Politics have seldom seen a more complete act of self-immolation than the government shutdown/debt ceiling crisis that has just ended. The Republican party parlayed an impossible demand (defunding Obamacare) into three weeks of anarchy that sank the party’s popularity to record lows with voters. Worse still, the GOP’s inability to cope with reality cost the U.S. billions, threw thousands out of work and interjected a wholly unnecessary note of uncertainty into a struggling economy.
And gay money is in part to thank for this hellish state of affairs.
If any single person can be held accountable for the crisis, it would be Sen. Ted Cruz. The Texan is the one who egged on House conservatives, telling them that they should hold the government hostage until Obamacare was killed. Yet he had no strategy in the event that the President decided he wasn’t going to gut his signature accomplishment. He expressly went against the wishes of the party leadership, which had hoped to place its bets on using the debt ceiling as a hostage instead (equally reprehensible in its own right).
Even now Cruz is lambasting his party colleagues for being lily-livered, spineless quislings responsible for “bombing our own troops.” He is also basking in the adulation of right-wingers who see him as the one, true voice of righteousness in Washington.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
That Cruz is even in D.C. at all is thanks to Paypal and Facebook billionaire Peter Thiel, who is openly gay and lives in San Francisco. Thiel was the largest donor to the super PAC that was instrumental in helping Cruz secure the GOP senate nomination in 2012. When Cruz started his campaign, he polled in the low single digits. Thanks to the investment of wealthy donors like Thiel, he was able to score an upset over the establishment candidate (who, just to show you want moderate means in today’s GOP, now thinks Obama should be impeached).
Cruz isn’t the only Republican who is a recipient of Thiel’s largesse. Others include Sen. Rand Paul (whose father’s presidential campaign Thiel pretty much single handedly funded), Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan.
But Cruz is the worst of the lot. By all accounts, to know him is to loathe him, and that includes many members of his own party. More to the point, Cruz follows a scorched earth policy that is, as his shutdown rhetoric shows, completely divorced from all political reality, which makes he truly dangerous. He sets a new low in what is already a deep valley.
And he’s reaping all the rewards that go with that distinction on the right. He was the number one presidential choice for the attendees of the anti-gay, religious right Values Voter Summit and he raked in $1.19 million in fundraising in the last quarter.
The Houston Chronicle, which endorsed Cruz in his Senate race, has since expressed its regrets about its choice. It is bad enough that Thiel would contribute, with no strings attached, to a candidate who inveighs against same-sex marriage. It is even worse that he’d contribute to a reckless leader who literally shook the world’s financial foundation for the sake of a bizarre Tea Party obsession, Obamacare. (We would like to hear Thiel inform people with HIV exactly how his libertarian philosophy would do what Obamacare does to eliminate pre-existing conditions as a barrier to health insurance.)
Will Peter Thiel admit his mistake? Probably not.
And while Thiel deserves a lion’s share of the blame because of his deep pockets (note to Thiel: at least require candidates to pledge not to aid anti-gay causes before writing them checks), he’s hardly the only enabler. Last year, GOProud endorsed its string of House Republicans, none of which stood up for stopping the shutdown. Although, at least some GOProud endorsees, like Charlie Dent, complained about the party strategy, while GOProud stuck with the party line in its Twitter stream.
Until the Republican party realizes that there’s no future being the party of right-wing anarchists, anyone who sticks up for them shares in the blame. Just to be clear: this isn’t a judgment on political philosophy. You can be conservative (or libertarian) and speak the truth; openly gay columnist Josh Barro is proof that integrity is possible.
But if you keep paying for politicians who are intent on destruction in the question for principle, you deserve all the condemnation you get, whether you’re gay or not.
Mark
Honestly at this point I have to wonder if it’s not some sort of Trojan Horse operation, destroying the GOP from the inside out.
