Desperate defense of the 'values' crowd: Hypocrisy doesn't matter

I thought I had seen it all from the moralizing, anti-gay, bible beating mouthpieces, but I think this may take the cake. As commenter Justabill noted in another thread, we've had these Republican Sexual Hypocrite reveals in the last month and a half:
* Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), cruising for potty sex, somehow "mistakenly" pleads guilty.
* Diaper David Vitter (R-LA) admits he's a "bad", "naughty" and "nasty boy" with hookers.
* Glenn Murphy, Jr., the recently elected chairman of the Young Republican National Federation, caught sexually assaulting a sleeping man.
* former White house spiritual advisor and fallen megachurch pastor Tweaker Ted "I'm completely heterosexual" Haggard asking whatever fans he has left for money.
* former NC Republican lawmaker and Christian Action League president, Coy C. Privette -- caught at the no-tell motel with a sex worker -- also guilty.
* Mark Foley is back in the news, he won’t turn over his former congressional computer to investigators.
* Rep. Bob Allen, another Republican, caught asking to blow an undercover officer and willing to pay $20 for the pleasure; currently coming up with an excuse for the day (scary black men, thunderstorms) for his same-sex appetite.

With the hypocrite closet bursting open, and its occupants falling out on top of one another, there's not a lot the Moral Values Set^TM can do except wring their hands and fret about the state of things, right? They rallied the faithful in the evangelical pews and placed their faith in -- and cast their votes for -- publicly pious, "family values" politicians and community leaders who now are destroying the right-wing campaign to retake the secular culture back from the godless heathens, wanton women who dare to want to control their womb and sexuality, and the homosexuals.

As Nadine Smith of Equality Florida said in this article in the Florida Times-Union, Does private behavior matter?:

"It seems like the people who are the most vocal, the most condemning, the most judgmental, seem to be people struggling deeply with their own personal conflicts, and that's where the scandals come from whether it's the church or politics. It's fairly routine. Find someone banging the drum of hysteria around an issue, and you'll find someone, generally speaking, who is wrestling themselves internally."

However, you would be wrong if you thought the fringe right couldn't come up with a "better" rationalization for all the moral falls from grace, as it were.

Should private behavior matter in public leaders? Some political observers say yes, arguing that morality is the only way to ensure a politician's voting record stays consistent with his or her personal values. But others say the recent revelations only prove hypocrisy, and some politicians say public expectations can be unreasonable.

Note to readers: bookmark this post; you will want to refer to the following mind-blowing quotes from this article time to time.

First up, Jim Smith, editor of the Jacksonville-based Florida Baptist Witness:

"If someone's walk doesn't match their talk, of course it's relevant. But a politician's conduct "also has to be evaluated in light of other considerations, and we aren't electing saints here," Smith said. "All of us are fallen and subject to sin. We're not looking for perfection. But we do want integrity."

They accuse the left of moral relativism and hair-splitting? On to Father Tony Palazzolo, priest and pastoral consultant at the Diocese of St. Augustine:

"Is it a one-time indiscretion, or a pattern? Was there an apology? Repentance? It seems to me your religious values determine how you make a decision about right or wrong and good and bad, and if you're willing to compromise those values in your private life, it seems the same thing would hold true for a person's public life."

How about this, from John Stemberger, of the Florida Family Policy Council Inc. (he's working to pass a same-sex marriage ban amendment in the Sunshine State). The article notes that he suggests a "sliding scale" when evaluating a politician's fall from grace.

"If I'm going to hire a plumber, their primary job is to do it right, and I'm not too concerned with their character and moral life. When does it become relevant? To be a lawmaker and then a lawbreaker means there has been a violation of trust. Character does matter."

Oh, so it only matters if you're caught breaking the law. What this is really about is going back to the good old days where "forbidden immoral acts" occurred on the DL on Saturday night, and you turned up in church in your Sunday best the next day -- and no one knows you broke your marital vows by blowing that guy in that highway rest stop, potentially exposing your spouse to STDs. That's correct "Christian" behavior.

My personal favorite comes from Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition, associate of Jack Abramoff, and frequent talking head when the MSM wants a rep from the far right:

Let's be clear what voters of faith are saying. They're not saying that every single politician who professes a conservative viewpoint should live up to that standard. It's really the opposite. None of us are perfect, and we all fall short of God's grace. A lot of times that gets lost when someone's failing becomes politicized."

Yes, working to elect people to deny tax-paying, law-abiding LGBT citizens civil rights while those self-loathing pols cruise for gay sex makes perfect sense.

One frustrated Florida pol wants more reasonable standards for hypocrites. Republican State Senator Jim King of Jacksonville has been fighting off rumors that he was frequenting t*tty bars.

