News that John McCain’s Senate Chief of Staff Mark Buse likes men shot around the blogosphere earlier this week, garnering groans about how McCain is a hypocrite for pushing against gay rights while so close to an actual gay person.
Log Cabin Republicans Communications director Scott Tucker disagrees.
Tucker says the story’s architects – Michelangelo Signorile and Michael Rogers – were simply conducting a political stunt. What’s more, their revelations only speak to McCain’s gentle character:
This political stunt by Mike Rogers just proves what Log Cabin has been saying for years. John McCain is an inclusive Republican who hires the best people, regardless of sexual orientation.
…
C]an we please stop childishly lobbing the “homophobic” insult at Republicans who don’t agree with us on every issue? Rogers and his crowd keep saying McCain is “homophobic” or “anti-gay.” Words mean things. Calling John McCain homophobic doesn’t make it so. The truth is, Sen. John McCain is anything but homophobic. This is a man who has a record of hiring gay staff members-as evidenced by this recent “bombshell.
Well, if we can’t call McCain “homophobic,” perhaps “shamefully calculating” works?
How about we take this to the next level?
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McCain’s a man who apparently has no personal problem with gay people, but continues to use his power and influence to block gay rights. Either he’s simply putting on a political show or simply doesn’t view his pal Buse as an equal American. Or maybe both. Regardless, this entire scenario stinks.
[Via Pam’s House Blend]
blake
John McCain is in good company: slave owners let their slaves work for them and also believed that the slaves were less than human.
So, what’s the fuss?
John
what’s the big deal? Cheney is anti-gay rights and has a lesbian daughter, Condi Rice is gay and that never stopped Bush either…
All I’m saying here is this is nothing new. They (candidates) must appeal to their party and gather as many votes as possible to win the House.. In my book it’s business as usual.
Wayne
Why is it ok to castigate John McCain for having a gay chief of staff, while at the same time everyone seems to be turning a blind eye to the fact that Obama has yet another homophobic, pro Prop 8 bigot out there shilling for him on his Faith Tour? Incredibly, Obama says he has these bigots represent him as a way to show tolerance, but you’ll notice Obama never seems to invite any other bigots to the party. You don’t see KKK members on Obama’s Faith Tours, but you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a homophobe.
liberal
With friends like Scott Tucker who needs enemy’s?
rayrayj
There are very clear differences between McCain and Obama. Yes both have homophobes and homosexuals working for their campaigns and both are in favor of defining marriage as “between one man and one woman.” However, Obama is in favor of my right to openly serve in the military, and in favor of employment nondiscrimination. He openly proclaims his belief in my rights to equal protection and treatment rather than trying to cloud the issue by suggesting that equal treatment may be special treatment. I can’t understand why any self-respecting gay man or lesbian would support McCain. I’ve said it more than once and I’ll repeat it here, Gay Republicans makes about as much sense to me as Jewish Nazis.
Timothy
I guess I’m distracted when John McCain “continues to use his power and influence to block gay rights”.
Perhaps a single example of how he blocked a single gay rights bill anywhere at any time might help remind me.
I’m not talking about gereralities like “oooh he supports this or he said he doesn’t support that”. I don’t even want some vote from the 90’s on some issue.
I want to know – precisely – when he used his power and influence to block gay rights.
If he’s such a homophobic, hypocritical, evil nasty monster, I’m sure no one will have trouble coming up with a list of times that McCain USED HIS POWER to BLOCK gay rights.
Or are we just being hyperbolic here
Brian Miller
Why is it ok to castigate John McCain for having a gay chief of staff, while at the same time everyone seems to be turning a blind eye to the fact that Obama has yet another homophobic, pro Prop 8 bigot out there shilling for him on his Faith Tour?
Simple. Because McCain’s a Republican and Obama is a Democrat.
If the two men were in the other’s party, with McCain as the Democrat and Obama as the Republican, the same people would be ranting about Obama’s opposition to gay marriage, Biden’s vote for DOMA, and all of his crazy religious friends.
They’d be busy slamming Obama’s openly gay staffers as quislings and sellouts, and promoting John McCain as equality personified.
Of course, the reality is that there are few substantive differences between McCain and Obama on gay issues. Obama gives pretty speeches about gays while doing nothing (and pandering to homophobic religion), while McCain avoids gay topics while doing nothing (and pandering to homophobic religion).
Party politics rots the brain, this is just the most recent example of it.