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Larry Craig's "Hard Wood" Connection
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Wednesday, Aug 29 2007, 2:02PM
NATIONAL HARDWOOD LUMBER ASSOCIATION PAC INC
Sen. Craig, Larry E. (R-Idaho) (Incumbent, Senate)
CRAIG FOR U S SENATE
$2,000, 10/21/2002
I'm sorry. I can't help it today -- and as regular TWN readers know, I'm almost never funny.
Congratulations to Mike Rogers who launched the outing of Larry Craig in October 2006 because of his hypocrisy in the so-called culture wars.
Just for the record, Mike Rogers spoke to me in 2006 about the information he had just come by on Senator Craig. I had worked with the Senator and his staff on numerous issues -- ranging from Asia trade questions to semiconductor policy. Most recently, Senator Craig had become an ally in a more progressive stance on US-Cuba trade relations.
Rogers worked through what he had cautiously, carefully, judiciously. He sat on the information that had come to him over months and worked on making sure that his source was rock solid.
Rogers got almost zero support from the established gay network or those out there who were trying to promote greater tolerance in the corridors of political power. Rogers was alone -- just like Lane Hudson was alone when he brought forth the instant messages between former Congressman Mark Foley and a too-young male intern.
Mike Rogers and Lane Hudson have generated what are clearly some of the largest power-toppling shockwaves in our national politics -- and virtually on no budget with scant support. That really needs to change.
Just to be clear, they didn't "invent" this news. They just used the blogosphere to pursue what is in the common sense, common good. If you feel like supporting the work of Lane Hudson and Michael Rogers, here's your link.
But that said, those who exploit the dark side of American insecurity about diversity and promote intolerance towards others -- like Senator Larry Craig -- need to be challenged, and Rogers has a sure fire track record.
David Dreier, a pretty good guy in my book, is the next on Mike Rogers' list who has not squared his private life with his public votes.
More later.
-- Steve Clemons
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Reader Comments (9) - post a comment
Boy, this is tough. I detest outing people's private lives, but when they stand on "family values" and vote against equal rights for gay people, then hide their own reality from the public, the only conclusion I can come to is that they are interested in garnering power for its own sake.
Personally, I don't care what the orientation of anyone in congress happens to be. What is really appalling, though, is the two-faced conservative repub approach to their words and speeches vs. their private lives. Where is the good Dr. Dobson on the Craig issue? Did he swallow something that silenced him? And don't even ask about limbaugh/hannity's serious comments here. They'll just turn it into "the liberal dems are out to smear good conservatives" routine.
The two-faced approach is beyond being insincere.
Posted by karen at August 29, 2007 02:37 PM
Posted by pauline at August 29, 2007 02:41 PM
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ditto.
Imagine being gay, denying being gay as if it is a crime, and campaigning against gay rights all at the same time........you have to be totally without any conscience or shred of honesty.
Steve Clemons >"I'm sorry. I can't help it today..."
No need to apologize for making up for all those other times !
And it is such a "target rich environment" at the moment too.
Away with all the hypocrites no matter their political leanings.
"If you don't deal with reality, reality will deal with you" - C.J. Campbell
Thinking about this more.
I think someone who is gay or not has a right to privacy ..it's up to them in their various situtations as to whether they want their sexual preferences known. Unless they are perverts of some kind and a threat to others it's really no one's business. There is something very weird about people who are fascinated with someone else's sex life.
But people like Craig, becuase of his position, should be exposed if you ask me...it's a public service....so good for Rodgers.
Well, suppose a Senator expressed support for a bill which would make it harder to get a divorce.
Don't you think it would be relevant if he had a previously undisclosed divorce?
People like Craig and Dreier are actively making it harder for other gay people to live their lives free from harassment---they are using their their power, priviledge and money to cover up the very sex lives their party abhors.
It's not personal hypocrisy that's at issue. What they are doing is ethically wrong, because of their position.
BTW, Steve, nice post over at Sullivan's. You might look up Tucker's comments on how he crosses his legs when Hillary is around. He's alluded to his castration anxiety about her several times.
Tucker is one confused frat boy.
When David Vitter admitted to using a prostitute service, no Republicans asked him to resign.
When it became clear that Pete Domenici had asked Bush and Gonzales to fire David Iglesias because the US Attorney didn't trump up charges against Democrats, no Republicans asked him to resign.
When it became clear that Bob Ney and Ted Stevens and John Doolittle and Don Young had been paid in exchange for legislative favors (that is, had accepted bribes), no Republicans asked them to resign.
When Tom DeLay was indicted for money laundering, no Republicans asked him to resign.
But because Larry Craig wiggled his foot under a men's bathroom stall, Pete Hoekstra and Norm Coleman and John McCain have asked him to resign.
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/contributoremptywheel/index.html
I'm concerned about Mike Rogers. His two websites, blogactive.com and pageoneq.com have been down since yesterday. I imagine he's getting DOS attacks. There have been suggestions that he's about to out Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham. Now that Mike has been vindicated with Craig his future outings will carry a lot more credibility and that must make the GOP powerbrokers very nervous.
Mike and Andrew (Sullivan) hate each other because of the sex ads outings by Signorile, which Mike supported. But Mike is nowhere near as nasty as the instigators of that particular outing and has always made a point of only attacking those who bring harm to the gay community through their policies. Andrew does not fit in that category; on the contrary, I consider him to be one of the most important gay activists of his generation. Hopefully Mike and Andrew will find a way to bury the hatchet.
David Dreier is a "pretty good guy" in your book Steve???
WTF???
When Dreier was in control of House Rules he would block any legislation that he didn't fancy from even being debated on the floor of the House, no matter what its merits.
I could care less that Dreier is not out of the closet, or that his "Chief of Staff" (alleged boyfriend) was paid more than Karl Rove.
Sorry Steve, once upon a time I lived in Dreier's district -- he is one of the people I will blame for the destruction of the United States as we knew it.
And I'm a registered Independent.
Seriously, I'm starting to question your judgment.
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