"I live a pretty good Christian life, but in the eyes of some people I'm being disrespectful because sometimes I like to drink wine with dinner. That's frustrating. Elected officials are expected to live a totally different life than their neighbors."

Stay out of our wombs and bedrooms and then we'll stop talking about the moral hypocrites when the stories hit the front pages. Read More......

Countering Ann Coulter at Xavier University

Some of the progressive students at Xavier University in Ohio aren't too happy that the nasty, bigoted homophobe Ann Coulter is appearing on their campus. But, they've turned their anger into action at their blog, Counter Ann Coulter. They're raising money -- in $5.00 increments -- to bring progressive speakers to campus:

She has every right to speak her mind (and she's paid well to do it, her $20,000+ speaking fee equals about $5 for every Xavier student). But we speak our minds, too; for values like compassion, equality, and diversity. The same values Xavier students work to uphold with groups like Xavier's Gay-Straight Alliance, Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and Earthcare.

Here’s where you come in: While Coulter pollutes the air with her divisive message on one side of Xavier’s campus on September 6, on the other side we’ll be presenting a check to Xavier student organizations working to make their campus – and Ohio – a place where everyone feels at home.

Can you spare just $5 – an Abe Lincoln – to support the same communities Coulter regularly bashes for pay?

We’ll also send her a ‘thank you’ card signed with your name, and let her know how much money we raised.

Very cool. Thank you to the students at Xavier. Read More......

This Is Your GOP

Just take a look down this page. You have the Iraq disaster (four years later), the Katrina disaster (two years later) and the Craig situation (some two decades in the making). This is the state of the Republican Party today. Foreign policy disaster, domestic policy catastrophe and ethical misdeeds that illustrate hypocrisy. There's a bit of poetic justice that today is Karl Rove's last day in the White House.

I'm stating this right now - if the Democrats fail to retake the White House this cycle, every consultant involved with the failed campaign must be forced to quit the business. The Dems have more money and are facing a dispirited and corrupt foe. I'm pretty sure not even Bob Shrum could screw this up. Read More......

Open thread - what Larry Craig should have said

David Guggenheim, producer of Michelangelo Signorile's radio show (on SIRIUS OutQ 109) put together this hilarious remix of Larry Craig's press conference. Mike passed it on to me.

It's called "What Larry Craig Should Have Said."  Protect your keyboards, folks...


Hey, we don't want him in our club... Read More......

Worried Republicans start calling for Craig to resign

Tick, tick, tick. The clock is running out for Larry Craig. His Republican colleagues have started calling for him to quit. Senator/Presidential candidate John McCain and Senator Norm Coleman, who is facing a tough re-election in Minnesota, are leading the charge:

Craig "represents the Republican party," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the first fellow GOP member of Congress to urge a resignation.

Craig said Tuesday he had committed no wrongdoing and shouldn't have pleaded guilty. He said he has only recently retained a lawyer to advise him in the case that threatens to write an ignominious end to a lifetime in public office.

Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota joined Hoekstra in urging Craig to step down.

McCain spoke out on an interview with CNN. "My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve. That's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation."

Coleman said in a written statement, "Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator."

Where's all the outrage in the GOP about David Vitter? Read More......

Brave New Films does it again

I really can't say enough good things about the work and consistency of Brave New Films. Almost exactly a year ago I was hugely impressed by their documentary Iraq for Sale, and since then I've followed their great involvement regarding issues ranging from the Middle East to domestic politics.

They're at it again with a Katrina short, as well as an accompanying petition, at WhenTheSaints.org. Check it out:
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Tucker Carlson says he assaulted man who made pass at him in restroom

[UPDATE: See below. Carlson responded to Media Matters, but his story has changed. Now he says he and his friend merely "held" the man who came on to him as opposed to his macho claim on the air that he "grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head."]

The MSNBC host has serious masculinity issues. He said that Obama "seems like kind of a wuss" and "It makes you wonder what he won't compromise of himself. Are we going to have mani/pedi parties next?" because the presidential candidate belongs to a book club. More recently he went batsh*t on the air over a discussion about transgender issues when he fixated on gender reassignment surgery and the thought of his "boys" being removed.

Now he pitches a fit while discussing Larry Craig, relating to an incident he experienced in a public restroom. (Media Matters, which has video):

"Having sex in a public men's room is outrageous. It's also really common. I've been bothered in men's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in Georgetown Park," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." When Abrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," Carlson asserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head, actually."

Here's the video, with Joe Scarborough and Dan Abrams yukking it up with Tucker (the talk of the bashing is about 3 min in):



As I've noted before, Tucker has to deal with Freepers continually questioning his masculinity and sexual orientation; I guess it leaves him so wound up about his manhood that he can't simply tell the bathroom perv he's not interested. Think about it -- he came back with a friend to bash the guy. Nice.

