Sen. Hatch says GOP House leaders feared anti-gay label

[carzen]

U.S. House leaders may have delayed taking action against former Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley because they were afraid of appearing anti-gay, according to Sen. Orrin Hatch.

.......

Hatch's defense, presented to the Tribune editorial board earlier this week, centered on how busy Hastert is as the Republican leader in the House.

But he also said: "I don't know anybody today in the Congress who wants to act or be homophobic, so that may be part of the problem here."

.......

"It's interesting that Senator Hatch and other members of Congress would express a concern about being homophobic when they have supported a constitutional amendment to define marriage. Do they not consider that be homophobic?" asked Mike Thompson, Equality Utah's executive director.


http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4479584

[terrya]

1. "Appearing" anti-gay?

Here's a news bulletin to Orrin....you ARE anti-gay.

[JerseygirlCT]

16. I doubt they care about *being* homophobic

It's *looking* homophobic that was the concern.

[AlCzervik]

19. looking "Homophobic" to the independents is what they want to avoid

the base expects them, demands even that they are "Homophobes"

[terrya]

20. Oh, brother. That's from the "having your cake and eating it" dream world.

If you push a discriminatory contitutional amendment, then you're homophobic. Pure and simple.

Jackasses.

[JerseygirlCT]

33. Jackasses who don't give a damn

about anyone but themselves.

[waiting for hope]

2. Ha - another demographic they

are trying to win over - not going to work, it's been shown already they are nothing but a big bunch of bigots. Hey, BBB!

[Ian David]

43. 24% of gay people voted for Bush in 2004. n/t

[annarbor]

54. I sure as hell didn't!!!!!!!!!

Nor did most of my gay and STRAIGHT friends!!!

Ann Arbor

[JoFerret]

64. Internalized homophobia is toxic.

It is easy to understand, but very hard to forgive.

[AlCzervik]

3. if the house leadership did the correct thing when they learned about

it oh so many years ago i actually would have some respect for them and i wouldn't have said they were gay bashing but since they knew and covered it up i have nothing but contempt for them, actually even more contempt.

[KurtNYC]

4. Ok, so they want to ban marriage but they support shacking up?

They are only against monogamy?

[AndyA]

5. AFRAID of appearing anti-gay?

WHAT TOTAL AND COMPLETE BULLSHIT!

I guess they weren't worried about it while they were trying to make it illegal for gays to marry, essentially making them second class citizens, and ensuring they will never have the same rights as straight people have.

That isn't anti-gay, but outing one of their own who is gay for deviant behavior might appear anti-gay...oh brother!

That crazy little world they all seem to live in must be awfully crowded.

[Howardx]

6. hmmmmm

didnt the official word of foley's gayness come from his lawyer at the press conference? it may have been an open secret till then but i bet most americans had no idea he was gay. so how are they going to appear "antigay" towards someone no one knows is gay?

[grytpype]

7. Hahahahahaha!

Goodness gracious!

[Blaq Dem]

8. Everyone knows they're anti-Gay, anti-black, anti-woman, anti-worker...

They're against anyone who isn't a greedy rich white male. The list can go on.

[TlalocW]

9. Oh, bullcrap

Republicans run on being anti-gay.

TlalocW

[myrna minx]

10. Nice try Hatch.

[babylonsister]

11. I think they feared being labeled as gay, a stigma

these homophobes helped create.

[LaPera]

12. What a way to cover the angle-I'm sure their Christian right sheep will

be so happy to know this...That repugs love gays and don't want to offend them.

It's OK to hound young boys, say the republicans!

[partylessinOhio]

13. Anti-gay or anti-pedophile? Foley's problem is lewd conduct with

pages under sixteen. Anyone in congress SHOULD have been anti that!

[rodeodance]

14. so--INSTEAD, these "leaders" allowed the hitting on Pages. umm.

[lisa58]

15. Hatch is an ass n/t

[Hepburn]

67. Please...

...don't insult asses, OK?

[rodeodance]

17. Hasturb via Hatch is using the Scooter defence.

how busy Hastert is as the Republican leader in the House.

[htuttle]

18. Does this incredibly lame excuse mean...

...that they are giving up on wooing back the Fundy Right, and now want to attract the squishy middle again? Cuz this excuse ain't going to go over well with the Dobson crowd...though I'm sure it's okay with Dobson himself, as long as his check clears.

[Megahurtz]

21. What the Hell Does Being Gay

have to do with being a fucking pedophile!!!

Idiots!

See, I knew they all were GOPervs!

[butterfly77]

22. isn't Orrin Hatch gay?

[GreenArrow]

23. I've always suspected it.

.

[butterfly77]

36. Someone posted it on one of the boards ...

earlier this year. I thought that he would be outted along with the others.

[jaysunb]

25. I think he's a comedian w/ this

kind of lame shit.

[ToeBot]

45. Anyone as overtly homophobic as Hatch likely has "Issues"

It's been a constantly recurring theme throughout his career. I've seen plenty of gay Mormons that get married and play straight. They're usually miserable, twisted and vindictive; adjectives that fit Mr. Hatch to a tee.

[SpiralHawk]

24. republicons were afraid of serving the military, too. That's even clearer

the cons are led by a pack of cowardly chickenhawks -- and their propagandists are all chickenhawks, too -- OiReilly, Limbaugh, Hannity. Not one of them served America a day.

[Xipe Totec]

26. Whew!! They dodged that bullet...

[krispos42]

27. LIAR!!!! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!

Says the SAME PARTY that whips their base up with talk of "The Gay Agenda" and actively promotes anti-gay-marriage bans? That tried to prevent lesbians and single women from seeking artificial insemination? That wants to enforce the anti-sodemy laws, and prevent same-sex people from living together a lá North Dakota and North Carolina?

