We generally don’t expect to find common cause with 80-year-old Republican politicians from flyover states, but former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) made our afternoon by taking his own party—and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum in specific—to task for venomous attacks on the LGBT community.
In a recent Face the Nation segment with Bob Schieffer, Simpson—a right-winger who once said gun control meant “holding your rifle steady”—slammed his former colleague from Pennsylvania: “[Santorum] is rigid and homophobic…. In an interview in 2003 he mentioned bestiality [in connection] with gays and lesbians. I think that’s disgusting.”
You and us both, sir.
Simpson, a former Senate whip who now chairs the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also predicted the Republicans will lose the presidential election if they keep harping on social issues. Above, he tells Schieffer that, “if you get into these social issues and just stay there—about abortion and homosexuality and mental health,” it’ll be fatal to the GOP.
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The Republican elder statesman also said that if the GOP is the party that preaches the “precious” right to privacy, “how then can they [embrace] the hypocrisy of fiddling with these social issues? We won’t have a prayer.”
From your lips to God’s ear, Senator.
Source: AddictingInfo.org. Photos via CBS News, Gage Skidmore
Jim Hlavac
My favorite 80 year old Republican from a flyover state was Barry Goldwater, who as long as as 1994 said “Gay Americans deserve full civil rights including military service and marriage.”
Strangely, at a Republican forum the other day, where they were wondering why Santorum was not so good, many people brought up his obsession with gays; it is not unnoticed in more rational Republican circles. And I added to the fire, and many people came to say I was right, Santorum is just a lunatic when it comes to gays.
And in our “evolving” nation, let’s keep in mind that neither party is really “for” us, as some are less against us than others. But it’s going to be one big exciting gay election and every politician will have to finally take a stand. Santorum’s is the losing one, alas for him.
the crustybastard
Simpson was chair of the Veteran’s Affairs Committee when he voted in favor of the “Homosexual Conduct Act,” excluding all gay people from the military without exception (popularly if erroneously known as “DADT”).
Simpson also voted in favor of DOMA — just like his senatorial colleague Rick Santorum.
Having lent his support to such rigid and homophobic laws WHEN IT MATTERED, Alan Simpson really needs to STFD and STFU, and not rehabilitated and lionized by liberals and gays simply because he’s suddenly decided he’s above comparing us to degenerates who screw animals.
Ferchrissakes, have a little self-respect.
Finally, if Simpson doesn’t like the nasty, homophobic, busybody direction his party has taken, as one of his party’s “elder statesmen,” he should shoulder a good portion of the blame rather than pointing his finger at others.
Interior Decorating
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GayGOP
@the crustybastard: Simpson has, in the past, acknowledged that he was wrong in voting for DADT and DOMA, and publicly, and has worked to get them repealed since he . The attitude that we should never forgive those who worked against us, but have been persuaded otherwise is as toxic and dangerous as the ones expressed by those who oppose us.
Wisdom is never so late as to be useless, and forgiveness will make us better than our enemies, and will win us more allies.
Kieran
Alan Simpson has always been a man of integrity and a straight-shooter who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He proved it once again.
Seamus
@Jim Hlavac: I have no doubt there are many Democratic politicians who appear to support LGBT voters, but are just as bigoted in private as their more outspoken GOP colleagues. The difference is, Democratic politicians can utilize the political ideology of their party to further their own careers in spite of their personal convictions, while Republicans cannot influence their policies by their personal convictions BECAUSE of the ideology of their party. Remember when John McCain, circa 2000, was a fiscally conservative, but socially moderate candidate? Then in 2008, he was running against a mixed race candidate while his own party had sunk into the dark abyss of Evangelical politics. He had to change for the sake of his own preservation. Not to mention, the citizens of his home state of Arizona went fucking ape-shit.
Seamus
Anyone notice how HUGE Simpson’s hands are? His fingers are so incredibly long. He could have been a pianist.
geoff
To Prick Santorum: ‘I can’t think of enough bad things to say about you’. But, honey, keep on running because you will patially responsible for Mitt losing in the general come fall.
Erich
For once, a Republican that realizes and speaks out against the hypocrisy of social engineering vis-a-vis limited government.
