Thursday, October 12, 2006

FoleyGate Will Result in Greater Acceptance, Tolerance and Less Vitriol Against Gays By Republicans


Aside from perhaps being the proverbial House of Cards that brings down the GOP power chokehold, the Mark Foley scandal is a watershed moment in terms of how the Republican Party deals with homosexuality going forward. And that's a very good thing, not just for gays, but for the nation as a whole.

The importance of FoleyGate is that it shines a spotlight on the simple reality that the party with the loudest anti-gay voices is also the party that's filled with gays on every level, from staff member to Congressman to, as rumored, chairman of the party itself.

For over a dozen years now Republicans have presented themselves to America as the party of ethics, morality and family values. They've spent incalculable time, money and political currency trying to pass discriminatory legislation--on both the federal and state levels--against gays. They've told us that straight is right and gay is wrong. That straight is Republican, and gay is a by-product of the loosey-goosey amoral Democratic Party. Those days are over.

The Foley scandal has proven to America that gay life is just as much a part of Republican life as it is in liberal circles. The only difference is that among conservatives it's more closeted and repressed. And that fact gave Republicans a false justification to spew their hypocritical venom towards gays and make them the scapegoats for everything wrong with the fabric of American society. Their overall message? That being gay is a liberal problem, not a conservative one. Well, guess again. Foley, his former chief of staff Kirk Fordham, former House Clerk and Hastert appointee Jeff Trandahl (at the center of the Foley page scandal) and Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona are openly gay. There are rumors about Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), RNC Chair Ken Mehlman and others as well. The true long-term significance of FoleyGate is that it proves to Mr. and Mrs. Joe America that the elephant is just as gay as his donkey colleague.

Don't get me wrong here. FoleyGate won't mean that Repubs all of a sudden find Jesus on this issue. Their hypocrisy will long outlive Foley. But what it will do is take away a very powerful, very decisive weapon--a hate-based wedge issue of the ugliest kind--that the Repubs have used extremely effectively to draw lines in the sand and to get-out-the-vote. As a result, I suspect the Republicans' push towards outlawing same-sex marriage and limiting other civil rights for gays will be muted at best and maybe even non-existent. The bully-pulpit has been embarrassingly dismantled.

Perhaps the ultimate benefit to come out of FoleyGate, in addition to being the final catalyst in the fall of the GOP, will be a greater tolerance and acceptance--even if forced--of gays by American conservatives and in particular, those in positions of power. The gay skeleton has been let out of the GOP closet. And he's not going back in.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sent this to a right winger I know and this is what he said:

Homo's don't belong in office regardless of party. Democrat or Republican, a homosexual shouldn't be allowed to be elected to public office.

Anonymous said...

More corruption from the Democrats!

Harry Reid makes secret land deals and 1 million dollars in 3 years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DepZhc-oQyQ

Anonymous said...

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing - except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court.

Land deeds obtained by The Associated Press during a review of Reid's business dealings show:

- The deal began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported. The seller never talked to Reid.

- In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land.

- After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal land sale.

The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later.

Anonymous said...

The early posts on this blog are correct. I, too, have been told that The Religious Right will never accept homosexuality anymore than they will ever accept abortion. Not only that, they take the Catholic Church approach -- abstain from homosexual sex and you won't have sinned. (They're not into the "lusting in the mind.", I guess.) Then when a Repulican has "sinned" and been caught he will be protected (cover-up) or, he will be accused of sinning, do a mea cupla, and then be forgiven by his flock because he is one of those who is saved. Open gays will never be accepted by the Religious Right because of some obscure Bible verse. Jesus never mentioned homosexuality.

Anonymous said...

The Bible says "thou shalt not commit adultery." That doesn't seem to bother them does it? Why aren't they fighting to keep heterosexuals faithful?

Anonymous said...

SPEAKING OF LAND DEALS REPUG.TROL -Check out your pervert Hasterts land deal in Ill.and you will uncover a real rogue at work.

Anonymous said...

Ostroy, where's your values?

Corruption is OK when it is Democratic?

You claim to dislike corruption on either side of the isle, but it took you 6 months and some prodding to condem William Jefferson's bribery.

When will you condem Dirty Harry's corrupt land deal? Liberals are hypocrits!! If Hasert's land deals are as corrupt as Dirty Harry Reid's, I'll be the first to condem him.

Anonymous said...

4:39 You're talking apples and orages. You're daring to compare what, even if true, the misdeeds of the Democrats with the Republican CORRUPTION????? They LIED to a country to go to war; they have the biggest financial scandels in the histrory of the country; they have caused the death of thousands and thousands of people; they have failed to protect minor children in order to preserve their power; they let thousands die and languish because they didn't react to Katrina; they have taken away our civil rights; they have mutilated the CONSTITUION; they lied about their opponents in election and they aborted the democratic election system by fixing elections. Don't even mention the relatively PIOUS Democrats in the same post with Republicans corruption.

