Romney Taps Openly Gay Ex-Bush Spokesperson To Speak On Foreign Policy, National Security
Out spokesperson Richard Grenell has been tapped by the Romney campaign to be their go-to spokesperson on matters of foreign policy and national security, reports Metro Weekly.
Grenell previously served as a spokesperson for the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. during most of the Bush administration. He told The Advocate in 2008 that he and his partner (now of 10 years) Matt Lashey considered themselves married and would do so as soon as same-sex unions were legalized in New York State, though we couldn’t dig up any reports saying whether they’d actually tied the know after it passed last year.
Metro Weekly reminds us that though Grenell served a generally anti-gay administration, he did do his best to assert some rights as a gay man, particularly when it came to his dear partner Matt:
At the end of Grenell’s service in the Bush administration, he took a notable whack at the administration, telling The Advocate‘s Kerry Eleveld of his effort to have his partner, Matt Lashey, listed in the United Nations’ Blue Book, which is “a reference guide of contact information for different member states of the United Nations as well as diplomatic personnel and their spouses.”
Grenell had attempted to have Lashey’s name added several times, to no avail. He told The Advocate back in 2008, “What put me over the edge was a friend and colleague who met her spouse after I was already with my partner—they got married and subsequently were put into the Blue Book in a matter of days.”
The State Department eventually told him that the Defense of Marriage Act prevented the listing. Although he protested the decision behind the scenes, Lashey’s name was not ever added, which led to his coming forward to criticize the treatement publicly as he left his post.
What do you guys think of this homocon? He seems a hell of a lot better than fellow gay GOPers Ken Mehlman and Kathryn Lehman, both of whom actively worked against gay rights. But Grenell still served a tremendously anti-gay administration, and for some people that is unforgivable.
So let me get this str8 Bi-Coastal, We should be happy because Romney who is
ani-anything gay hires a minion who has zero influence over any policy making in Romney’s campain and we should be thrilled? You have serious issues bud get some help.
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Romney has surrounded himself with pretty boys of all sexual variants for many years,
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@Akula
Exactly. It really is like a black person working for a segregationist in the 60′s
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Any gay man who works for Romney is not on “my side”.
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@mike128: Just because the Democrats have got one issue right out of the hundreds that we have to discuss, doesn’t mean I’m going to sacrifice everything at the Democratic alter. I’m proud to support Mitt Romney campaign, marriage equality and LGBT issues.
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No. 7 is me. No idea who No. 5 is, but apparently ‘Zach’ is a common name.
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@zach: http://www.thegrio.com/politics/obama-appoints-record-number-of-gay-officials.php
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Didn’t Rick Santorum have an openly-gay African-American man as his Senate spokesperson?
Mitt Romney wants to write discrimination into the Constitution with his support for a anti-gay marriage amendment.
Any gay willing to let him win is a self-loathing moron.
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Zach=quisling, act like you give a crap and he will vote for you.
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i wonder how this guy feels about being used as a pawn….
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Romney is much more gay-friendly than Obama. Romney has lots of gay and bisexual male friends. He doesn’t judge them on their sexuality. Obama, on the other hand, seems to want to hide all his friends.
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The question becomes: will Romney lose his hesitant evagelical or even some Catholic support?
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@JP: Romney pays lip service to the Federal Marriage Amendment, but he won’t invest any actual political capital to have it ratified. Also, the President is entirely irrelevant to the constitutional amendment process; he can not sign or veto an amendment.
Obama does the exact same thing with ENDA. He gives nice speeches about it when he wants money or votes, but he hasn’t actually used any political capitol to pass it.
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@jason: Delusional. Isn’t this the same Romney in January who disavowed any knowledge of a flyer that simply stated Mitt supported Pride weekend (of 2002) that said: “All citizens deserve equal rights regardless of their sexual preference.” Even though he originally approved the flyer, when asked about it in January, he completely denied supporting it or even the simple idea of equal rights. Seems to me Romney is no friend of gay people, unless he needs their votes that is.
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Romney’s position on the defense of marriage act (DOMA): “The actions that I take as president depends on part on the state of play in Washington, the people that are there and what options exists – but certainly I would defend the Defense of Marriage Act which the current president has refused to defend. I believe that the Defense of Marriage Act was well constructed and should be maintained.”
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On Romney’s 2008 donation to hate group NOM: ” The Romney campaign says the donation to NOM is hardly surprising given the candidate’s opposition to same-sex marriage and his avowed support for Proposition 8, which was approve by California voters.
“Gov. Romney believes marriage is an institution between a man and a woman and his PAC made a donation to a group supporting that view,”
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Didn’t Romney say he would support an amendment to the Constitution limiting marriage to a man and a woman? Sheer theocracy.
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He’s not better than vile Mehlman. Maybe prettier, but not better. He only cared that he worked for an anti-gay administration when it affected HIM, and now he’s gleefully jumping in with another anti-gay politician. Maybe he (and these pro-Romney fools) can ask why Romney donated in secret to NOM. Or ask him why he signed NOMs hate pledge. I wonder if any of Romney’s many gay “friends” mentioned above ask why he cozied up to NOM, and why he’d like to make legal same-sex marriages illegal.
Obama is far from perfect, but the flip-flopping empty suit that makes up Mitt Romney would be an absolute disaster.
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Romney a flip-flopping empty suit? I thought that accolade was reserved for fierce gay advocate Obama….
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There’s no denying Romney is a flip flopper. For every thing he’s ever said, there’s a video or tape or an interview where he’s said the exact opposite.
Also this new guy. Richard Grenell apparently sent out a bunch of sexist tweets over the last couple of months like saying Rachel Maddow looks like Justin Bieber and she needs to take break and put on a necklace & other childish taunts. So that’s how Romney plans to appeal to women. I wonder what’s Ann Romney’s stance on this.
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This is why I have a litmus test for my friends. I don’t want Republican gays, or self-loathing gays, or gays who only vote their self-interest anywhere near me in a bar or social setting or in my home. That’s what makes America great.
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Yes, mc, looks like this guy is as big a moron as the rest of the GOProudlings. Nasty tweets seem to be their specialty. As usual they demean others (usually women) based on looks, but have nothing to offer in terms of substance, policy, or real-world change. In other words, a perfect Republican shill. I wonder how long it will take for Flip, I mean, Mitt, to toss this fool under the bus?
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Just another Ken Mehlman in the making. A thoroughly gross human being.
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I would think that it would be a positive to have openly gay person’s as democrats and as republicans if one were wanting equal rights. It shows all gays aren’t the same in all of their views. If republicans can get behind gay people, then we would have gay marriage and a lot more love and understanding in general. This would be at church, school, home, work, rural areas, cities…. This is a good thing.
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I wonder whether this guy finds romney hot.I think ROmney is a DILF!
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He resigned his post because he could not get his “spouse” on some contact list? Never mind the anti-gay rhetoric and policies of the right wing. His priorities seem self-serving. He just doesn’t get it.
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Even when the Right is on our side, Queerty will take advantage of any opportunity to take a whack at them. Says a lot about the mind-set here.