Rich Galen's Desperate Republican Screech

Last Friday I wrote of my disgust with GOP Strategist Rich Galen's writing that, although he thinks encouraging gay unions is the right thing to do, GOP candidates should use the NJ Court decision supporting gay unions as constitutional against Democrats, and trot out the image of a Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her "San Francisco values."

I also wrote Mr. Galen:

Rich --

I'd be less bothered by your column today if you followed up your connect the dots argument with a statement saying you thought homosexuality is a great evil and gay marriage is a serious threat to society. At least then you'd be sincere. Instead you went on to say that being gay is a fact of life -- therefore innate -- and encouraging gays into stable relationships may actually help save lives by reducing the effects of HIV/AIDS. But none of that is important for "purely political reasons."

Could you be any more cynical and hypocritical? You would really play on people's bigotry and fear for election day gains? You'd rather preserve a Republican majority than save the lives of those you mentioned with HIV/AIDS?

The first Republican president once appealed to the "better angels of our nature." Today the GOP, as you have done today, appeal to our society's worse prejudices.

Scott

Rich's reply, straight from Karl Rove's talking points:

Do you think homosexuality is a political statement? It IS a fact of life. If you don't vote then you will have Nancy Pelolsi as Speaker and see how good the angels are then.

Rich

Now, I didn't mention in my first email that I was gay as I didn't want to come across as a special pleader. But Rich's response made me change my mind and I came out of the closet to him. And, as you'll see, I also reveal that the LTR and I met while working for the Republican National Committee. As implied by other things I've written here, I was a Republican. For many reasons, not the least of which is the rise of the religious right's lock on the GOP leadership, I no longer consider myself one. So no hate mail, please. I've gotten more grief from gays for being Republican than I've ever gotten from straights for being gay. But that is in the past. And, btw, I don't consider myself a Democrat, also for many reasons. Someday I will blog about it.

But my response to Rich was:

You don't have to tell me it's a fact of life...I'm gay. Been in a relationship for 20 years...in fact my partner and I met while both employed by the RNC, back in 1986.

So, this is not an abstract matter for me, you're talking about my life...in fact, using my life as a political pawn. I know from reading your column how much you value your family life...imagine if you saw your elected officials demonizing it in the public square but then turning around and saying they don't really believe it, they're just saying it to win votes.

It's a cheap, cynical trick. And it's not worthy of a Party that wants to lead the country.

Scott

Rich's terse reply:

Wait. You worked at the RNC and you're shocked that political people look at things through a political prism? Oh, please.

r.

To which I said, and apparently had the last word:

Nope. Surprised that you would whip up anti-gay sentiment to win an election and try to claim you're not gay bashing. Oh, please back at ya.

Scott

But former GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey gets the real last word. Writing in an op-ed in Sunday's WashPo, Armey says:

Where did the revolution go astray? How did we go from the big ideas and vision of 1994 to the cheap political point-scoring on meaningless wedge issues of today -- from passing welfare reform and limited government to banning horsemeat and same-sex marriage?

The answer is simple: Republican lawmakers forgot the party's principles, became enamored with power and position, and began putting politics over policy. Now, the Democrats are reaping the rewards of our neglect -- and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

And, so I hope the GOP looses on election day, to learn Armey's lesson, so all political leaders learn it -- that cheap political point scoring, of the type advocated by Rich Galen -- will ultimately lead to corruption and failure.

Today, on Galen's blog, he leads with this warning:

Nancy Pelosi. Naaaaannssssseeeee Pelohhhhhhsssseeeee.

The last screech of the desperate?

And Nancy doesn't scare me, even if she does cavort with known homosexuals.