Here's the MSNBC page for Tucker's show, and the e-mail for the show: Tucker@msnbc.com.

***

UPDATE: Tucker responded to Media Matters:

Let me be clear about an incident I referred to on MSNBC last night: In the mid-1980s, while I was a high school student, a man physically grabbed me in a men's room in Washington, DC. I yelled, pulled away from him and ran out of the room. Twenty-five minutes later, a friend of mine and I returned to the men's room. The man was still there, presumably waiting to do to someone else what he had done to me. My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived.

Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing. That's absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me.

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New poll shows most Idahoans want Craig to resign

Found this Idaho poll via Think Progress. It's not good for the senior Senator from Idaho (who is not gay, btw, and never has been).

The headlines from the SurveyUSA poll show that an astounding 55% of Idahoans already think Craig should resign. And, Craig's disapproval is at 58% -- with a drop of 26 percentage points in his approval:

55% in Idaho Say U.S. Senator Larry Craig Should Resign: Less than 36 hours after the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call first broke the story of Larry Craig's arrest in an airport bathroom, 89% in Idaho are aware. SurveyUSA interviewed 600 Idaho adults the evening of 8/28/07 to measure initial reaction, including 475 registered voters who have heard the news accounts. Of Idaho voters, 55% today say Craig should resign. 34% say Craig should remain in office. 11% are not sure. Among Idaho Republicans, 45% say Craig should resign, 42% say Craig should remain in office. Democrats and Independents overwhelmingly say Craig should resign. There are many sides to a complex story, and as new facts come to light, opinions can be expected to change.

Job Approval for Craig down 26 Points to 34%: Among all Idaho adults, 34% today approve of Craig's Job Performance, 58% disapprove. When SurveyUSA last recorded Job Approval numbers for Craig and fellow U.S. Senator from Idaho Mike Crapo, in November 2006, Craig had a 60% Job Approval, 26 percentage points higher than his approval today. Crapo had a 61% Job Approval in November 2006, identical to his Job Approval today. Over 19 consecutive months of tracking Craig, his SurveyUSA Job Approval among Idaho Republicans ranged from 71% to 82%. Today, among Idaho Republicans Craig's approval is 46%. Among Idaho Conservatives, Craig's Job Approval for 19 months ranged between 70% and 80%. Today, among Conservatives, Craig's approval is at 51%.

I'm beginning to wonder if Larry Craig will even return to DC next week when the Senate reconvenes. With these poll numbers and that debacle of a press conference yesterday, the odds are increasing that he'll just resign. There's going to be enormous pressure from Republicans to get him out of office. Maybe that will be Rove's last task before he leaves the Bush administration at the end of the month. And as if on cue, CNN just reported that a Bush spokesperson said that the Bush administration is "disappointed" with Craig. And, they think Craig and the Senate leaders need to address it. Uh-huh.

McJoan at DailyKos, who is our favorite Idahoan and to whom we turn for Idaho political insight, had this to say about the implications of Craig leaving:

Before you scoff at the idea of an Idaho race being competitive, remember Larry Grant in ID-01 in 2006. The Republicans and the Club for Growth were forced to spend hundreds of thousands to get that seat. Freakin' Dick Cheney actually had to come to the state to campaign for Sali. Yes, Sali being the nominee helped the Dems, but it didn't take long for the Republican establishment fully embrace his campaign to protect that seat. A Senate seat is a taller order, but it still can be credibly challenged, even in Idaho.

The Republicans are going to have to compete to keep a Senate seat in Idaho. They're going to have to work really hard for it. Read More......

Bush wants $50 billion to pay for his failed, endless escalation

Bush wants another $50 billion to pay for his so-called "surge." Clearly, based on the report in today's Washington Post, the Bush administration is being very careful and calculating with its political strategy to obtain the funds. Again, makes one wonder if the war would be going better if Bush and his war cabinet put as much time into planning the strategy for the war as they do planning the politics of the war:

The request is being prepared now in the belief that Congress will be unlikely to balk so soon after hearing the two officials argue that there are promising developments in Iraq but that they need more time to solidify the progress they have made, a congressional aide said.

Most of the additional funding in a revised supplemental bill would pay for the current counteroffensive in Iraq, which has expanded the U.S. force there by about 28,000 troops, to about 160,000. The cost of the buildup was not included in the proposed 2008 budget because Pentagon officials said they did not know how long the troop increase would last. The decision to seek about $50 billion more appears to reflect the view in the administration that the counteroffensive will last into the spring of 2008 and will not be shortened by Congress.