Anonymous said...

It's truly funny to see all the bitterness, anger and hatred that comes from your posts. Honestly, politics is dirty all around. To sit here and choose one side and turn a blind eye to another makes you the biggest hypocrite of all.

Please, keep up the good work. It's entertaining, with all those witty comments and one-liners.

-Giovanni, Milwaukee, WI

Anonymous said...

10:12 Would you had at least said something witty since your post is otherwise without content.

Anonymous said...

10:21,
Actually your post has no content. Giovanni clearly sees that both sides of the isle have corruption. I'm conservative and am disgusted at the republican corruption. You might notice that I admit republicans have corruption problems. I'm just as disgusted at Democratic corruption. Neither party is innocent, both are JUST AS CORRUPT, and neither party will represent America, nor Americans.

It is very typical of liberals to do exactly what you tried to do to Giovanni. As soon as someone isn't 100% Democrat, they are attacked on this website. (i.e. Joe Lieberman, who votes identically to Hillary Clinton 80% of the time). I bet you will vote for Hillary if she is your 2008 nominee. I wonder if you hatred of Lieberman is more about him being jewish than it is about him not voting with the democrats blindly 100% of the time.

Democrats are hypocrits. They turn a blind eye to Democratic corruption. They attack dissent. They claim to want peace through intellectual debate, yet they are the first to bow out of an intellectual conversation as they jump to name calling, nazi references, and general nastiness.

Anonymous said...

12:10 Hi, Larry. Why do you try to hide as an ANON? By the way, many of us are tired of answering your repetitious, empty notions.

Anonymous said...

10:21 I and others CHEER that Democrats, even if on a small scale with little impact, are finally striking back at the Republicans after enduring the Swiftboat attacks during the campagins, the smears and lies about all Democrats, the blaming Clinton for everything, the exclusion of Dems in important committees and all the other abuses. Finally, if only here, Democrats won't let you sadists continue to get away with it. If Giovanni and the other Republicans are amused, so be it for now. Wait until the election then we Democrats can be sweet again and help the world become a better place as we always do when we have the power.

Anonymous said...

Bravo, I hope the predictions are correct. As I hit my 59th birthday I cannot even think of any presidents who have been so wrong so many times. I live in the Ct 5th congressional district and we have a great chance of moving out a 24 year incumbent. Nancy Johnson has become a Bush apoligist, it is time to elect an energenic hard working progressive Democrat. I am sure we will win with Chris Murphy. The polls are to close to call. If you have any information to share on Murphy please get it out to your readers. Thanks, Sheldon Pruss

Anonymous said...

Hello I want to congratulate to them by its site of the Web of the exelente looks like entertained and very good very to me

it elaborated. I invite them to that they explore a little on my site of the Web.
Costa Rica Real State
In our real estate listing, we offer a great variety of land properties of all kind all over Costa Rica, from nice city

houses, including condos, lots, country houses and farms, to splendorous luxury properties with extraordinary ocean views or

located in front of the most beautiful beaches of Costa Rica.
But we don’t just find those properties for you. We also give you all the legal advising regarding Costa Rica land

properties regulations; our knowledge and expertise allow us to offer you a confident and dependable advice. Likely, we

will advise you on how to make the best possible real estate investment anywhere in Costa Rica.

Our real estate listing includes great opportunities on Costa Rica Central Valley’s provinces such as San Jose, our Capital,

with remarkable cities as Escazu at the west, or Curridabat at the east, experiencing a great development on both commercial

and residential properties, making their real estate pricing highly attractive to investors; on other hand, Alajuela city

gathers places with a very special warm weather such as Grecia, La Garita and Atenas, or beautiful farms for agricultural,

cattle or nature preservation purposes as those located on San Carlos or Sarapiqui. We also offer land properties in

Guanacaste, which is the province, along with Puntarenas, with the most beautiful tropical beaches on the Pacific Coast such

as Tamarindo, Playa Grande, El Coco, Playa Hermosa, Nosara, Samara, Herradura, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Dominical and Golfito,

where the real estate business occupies the first place as the local economic activity.
We can’t leave outside our real estate listing, land properties of great beauty on the Costa Rica Carribean Coast like

Tortuguero, Limon, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Gandoca Manzanillo.

We invite you to take a tour on our website, and if should more information is required.

Great investment opportunity at Costa Rica Pacific Coast, Real estate investment in costa rica ,
Retirement property in costa rica, costa rica hot market. Visit us for more info at: http://www.costa-ricarealestate.com/

Anonymous said...

this report is fantastic, the infomation you show us is really interesting and very important. Do you want to see something more? you can visit too: Great investment opportunity in Costa Rica: Jaco Rental Beach Condo, Jaco Rentals Beach Condo,Vacation Condos in Jaco Beach for Rent. Visit us for more info at: http://www.jaco-bay.com/