This whole shutdown shitstorm has ruined the GOP’s reputation, while at the same time utterly distracting the media from the troubled start of Obamacare. (think Diablo3 and Simcity launch days combined, except costing people lots of money and possibly lives)
John Doe
The worse financial crisis is that our government continues to borrow at an unsustainable level with NO plan to balance the budget anytime in the near future. We’ve pulled out of Iraq almost completely and our operations in Afghanistan are supposedly “limited.” That being said, our current spending results in the US borrowing about 40 cents for every dollar needed. Although the economy is not fully recovered, it is remarkably recovered and yet even the smallest hint of cutting expenses infuriates those who are now accustomed to higher levels of spending in various areas. Sort of like trying to curtail an addict.
How sad that our elected officials essentially have zero interest in cutting back on spending. In fact, in today’s debt limit bill there is a provision to pay the window of a lawmaker the sum of $174,000 (tax free) because of a longstanding tradition of Congress to pay spouses of lawmakers who die in office. The thing is, this representative was one of the wealthiest politicians in office and was worth in excess of $57 million dollars. Of course, this payment is in addition to the life insurance for federal employees. In short, if you’re a politician you get yet another perk that others don’t receive.
brent
Peter Thiel is according to the writer guilty of supporting right wing anarchists. The word anarchy could also be used to describe the anti-wall street movement. In fact I think many of them do use that word to describe themselves. Of course the author would also condemn any gay money that made it’s way to the anti-wall street movement.
2eo
Hang them, these vermin hate America, they hate the west and are trying to destroy the central economic powerhouse.
These people are the true threat to all good Americans, they should be killed immediately, I wholly support attacks and vigilante style execution of them.
MikeE
@brent: The extremist Right Wing Tea Party hacks are raging about the “constitutionality” of a LAW that has gone through every legal step that every other law ever passed has had to. It is a textbook case of a bill being proposed, approved and signed into law.
Yet the extremist (anarchist is definitely the wrong word, though there are times one wonders) GOP members would suggest that the Affordable Healthcare Act is somehow “unconstitutional”… simply because they didn’t get their way.
The sooner Americans get their act together and throw these idiots out of the government, the better they will be for it. GOP/Tea Party supporters keep electing people who have absolutely NO idea how their own country works. They seem to have no idea how a Democracy works. And I suspect the word “God” gets bandied about more often in the House than at my church… so much for the separation of church and state.
Rad
I expect there will be a National collective amnesia come election day. I hope I am proven wrong.
jonjct
be careful what you ask for … now that the congress has the passed health care bill (and we know what’s in it), turns out nobody wants it. a caller on a radio show was indignant and told the host “i’m not paying for my free healthcare”. ha ha. turns out it’s just another legal (and mandatory) way for big government and big business to reach into the little guy’s pocket and grab loads of cash. and there’s no way out, the fines are expensive too. Obamas legacy will be one of cynical hatred of his presidency for doing this. But, i guarantee, come election day, all the dems will turn around and vote dem again, esp if the candidate is Hillary, because we love Hillary, and we couldn’t vote for the other guy because he’s an idiot, and we have to protect a woman’s right to choose, and all that shizz. omg, what idiots.
andy_d
This just proves that there are GLBT people who are just as greedy, money grubbing, self centered and uncaring as anyone else. A fact already known within the GLBT community – I refer to the self-styled “A” gays, among others.
twoguysbrooklyn
@jonjct. Have you been watching too much FOX News? “Obamacare” is about expanding medical coverage to more Americans. People are required to maintain coverage to avoid the situation that occurs now. That is, if you need care and have no coverage or cannot afford the care, “WE” wind up paying for it. “WE” means everyone else who has coverage and/or can afford it. “We” do that through high medical care costs and the taxes “WE” pay.
Personally, I have no interest in paying for your medical bills. So go online, buy coverage or pay the penalty.
Simple enough concept.
Ronbo
I expect more from the LBGT community than some of these remarks. As a community we understand shades of gray – it was forced upon us due to our orientation.
ACA is horrible legislation designed to funnel money into corporate insurance pockets… as opposed to the efficiencies and cost controls inherent in single-payer that the rest of the world enjoys.
But, ACA actually blocks healthCARE. How? I spend all my money on insurance that doesn’t kick-in a penny until I’ve paid %10,000 out of pocket. These highly profitable insurance plans consume money that SHOULD go to care and I can’t afford to pay the deductable, so… no healthcare for me!
