Paladino loses support of pseudo-Hasidic Rabbi Teabag for sounding sorry about gay bashing sermon

[BurtWorm]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/lg68q9iB124/doh_22.php

Wow. You can't win these days trying to have it both ways on whether to hate or accept gay Americans.

The GOP's Carl Paladino has now lost the endorsement of Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the showboating right-wing rabbi who apparently wrote or arranged the writing of the speech that Paladino gave bashing gays -- the one that caused the whole brouhaha in the first place. Levin withdrew his endorsement after Paladino subsequently apologized for his anti-gay remarks.

Frankly, I'm surprised he apologized. Not that he shouldn't; needless to say, I completely disagree with his views on this issue. But most politicians who come out with some charged anti-gay remarks have thought through the politics, if not the issue itself. They know they'll get slammed by supporters of the gay community. And they've decided they're okay with that. After Rick Santorum or whatever other Republican says something about gays being gross, you don't expect him to show up a couple days later apologizing and saying he's ready to stand up for the rights of gays.

In his apology he says, "I will reach out to leaders of the gay community to educate me on how to better represent my support for the rights of all citizens. If elected as your governor I will stand and fight for all gay New Yorkers rights." This is after saying in his speech over the weekend in which he said "I don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. It isn't." First, no brainwashing. Now he's stepping up for reeducation. I don't want to lose hold of the fact that it's great he's changing his tune. But is this even really a campaign?

I guess you can chalk this up to the lesson that if you're running for public office and agree to speak before some special interest group, especially a political hustler on the margins of a special interest group, don't agree to read a speech your team didn't write and which you don't even know the contents of.