Dirty Ole Man
As an ex-Republican,I can state that the Republicans have moved so far to the right that Simpson now appears to be a moderate. All of which makes me a flaming liberal.
For an old geezer..Simpson has a lot on the ball. The right-wing nuts should listen to him.
the crustybastard
@GayGOP: Simpson has, in the past, acknowledged that he was wrong in voting for DADT and DOMA
Well, no shit. It WAS wrong. He was the BMOC Republican when he cast those votes. He was an adult who knew what he was doing.
…and has worked to get them repealed
Baloney. Alan Simpson’s retired flapping gums haven’t gotten anything repealed. He chose to make himself our enemy when it MATTERED. He made his bigotry into federal laws that has fucked up millions of lives. There’s no mulligan for that. He doesn’t get to say, “Oopsie! My bad, so we’re all good now.” Nope. Absolutely not. We’re not all good, and we never will be.
The attitude that we should never forgive those who worked against us, but have been persuaded otherwise is as toxic and dangerous as the ones expressed by those who oppose us. Wisdom is never so late as to be useless, and forgiveness will make us better than our enemies, and will win us more allies.
More baloney. No, my unwillingness to forgive him won’t cost him his children, his rights or even a single penny. He won’t die a second-class citizen because I think he’s a soulless sack of shit. Ergo — my contempt for him is not in the slightest way AS toxic and dangerous, your fortune-cookie prose to the contrary.
Moreover, I don’t need to forgive Alan Simpson to be better than him. I’ve NEVER done a single thing — much less TWO things — that have intentionally caused grave harm to a minority. So yes, I AM better than him. Although admittedly being a better person than Alan Simpson isn’t much of an accomplishment.
Now the elderly Alan Simpson is diligently working to dismantle Social Security, and will probably croak before he has to apologize for that too. This lackwitted old fart needs a hobby that has absolutely NOTHING to do with crafting public policy.
Dirty Ole Man
@Crusty..get ur facts straight regarding Simpson, bucko, or STFU. He is not part of Evangelical/Tea Party/Racist/Homophobic hordes. Only vice is a gun nut.
There's more T there
I heard Simpson actually said Santorum is frigid. The story of how the senator came to that juicy realization is the clincher.
Xatian11968
I appreciate the stance by real Republicans like Barry Goldwater, Sandra Day O’Conner, Laura Bush, Mary Cheney and others who are actively working to break through the barriers that are inherent in a transforming Republican party and religiously inclined US. It is very fortunate to see their work correct and eliminate the bad information influencing the perceptions about LGBTQ people. The changing position of Alan Simpson and Dick Cheney are powerful indication that investment to encourage support from within the GOP is a proper investment. Only until LGBTQ people (and their democratic factions) foster proper perceptions from a majority of members in both parties, will they be able to fully accomplish the goal of “equal” standing in the eyes of the government.
There are many LGBTQ republicans, and the support of the entire community is necessary to aid them in their circles, as in democratic ones, and this is regardless of the fact that Obama himself is against various rights the LGBTQ community is abandoned from having. And that’s very important for non-religiously minded LGBTQ friends to remember, because many Americans believe that their freedom is inherent from the liberty provided for by God. So in their mind, and in the court cases and elections to come, I would think the question remains how do you define liberty provided for by the ever fallible man instead?
the crustybastard
@Dirty Ole Man:
What facts do you imagine that I have wrong? Are you suggesting that Alan Simpson DIDN’T vote for the military gay ban or DOMA? Those votes are a matter of public record. Go look them up.
So prove me wrong (you cannot) or STFU yourself, nimrod.
Simpson has plenty of vices, including flag worship (dumbass wanted to actually amend the US Constitution to ban flag-burning) — however, he’s hardly a “gun nut,” given that he has, for example, voted to prohibit anyone convicted of a domestic violence charge from owning a firearm, while real “gun nuts” stand for the proposition that the Second Amendment’s “Congress shall make no law” phrase actually means that Congress cannot legislate on the matter.
Dirty Ole Man
@Crusty aka nimrod said…
“Simpson has plenty of vices, including flag worship (dumbass wanted to actually amend the US Constitution to ban flag-burning) ”
This proves you are a dirty rotten commie!
.. oh, lighten up, I was just rattlin ur cage..did a good job, huh!