The vast majority of politicians serve their contributors – rather than the voters. This is a travesty. But, money buys what money can buy. Money has bought our political system so that we now haveExtremist Republicans and Moderate Republicans (the new Democratic party).
I know people will argue that; but, consider this…
http://www.psypost.org/2013/08/voters-perceive-non-white-politicians-as-more-liberal-even-when-theyre-not-19822
It’s not just right-wingers whose inherent prejudice shape their beliefs. The link shows that liberals have their own prejudice problem. As a result we get Republican-policy from a President perceived to be “liberal”.
brent
@MikeE: You are saying the GOP should recognize Obamacare is the law. You of course believe Obama himself should follow the law. The law doesn’t give the president the right to waive whatever parts he does not care for anymore. He has done that with income verification and allowing corporations a year waiver. The law does not give him that authority. So if republicans should follow the law, while then so should Obama.
brent
@2eo: When you say they are trying to destroy our central economic powerhouse, are talking about the tea party or the anti-wall street protestors? Since you want to hang them, a good place to carry that out would be GITMO. And too think you liberals wanted to close it at one time.
BJ McFrisky
The author writes, “Worse still, the GOP’s inability to cope with reality cost the U.S. billions.”
Um, compared to Democrats, Republicans spend/cost approximately one-fifteenth of what the Dems do, so presenting the R’s as extreme fiscal terrorists is as laughable as the author’s statement that “By all accounts, to know [Ted Cruz] is to loathe him.” Gee, my logic tells me that if that were the case, he wouldn’t be a U.S. Senator right now, would he?
Liberal logic at its finest. If YOU don’t like someone, then EVERYONE must despise them as well.
Ah, you guys make me laugh.
Dev.C
I was correct when thinking that a large amount of U.S. citizens including people apart of the gay community that would find Ted Cruz and the Tea Party as some form of Heroic demonstrators who have Americas financial well being at heart. Well it’s funny to me, that in order to save America’s financial crisis, Republicans waste 24 Billion dollars of Americas money.
I don’t understand people support of (Ant-gay, Ant-minority, Ant-Progressive, Anti-Ant-christian, Anti-women, Ant-education), monsters like Tea-party Republicans, but many believe they stand for something worth protecting. I have no idea what message these people send to the gay Republican community outside their normal rhetoric, but the conservatives will never support us, never except us as equals and will continue all efforts to make us go away, like a bad cold.
sportsguy1983
I always get a good laugh when people mention Republicans poor approval ratings with the government shutdown but always seem to ignore the fact that Democrats and the President also have dismal approval ratings.
ChiChi Man
One of the greatest Republican “successes” is the decimation of our education system and the creation of a right wing media that distracts the public by either shifting the narrative from (boring) facts or by simply throwing enough boobs with boob jobs in our faces.
That there are so many comments on this board defending lunatic, right wingers who almost destroyed the U.S. economy is proof of just how stupid, navel-gazing and poorly educated we have become.
Interesting polling numbers: the majority of those who supported the Republican government shutdown are (castrated) white men. Methinks that same deluded demographic is posting ludicrous comments on Queerty.
Red_Dragon_888
It was a singled minded effort to buy political support for millions in hope to save billions in profits. Greed is the new way some of the rich and super corporations think an they are blinded by the money mongers who reap the reward of saving the rich business people from paying their taxes, having a fair wage for their workers, having more jobs in the U.S.A., polluting the environment, etc… and keeping the eyes of the world on the red herrings, (the President, the Congress, the Senate,… etc.) while bleeding this country into a waste land.
They wear blinders and isolate themselves behind the tokens of their rewards. They must use weapons to keep their profits, and one of the weapons they use is politics.
2eo
@brent: Tea partiers obviously, trying to make the world a better place like the wall street protestors should be getting medals.
I’m all for reprisal atttacks on the GOP and tea party. Have at it guys, these people hate America and the west, they deserve to die for the suffering they cause.
Caleb in SC
@BJ McFrisky: Troll on!!!
