, that’s right…your life is already freakin’.)
Meanwhile the Texas GOP just issues a platform that includes calling for bringing back the state’s sodomy laws.
Pridefestâthe Renaissance Faire for gay people.
Ugh, one of my Facebook friends was providing updates on Baltimore Pride all weekend. It made me so GLAAD not to be a part of that culture.
Please, Houndentenor, if you respond to a post, address its subject matter. Thanks!
LOL…but GPW, Houndentenor IS addressing the subject matter.
You see, Houndentenor is an Obama Party puppet. Houndentenor doesn’t have the capability to think independently of what the Obama Party tells it to think. Houndentenor wants Republicans attacked in every situation, so Houndentenor has to demonstrate that all Republicans are evil and hate gays.
The knee-jerk response of Houndentenor to this merely demonstrates that Houndentenor doesn’t care about gay or lesbian issues; Houndentenor only cares about shilling for its Obama Party.
Well using the Houndentenor standard,
The democrats are ready to impeach President Obama, based on their Texan congressional candidates.
They’re also all for sex with minors based on The Safe School Czar.
See, if Houndentenor wants to extend a movement in one party in one state to paint with a broad brush, then by all means, lets use that brush.
I mean, using the Houndentenor standard, he must also be supporting terrorists, like President Obama’s good friends.
I think that if an actual Elizabethan minstrel showed up at a Renaissance Faire, he’s say, “Wow–these people are nuts.” Which is how most actual gay people feel at Pridefest.
My one and only visit to the gay subculture this year will be if I go and see Wicked again.
I’ll give Houndentenor partial credit. He spouts his inane talking points in far less space than Levi takes.
“Minstrel” — though not in the Elizabethan sense — is definitely a word that comes to mind when I see photos from the “Pridefests” in major cities like NYC or SF. Of course, there’s no reason (apart from cultural inertia and ossification) that Gay Pride events HAVE to be that way, or stay that way.
Also, at the risk of dragging things into the gutter — Mike Fallon is very handsome, and a doc-tah, no less!
Nice to see more physicians running for Congress.
Congress is full of lawyers. If the lawyers in Congress are representative, it doesn’t take a lot of smarts to get a law degree (although it helps to be nefarious).
It does take some smarts to get through medical school.
Mike Fallon sounds like a sweet guy who only wants FREEDOM for ALL Americans. I appreciate that. Gays and Lesbians do not want State interference in their lives neither is “equal rights” the correct way to do it either.
@15–Houndentenor:
If the Texas GOP wants to re-criminalize homosexuality then they do NOT represent other conservative Republicans and probably other U.S. State GOPs.
I would tell the Texas GOP that the United States values Freedom and Human Rights. The USA is NOT Iran or Saudi Arabia. We do NOT persecute and sentence homosexuals to death under the law because of private, adult-consenting sexual activities.
If I lived in Texas (I live in California) I would NOT vote for the Texas GOP – regardless of how sweet and attractive their political platform – because they would be no different than Radical Islamists or the Democrat Klu Klux Klan who oppress and kill Gays and Lesbians due to their political ideologies.
Remember: Texas was historically apart of the Democrat Party, a Confederate state that was pro-Slavery, and the Klu Klux Klan terror organization were historically political Democrats. If Texas wants to be like that again – by re-criminalizing homosexuals – it can definitely recede.
I don’t know why you’re all ganging up on Houndentenor. He brings up a valid point that there are large disparate views among Republicans. I haven’t seen much news about this candidate on other conservative blogs. I get the feeling that the party is trying to keep this guy under wraps. If we want to change the party we should be supporting more candidates like Mike Fallon.
I would suspect that Mike Fallon was the most attractive man at Pridefest. There’s a lot a simple polo on a great build can do that the biggest swinging dildo just can’t.
#26
P,
It’s not that Houndentenor is bringing ‘up a valid point that there are large disparate views among Republicans.’ It’s that he chooses to try to claim the actions of a section of the party are represenative of the whole party, while ignoring the consequences of such a brush being turned on him.
I too am a big supporter of Dr. Fallon!
P – I don’t think the party is trying to keep him under wraps – there was an article in the Post the other day about his campaign and why the party has to remain neutral right now. It’s also really hard to get the attention of the media for Republicans in Denver. Mike has had one radio interview and had a couple of other mentions. But every day he and his band of volunteers are out talking with voters on their doorsteps…they’ll get to your door sooner or later!