McCain’s Gay Bashing Robo Calls
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James Joyner | Tuesday, January 29, 2008 |
Floridians are being treated to some robo-calls attacking Mitt Romney that HuffPo’s Sam Stein and some homosexual activist leaders call “gay bashing.” Here’s the ad in question:
Mitt Romney thinks he can fool us. He supported abortion on demand, even allowed a law mandating taxpayer-funding for abortion. He says he changed his mind, but he still hasn’t changed the law. He told gay organizers in Massachusetts he would be a stronger advocate for special rights than even Ted Kennedy. Now, it’s something different.
Some of the reactions:
“It’s ironic that Sen. John McCain is using the same tactics that George Bush used against him in 2000; surreptitiously trying to exploit anti-gay prejudice for votes,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “So much for John McCain being above that.”
“I think this is definitely an attempt at gay baiting,” added Jon Hoadley, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats.
According to many in the community, the robo call hit is not simply a timely attempt to scare voters away from Romney, but a reflection of McCain’s true colors on social issues.
This gives “straight talk” a whole new meaning.
Does this amount to “gay baiting”? That seems a bit much, since the target of the attack is Romney, an open heterosexual. The main thrust of the message is that Romney is a dishonest flip-flopper who’ll tell you what you want to hear. But, certainly, the choice of abortion and gay rights among the dozens of issues on which Romney has changed positions to highlight would appear to be aimed at social conservatives.
Photo source: Practical Reasoning
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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At least Romney didn't father a black love child, help the Viet Cong down American planes, or go crazy in prison.
The call is intended to highlight Romney's constant shifting on issues. Reading "gay-baiting" into that is a stretch, at best.
I assume the objection is to calling "gay rights"
"special rights".
And of course social conservatives are supposed to be obsequious to every whim of judgment wafted by Joe Solmonese.
It’s ironic that Sen. John McCain is using the same tactics that George Bush used against him in 2000
That's really the money quote from this dustup. Even after the vile & dishonorable things the Bush campaign pushed around about him, McCain puckered up and kissed himself a whole lotta neocon backside the last few years. The fact that he's doing the same things now to Mittens just shows that, 'maverick' image aside, there is literally nothing McCain won't do or say to get that vote.
Of course, that doesn't really differentiate him from his competitors, but hey...
My question is: jazz hands or Jedi mind trick? (If confused, consult photo).
It seems any attempt to counter the political gains of the gay lobby is labeled "gay bashing". Associating a politician with promoting any advances in gay rights in order to expose his positions would accordingly be "gay bashing" as well. You're either with them or a bigot.
Now I'm not a McCain supporter but since when is stating an opponents positions and changes in position considered dirty pool, bad form? If one candidate misrepresents his record (they all do) correcting that would be in the interest of the voters. Sounds like the proper thing to me.
Getting reaction to such a (non)story from people who would never in a million years vote for him is political silliness that just will not go away. It's a sign of a weak argument.