SmartManbear
@jonjct: I reject your blanket statement that “nobody wants it.” The anti-ACA crowd thinks that somehow insurance companies are doing justice to healthcare. As an RN, I can assure they are not. There are “not-for-profit” healthcare insurance/management agencies (think Blue Cross). But look at the number of employees the have to use, the IT systems, the pay their upper level management makes. Those dollars are not going toward patient care. Then there are the for-profit hospital chains (HCA, et al) and insurers. Why don’t people whining about the ACA turn a blind eye to the abuses and incredible waste of money with our system the way it has been? It’s selective vision, to say the least, and IMHO, completely lacking in the critical thinking department.
This article’s comments have been taken over by right-wing trolls to attack anything about the current administration. At least keep the comments on topic, people.
jwrappaport
I don’t see the controversy here: gays can be corrupt, corporate shills just like straight people can.
Once again, people are carelessly bandying about words that have actual meaning to people who think and read. To equate anarchism with any major political party in the US is absurd.
brent
@ChiChi Man: What have the republicans done to public schools? It is the democrats who support the status quo and whatever the teachers union demands. Democrats do not support school choice. Obama has been against all vouchers, charters etc.
brent
@Red_Dragon_888: You want society to declare some kind of war on greed. Just who is suppose to sit in judgment on the anti-greed council? Is that any different than someone who wants to impose family values? What standards do you use to decide who is greedy and who is not greedy? Should the leaders of this anti-greed crusade be forced to release their tax returns to show us how selfless they are?
brent
@SmartManbear: You talk about waste in the private sector. You seem to overlook the great waste and fraud in government programs like medicare, medicad and food stamps. Government workers do not have a great motive to make efficient use of funds since it is the taxpayers money, not their own. Blue Cross does have a motive to be efficient and go after fraud and abuse. It’s their money!
brent
@2eo: You do know the anti wall streeters want to destroy the great economic powerhouse you talked about, Right? Oh, just forget it.
brent
@Dev.C: You say conservatives will never support us. In 2008 blacks and Hispanics voted for prop. 8 Would you say they would never support us, so why bother with them?
TheMarc
Ultimately, Peter is a bit of an anarchist. He wants to be able to do what he wants; when he wants, how he wants. He’s even invested in the founding of his own floating country. He doesn’t want to live within the bounds of what society has found not only acceptable; but necessary. Peter is all about Peter and makes no apologies for it.
Of course, what he doesn’t understand is that humans have done that before. It didn’t work out. So we formed governments, regulations and rules to keep things from getting out of control. We starting giving our less fortunate a hand up not out of the goodness of our hearts but due to the economic and social advantages it provides. We began regulating industry not because it’s fun to do so; but because it protected us all from poorly manufactured goods and poorly delivered services; ya know like medicine, cars, food, etc.
But those like Peter don’t really care about those things, because all they can see is today and all they care about is themselves.
ChiChi Man
@brent: Oh Brent, one of the things you trolls love to do is drag people into pointless arguments and waste their time. If you don’t think that decades of GOP efforts to slash education spending is harming our education system, then you truly are one of the GOP’s “success” stories. But there I go again. It’s pointless to respond to you. Rather, I’ll continue to work with LGBT organizations such as Outfest and Point Foundation to prepare the next generation to kick you and yours into irrelevance.
brent
@ChiChi Man: United States spends more on education than any country in the world. You liberals love facts.
LandStander
@brent: Whenever you start to type something like “You ___ love ___” …. just stop. “Liberals” are not a homogenous group, and nobody has a monopoly on facts.
LandStander
@brent: That also extends to saying ” ____ voted for prop 8!” You can’t just say “blacks voted for prop 8” as though they also are just one homogenous group..