Valerie from The Princess Bride simply said it best.

[natrat]

28. please -theyd do whatever possible to appear anti gay-LIAR LIAR

[saracat]

29. If they were afraid of appearing anti-gay, why was Foley in the closet?

And why do they have no problem with publicly stating they don't want to allow gay marriage and are willing to amend the constitution to ensure that gays don't have that right?

[greeneyedboy]

30. hahaha. nice try. how can he say it w/a straight face (no pun intended)?

right, the GOP is so full of compassion and respect for LGBT citizens--as long as we accept that convicted murderers should be allowed to marry, but we shouldn't.

[Pathwalker]

31. This is a SEXUAL PREDATOR issue, not a gay issue.

Not to mention corruption.

[JudyM]

47. Right. And they were more concerned about appearances than reality.

Once again. This time, some young boys may have suffered as a result of their self-involvement.
His comment makes it look as if it is a greater risk to be called a homophobe than to allow a pedophile predator to continue pursuing boys. What utter BS. I wish the gay community had no affilative ties to NAMBLA, so we could actually speak out against this!

[powergirl]

32. I thought being anti-gay was a source of pride for the Grand Ol'e Pervs

I hope those evangelicals who have been suckered into supporting these idiots notice these comments - but I won't hold my breath because I don't think that fire and brimstone crowd is real big on reading.

[gratuitous]

34. I thought Mormons weren't supposed to smoke

But, damn, that's gotta be some primo shit old Orrin's got a hold of.

[Miss Chybil]

35. Uh... no gay marriage... no gays in the military... no gay blah, blah...

Why would they be afraid to be thought of as anti-gay? I'm really going to have to ponder on this one. Not.

[closeupready]

37. LOL

I literally laughed out loud when I read this. So Republicans are now afraid of appearing homophobic? Where's the popcorn?

[mikeytherat]

38. "My last, last chance: bottom-of-the-barrel, hail-mary, long-shot,

wish-you-would-do-it-but-probably-won't final resort to make this go away before November 7..."







mikey_the_rat

[Richard Steele]

39. Pull the other one, Orrin...it's got bells on!

Give me a fuckin' break!
The GOP is DESPERATE to appear "anti gay".
A little TOO desperate in many cases,
as we've seen time and again.

They've been Loud-n-Proud of their homophobic
agitprop for YEARS!

[Canuckistanian]

63. Amen.

They're the embodiment, the representation, the epitome of homophobia.

Why even pretend to be otherwise?

They've made their bed, they can lie in it.

[Supersedeas]

40. Holy Soiled Condom Batman, that is RICH

[BigDDem]

41. Dont worry Hatch

you've already got Mary Cheney's vote locked up.

[Ian David]

42. Who the fuck does he think he's kidding????? SERIOUSLY! n/t

[Sapere aude]

44. Bull Shit, being anti gay is part of their winning strategy.

[superconnected]

46. ridiculous. This is the party that stands up and speaks against gay

marriages as well as keeps attacking the gays anyway they can.

[Rose Siding]

48. Yeah, cuz anti marriage rights laws weren't a big enough clue.

weasel.

[yellowcanine]

49. Whoever invented "tool" as a descripter had Anal Hatch in mind.

[calimary]

50. They're afraid of appearing anti-gay??????? WTF?????

Are they THAT delusional?

The GOP is afraid of appearing anti-gay.

Now I've heard everything.

[Guaranteed]

51. Shut up, you fucking clown. If that's what you were worried about,

you're even a worse person than we thought, for equating the two.

[stepnw1f]

52. But You Are.... And Now You Worry...? Too Late Sucka! (nt)

[rodeodance]

53. REC

[zara]

55. I always thought they embraced being anti-gay.

Shows what I know!

[leesa]

56. Right. Never mind wanting to propose anti-gay amendments

to the Constitution. These people are simply freaks. They will lie about anything.

[TankLV]

57. Hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha!

That's a good one!

Oh, you mean he's SERIOUS?!?!

nevermind the FACT that being GAY has NOTHING to do with PEDOPHILIA!!!!!!!

Here's another FACT Mr. Repuke: 99.9999% of all PEDOPHILES are STRAIGHT!

Stick THAT up your ASS...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

58. Thugs have a real problem with accurate labelling...

from "organic" products to themselves.

[Straight Shooter]

59. Bwahahahaha! That's the lamest, but funniest thing I've heard all year!

[The Backlash Cometh]

60. How many of them voted for the anti-gay amendment?

The marriage one? Posers.

[rocktivity]

61. They decided that appearing "pro-child predator" worked BETTER for them?

They decided that allowing Foley to continue with his activities was the LESSER of the two evils?


rocknation

[pnwmom]

62. What's homophobic, Hatch-you-moron, is not being able to

tell the difference between a gay person and a predator.

[Hepburn]

65. "FEARED" anti-gay label????

I thought the bastards INVENTED being anti-gay. Guess I learn something new each day.

[Singular73]

66. Homophobia is their frikken platform!

That really takes balls to say.

[Lugnut]

68. Such bullcrap

I am sick to death of this gay bashing already. This SOB knows the damn difference between a gay person and a sexual predator. He also knows the dipshits he preaches to don't.

[6000eliot]

69. This is a fucking lie,

and these bastards should be called on it every time they repeat it. They've been laying on the anti-gay rhetoric for years and years.

[w4rma]

70. And now they equate gay and pedophilia and prove they are anti-gay. (nt)

[eppur_se_muova]

71. Yes, they're SOOO sensitive about that ... don't want to give the wrong

impression, do they?

After all, they get blamed so often for things which aren't their fault.

In their DREAMS.