Joe Solmonese brought out the Human Rights Campaign’s biggest weapon — its press release mill — to attack Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck in a 400-word statement after the district attorney called homosexuality a choice and compared it to alcoholism (as awful things we might be somewhat genetically predisposed to). But when Valerie Jarrett, the White House senior advisor and recent HRC National Dinner guest, conveyed the exact same sentiment in a Washington Post interview, HRC was completely silent. (Jarrett has since, uh, clarified her comments.) Why the different approaches to public figures making gross misstatements? Because one of these individuals is a Republican, and the other is a Democrat, and Solmonese & Co. knows which party is its master.
gregger
My last comment was about HRC inching ever closer to irrelevancy. Now Joe and his minions are broad jumping towards it. Typical, maybe they’ll throw a cocktail party to congratulate themselves over the comments to the Asshole from Colorado and invite Valerie Jarrett to be the special guest.
Rick Gold
@gregger: “HRC inching ever closer to irrelevancy”
My friend, they passed that point LONG AGO!
whatever
Jarret acknowledged it as a misstatemet and Buck stands by his statement.
How retarded are you, JD? Trig Palin must be thrilled to know there is someone he’s smarter than.
Gregger
@ Rick Gold, HRC unfortunately still has a huge amount of people in the LGBT community and the pro-LGBT community that think , however mistakenly, that HRC actually does something other than have cocktail parties and awards galas for themselves.
Yellow Bone
@whatever: Attacking a baby with down syndrome. Nice. Not low brow or plain ol’ nasty at all. *sarcasm*
AL
Gay rights arguments hinge way too much on whether being gay is a choice or not. This ignores the fact that some people happen to like both males and females and it sends a message that we all really want to stop being gay and would choose a traditional, family-oriented, heterosexual lifestyle if we could.
In a civil rights debate, it’s irrelevant whether it’s a choice or not. People still deserve respect and equality even if they do make choices that mainstream society considers bizarre or unconventional, as long as you aren’t hurting anyone.
After all, people can and do choose to join all sorts of religions and it is generally considered taboo to criticize someone’s beliefs, no matter how strange.
whatever
@Yellow Bone: I said he was smarter that the writer of this article. How is that attacking the baby?
Queer Supremacist
HRC is less relevant than Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.
I’ve been thinking about this lately, and it occurred to me how much anti-gay legislation passed on the national level under Clinton (don’t give me that “Republicans wrote the bill” line. That is a technicality. Clinton could have vetoed it), yet I can’t recall any specifically anti-gay legislation on the national level that passed under any Republican president since Reagan (lack of funding for HIV/AIDS research doesn’t count). And now with HomophObama appealing the ruling that struck down DADT, it’s clear to me that we cannot depend on political parties to get us our rights. Every gay rights victory has been won by gay people through the courts. And 2 of the 3 rulings in our favor were made by Republican appointed judges.
The narrative of all Republicans bad/all Democrats good was a lie from day one. Those who are still pushing it just show how pathetic they are in their partisanship.
The shell game being played by the so-called “Democratic” Party is over. The ball is not under any of the shells.
Cam
@whatever: said..
”
Jarret acknowledged it as a misstatemet and Buck stands by his statement.”
________________________
“Misstatement” is a B.S. term that basically means. “Crap, I got caught talking about my actual opinions.
The fact that she said “Lifestyle choice” to discribe gays shows that that is how we are spoken about behind closed doors at the White House, it actually goes a long way towards explaining why the White House is now actively attempting to deny us our rights.
AL
@Cam:
Jarrett’s message was one of tolerance regardless of whether her words were poorly chosen. She said that nobody should have to go through this kind of torment due to their lifestyle choices, which would have been a great thing to say if it weren’t for the fact she was talking specifically about gay kids.
While being gay isn’t a lifestyle choice, coming out in high school is a lifestyle choice as are many other things that even straight kids do. Teens do get bullied for lifestyle choices, not just for their presumed sexual orientation.
Once again this is one of those situations where political correctness has distracted people from the real issue here.
Wolfbear
@AL: I agree. We can choose what we do and don’t do but we are who we are. I learned about gay life in the 60’s. I had been having gay sex with my stepbrother for a couple years when I read an article entitled “Homosexuality in America”. I almost killed myself and wound up in a detention home after running away from home. I struggled with it until I was 40 trying everything from church to psychiatrist. When I got married at 40 and have lived an heterosexual relationship for 20 years with children and grandchildren. Now,guesss what? I AM STILL GAY AND ONLY STAY IN MY MARRIAGE BECAUSE SHE LOVES ME. I think about men and desire them. I wish to god I had persued my gay life for even now at 61 I know I have been gay since I was a child. The point is I chose what to do but I am still what I am and that is GAY.
Miserable ‘str8’ guy.