Will L
@Mark: I made a similar statement on another site. People were ridiculing Bachmann for being stupid every time she says something. I say that may be a good thing. Every time she opens her mouth we get closer to being rid of the Republican party. Their approval rating drops every time one of them speaks. It IS beginning to look like an inside job to destroy the party. We need two parties though but I wonder what will replace it.
brent
@LandStander: Wait a minute. Did you see the comment I was responding too? He was saying that conservatives will never support us. He was also treating a group of people in a homogenous way. Besides you don’t think that I am saying every single black person voted for prop. 8
Joetx
Sadly, the Comments sections at Queerty have gone down the toilet. This site has become beseiged by ignorant, right wing loons.
avesraggiana
Fortunately, Sen. Ted Cruz can never be President of the United States. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, making his claim on the Presidency even more problematic than the “birth-er”, anti-Obama types are willing to concede. The fact of Sen. Cruz’s birthplace is one that many of his supporters are blithely ignorant of, or are wilfully ignoring.
TxHeat
JoeTx, it’s all good, these are the last gasps of a dying breed soon to be on the ash heap of history. Hillary will win Texas in 2016 and that will be the final nail in the coffin of the right wing lunatic fringe in America. I think it is remotely possible they could take the senate in 2014 but they will not have the power to over turn the ACA because President Obama will have the veto pen. 2016 when Hillary wins there will be tens of millions of people on the ACA and even Texas rednecks will turn against a party that will want to take away there family’s medical security.
Dev.C
@brent: Any social groups with extremist religious views are a lost cost on our community. Conservatives come in all shapes, sizes and colors, I really don’t understand what race has to do with a chunk of the gay community being blind to a party of people who only have their own selfish interest in mind.
TxHeat
Historically I think all groups have had people that turned on their own kind, there were Jews that helped Hitler. Gays helping the Tea Party are of the same ilk and just as vile and disgusting. I pity them.
litper
Amazed by the ammount of self-hate of Rethugs. Really, I agree, the only way to deal with them is to hang them!
Franklin
The problem with Libertarians and Republicans is that they think their money can insulate them from ills of society, so there is little incentive for them care about the issues that effect others in this country. Schools in an area are falling? Not a problem because they can afford to send their kids to private school. Neighborhood becoming crime ridden? No worries, they’ll just move to a gated community and keep out the undesirables. You can see this same mentality in gay conservatives as well. They choose to narrowly focus on issues like gay marriage, and ignore other issues such as poverty, racism, transgendered bias, lack of access to healthcare, and immigration.
Polaro
The super rich are immune to the issues of bigotry. They do not need nor want gay marriage or work discrimination laws. They do, however, love their money. Thiel is just another super rich asshole intent on keeping every penny. He could care less about the rest of us. I have more in common with straight men than this bast@rd.
jonjct
@Joetx: democrats are noyorious name-callers, can you please stop.
brent
@Dev.C: You are saying conservatives will not change their minds on gays. I made the point that when it comes to gays there are blacks and Hispanics who take conservative positions on gays. They still voted for Obama but voted a conservative position on prop. 8. So my point is if tea party conservatives will never change their views on gays as you claim, then does that mean that blacks and Hispanics who voted for prop. 8 will not change their minds on gays.
brent
@TxHeat: First liberals complained that the tea party compare Obama to Hitler, now liberals compare the tea party to Hitler. Do liberals ever listen think these things through?
brent
@Polaro: You have all kinds of rich people for gay marriage. Brad Pitt for one. If what you claim is true, that rich people oppose gay marriage, then does that mean poor people support gay marriage?
brent
@Fr@Franklin: n: Rich liberals like Obama and Clinton send their kids to private school, they then turn around and end the voucher system that would give poor kids the same opportunity to go to those schools. A republican president would not end the voucher system.
brent
@litper: A good place to hang them would be GITMO. And to think you liberals wanted to close it.
brent
@TxHeat: The democrats created social security as a trust fund in the 1930. In the 1960s the democrats raided social security and replaced it with IOU’s. Why? To pay for the great society. In 1965 they created medicare, told us in 25 years in 1990 it would cost around $9 billion a year when in reality it cost over $60 billion. They made medicare work by paying small amounts to hsopitals and doctors, who then charged private insurance companies more money to make up for the shortfall they got from medicare. So we pay for medicare by overcharging private insurance and raiding the social security trustfund. So how do we pay for Obamacare? By overcharging private insurance? No, because the point of Obamacare is to put them out of business. Good luck democrats in making Obamacare work.