Attorney Ted Olson won the gratitude of millions of LGBT Americans when he successfully overturned Proposition 8 with co-counsel David Boies. But he won’t be invited to any Pride parades for his latest gig: Prepping Republican vice-presidential hopeful Paul Ryan in his upcoming debate with Joe Biden.
It’s hardly Olsen’s first dip in GOP waters—he defended President Ronald Reagan during the Iran-Contra scandal and successfully argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court, enabling George W. Bush to become our 43rd president.
“Joe Biden has been in elected office for more than 40 years,” said Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck. “There are few people in politics with more experience debating the issues than Joe Biden, so we are taking this process seriously. Mr. Olson is one of the most skilled, intelligent, and successful litigators in America – just the kind of opponent needed to prepare the Congressman for Mr. Biden.”
Given Joltin’ Joe’s penchant for oratory faux pas, maybe the GOP should have lined up someone else to prepare Ryan for his opponent. We were thinking Charlie Sheen.
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Photo: David Shankbone, U.S. Congress
Dumdum
Is anyone else out there worried that these creeps are going to weasel their way into the White House like Bush did? We need the popular vote to be the standard for electing our president!!!The Electoral College is an outmoded and often biased system.The wealthy one percent want Romney.They wanted Bush and got him for 8 effing years! A Black man well sort of a Black man ,got into the White House before a woman. That should say something for the mind set we are facing.Now it’s two rich white guys and you know how much people love their wonder bread,even if it rots your colon it still looks good.I for one am going to the polls but I am still not sure if my voting really makes a difference anymore.And why do the Obama,s keep asking me for donations?I don’t have $25.00 to spare we just got a new puppy,now there are three mouths to feed.We may be Gay but (well I don’t know about the puppy it’s too soon to tell)we don’t have money to burn.Clutch pearls,I’m scared.
alexoloughlin
Exactly what does Olson know about foreign policy I wonder? Nobody can beat Biden on that and he’ll demolish Ryan point by point just as Clinton did at the convention.
Ecomosquito
Joe Biden knows the issues, and is actually a good debater.Joe Biden is much smarter than he gets credit for, and the Republicans know that. Olsons job is to help Ryan not get killed, and to teach Ryan a few rhetorical methods. In the last election Biden had to go easy on Palin to avoid looking like a bully, Ryan likely won’t have that concession.
It’s going to be sneaky weasel vs uncle Joe, and it won’t be close.
Ecomosquito
@Dumdum: At this point O is likely to do far better in the EC tally than the popular vote…and the reason the O campaign keeps asking for money is precisely because the 1% is supporting Romney so lavishly. It’s your decision whether you want to give, but if you can’t, then surely you can get some folks registered? An individual vote may not make much of a difference, but the individual vote of a group of concerned and informed individuals surely can.
jeff4justice
I LOVE IT!!!
I think it’s kinds funny, kinda sad how Prop 8 lawyer Ted Olson is once again throwing LGBTs under a bus by helping the GOP win in November (like he did here in CA back in 2010). I’m remembering how Democrats helped GWB vote in Alito and Roberts when Bush was Prez.
Gay Inc. mega groups and the LGBT media have ignored alternative party options who have been 100% supportive of equality (Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein, and Gary Johnson) and now we’re getting a dose of how that feels with Olson.
What goes around comes around.
Cam
Paul Ryans creepy closed mouth smile if offputting.
brent
What do people expect? Olson is a republican and supports republicans. He supported gays on the important issues that count. If liberal gays are so upset about Olson being a republican and supporting gay rights, then it would be interesting to see how gay liberals feel about blacks and hispanics being democrats but voting against gay rights. Never a complaint there.
John Doe
@brent: I completely agree. Much more could be said on this topic you’ve brought up…. but I’ll leave it at what you’ve said.
Freddie27
@jeff4justice: So you want things to be more partisan in Washington? Democrats should vote against every Republican appointment to every institution? Many Dems voted for Roberts and Alito because, guess what, George W Bush was elected President and had a right to appoint whom he wanted to the Supreme Court. Both were serving Appeals Court judges, well qualified and, yeah, conservative. But Bush had been elected by the people to make such appointments. The same way a number of Republicans, though not liking Kagan and Sotomayor’s views, voted to confirm because they believed the American people had voted in 2008 to give Obama the right to make appointments to the Supreme Court.