Bush is convinced he can roll Congress -- again.

For Bush, Iraq is an endless war with an endless supply of money. That's why so many people took a stand last night including Congressman Tom Allen, pictured below. It's time to end the war:
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Man recounts Union Station sexual encounter with Craig

The Idaho Statesman, which Craig blamed for his woes in his news conference yesterday (ha!), has a transcript up from its interview with the man who says he had oral sex with the senator in a Union Station restroom. A snippet:

"Upon walking into Union Station one day, I made eye contact with a well-dressed older gentleman whom I recognized as Sen. Craig. We, after having made eye contact for 30 seconds or so, we began walking towards one of the restrooms in Union Station.

"I followed him in there. We went to the urinals, where we both unzipped ...

"The restroom became busy, too busy to do anything. So we zipped up and then followed each other to the second restroom in Union Station, where we began the same process. And had a -- I also performed fellatio for a very, very short amount of time, as that restroom became busy as well. At that point we both zipped up and left and went on our separate ways.

There's also audio with the full interview. Read More......

GOP Operative: "The real question for Republicans in Washington is how low can you go"

The Republicans Party presents itself as the model of virtue and familiy values. The Republican Party has an agenda based on hate and divisiveness. That Republican Party is falling apart. Read this article in today's New York Times:

Just when Republicans thought things could not get any worse, Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho confirmed that he had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct after an undercover police officer accused him of soliciting sex in June in a Minneapolis airport restroom. On Tuesday, Mr. Craig, 62, held a news conference to defend himself, calling the guilty plea “a mistake” and declaring, “I am not gay” — even as the Senate Republican leadership asked for an Ethics Committee review.

It was a bizarre spectacle, and only the latest in a string of accusations of sexual foibles and financial misdeeds that have landed Republicans in the political equivalent of purgatory, the realm of late-night comic television.

Forget Mark Foley of Florida, who quit the House last year after exchanging sexually explicit e-mail messages with under-age male pages, or Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist whose dealings with the old Republican Congress landed him in prison. They are old news, replaced by a fresh crop of scandal-plagued Republicans, men like Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, whose phone number turned up on the list of the so-called D.C. Madam, or Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska and Representative Rick Renzi of Arizona, both caught up in F.B.I. corruption investigations.

It is enough to make a self-respecting Republican want to tear his hair out in frustration, especially as the party is trying to defend an unpopular war, contain the power of the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill and generate some enthusiasm among voters heading toward the presidential election in 2008.

Wait....What is a "self-respecting Republican"? Is there such a creature? Read More......

Katrina, two years later

The French Quarter, relatively untouched by hurricane Katrina, is bustling, and businesses are being courted to New Orleans, but a good deal of the rest of the city and the Gulf region remain devastated. Awash in corruption, cronyism and incompetence, the reconstruction effort is a mess. Billions of money designated to the effort is not getting to those in need -- 42% of funds set aside for rebuilding and relief has not even been spent. The federal H2B "guestworker" visa program was set up for employers to hire people for the rebuilding effort. Because of the lack of oversight, abuse of workers, kidnapping and even modern-day slavery is occuring on the Gulf Coast.

To get a true sense of what it is like two years later, go to Voices from the Gulf from ColorofChange.org -- unvarnished video perspectives from the region.

The Institute for Southern Studies has published Blueprint for Gulf Renewal: The Katrina Crisis and a Community Agenda for Action.

On September 15, 2005, President Bush pledged that our nation would "do what it takes, and stay as long as it takes," to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Yet over 60,000 people are still in "temporary" FEMA trailers, and houses, hospitals and schools across the region remain shuttered. For thousands of people, the Katrina recovery has failed.

The study, published in collaboration with Oxfam America and the Jewish Funds for Justice, looks at 80 statistical indicators and draws on interviews with more than 40 Gulf Coast leaders to identify roadblocks to recovery, and ways federal leaders can tackle critical needs in the region like housing, jobs and coastal protection.

The study also features "Where did the Katrina money go?" -- an in-depth analysis of federal Katrina spending since 2005. The Institute reveals that, out of the $116 billion in Katrina funds allocated, less than 30% has gone towards long-term rebuilding -- and less than half of that 30% has been spent, much less reached those most in need.

Read More......

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Two years ago today, Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. The storm and its aftermath were absolutely brutal for the people who live there. And, the rest of us watched the glaring incompetence of the Bush administration. We saw they can't protect us -- and for several days back in late August of 2005, it really didn't seem like Bush and his people even cared. Today, Bush is in New Orleans, the scene of his biggest domestic disaster. Two years later, he still couldn't and probably wouldn't protect most of us.

Get it started. Read More......