I don’t care if Republican National Committee head Ken Mehlman is gay. You
probably don’t either. No reason why we should.
But Ken Mehlman cares, and apparently
the Republican National Committee cares. A lot. Which is an
interesting Internet story.
UPDATE: The Republican National Committee has announced that Mehlman will leave his job in January. Was this the price for what follows? You don’t need a tinfoil hat to be suspicious.
From a public policy perspective the
rumor, if true, would make Mehlman into what gay activists call an Uncle Mary, a self-loathing gay man bashing other gays.
(Let’s update that, shall we? How about an Uncle Ted?)
But I don’t even care about that.
What I care about is the Internet
story.
That’s not the story. That just started the story.
The story is what happened next.
-
CNN pulled down the relevant video
from YouTube. - CNN edited its own transcript
to take Maher’s statement (and King’s question) out. - CNN sent cease and desist letters
to bloggers posting the video. - CNN had YouTube send
cease-and-desist letters to bloggers posting the video. -
YouTube, on behalf of CNN, sent
bloggers cease-and-desist letters if they were linking to the video.
Problem is, the genie is out of the
bottle. The toothpaste is out of the tube. Maher said it. People recorded it. It’s not going away. In
fact, all the efforts by Mehlman, the RNC and CNN (even of Maher) to kill this story
(literally) are only spreading it further. To blogs that don’t care.
Like this one.
In fact, I just Googled
the words “Ken-Mehlman gay rumors” and do you know how many hits
I got?
168,000. The story has been “out there” (as it were) since
Mehlman became chairman of the RNC. It was on the Democrats’ own blog. This was called “a smear
campaign” by PowerLine, a Republican blog.
Which only served to spread it further.
Obviously some people care about this,
mainly Republican people. But what can they do? Denying it doesn’t
help, trying to change history doesn’t help, suing people doesn’t
help. I don’t even think having Ken Mehlman do a sex scene with porn
star Jenna Jameson would help at this point. It’s in Ken Mehlman’s
heart, one way or the other, unless (or until) we get solid legal
evidence – and what Mr. Maher provided is, unfortunately, hearsay.
Extraordinary claims demand
extraordinary proof, Mr. Maher.
Next time, bring back a pubic hair.
You can see the video here:
http://www.youare.tv/watch.php?id=1864
You can see the video here:
http://www.youare.tv/watch.php?id=1864
It’s interesting that the knee-jerk reaction of so many liberals is that Ken Mehlman is a self-loathing “Uncle Mary” when he could just as easily be straight.
Even if he is gay, what business is it of ours? Like you, I don’t care. But Maher’s motivation is interesting. Personally, I don’t care if Maher is gay, either, so I wonder why HE thinks we should care. What is newsworthy about that? Answer: nothing at all. But I also wonder at his motivation for “outing” someone else, when that person’s sexual orientation is neither the public’s business nor Maher’s.
IF Mehlman IS gay, then it is certainly Maher who is gay-bashing in his deliberate attempt to ruin the man’s career, and no denying it. Whether or not Mehlman is gay, then Maher does the gay community a disservice by using homosexuality as a political weapon. If bashing equals self-loathing, then who’s the “Uncle Mary”?? Either way, Bill Maher would have done well to keep his hypocritical mouth shut. He compounded the problem by exposing his hypocrisy in a “pot-calling-the-kettle-black” attack on others. Why should we be surprised?
It’s interesting that the knee-jerk reaction of so many liberals is that Ken Mehlman is a self-loathing “Uncle Mary” when he could just as easily be straight.
Even if he is gay, what business is it of ours? Like you, I don’t care. But Maher’s motivation is interesting. Personally, I don’t care if Maher is gay, either, so I wonder why HE thinks we should care. What is newsworthy about that? Answer: nothing at all. But I also wonder at his motivation for “outing” someone else, when that person’s sexual orientation is neither the public’s business nor Maher’s.
IF Mehlman IS gay, then it is certainly Maher who is gay-bashing in his deliberate attempt to ruin the man’s career, and no denying it. Whether or not Mehlman is gay, then Maher does the gay community a disservice by using homosexuality as a political weapon. If bashing equals self-loathing, then who’s the “Uncle Mary”?? Either way, Bill Maher would have done well to keep his hypocritical mouth shut. He compounded the problem by exposing his hypocrisy in a “pot-calling-the-kettle-black” attack on others. Why should we be surprised?
*** If bashing equals self-loathing, then who’s the “Uncle Mary”?? ***
It does only if you are a member of the group you are bashing. And the Uncle Mary is quite obviously Ken Mehlman. Duh.
*** If bashing equals self-loathing, then who’s the “Uncle Mary”?? ***
It does only if you are a member of the group you are bashing. And the Uncle Mary is quite obviously Ken Mehlman. Duh.
*** IF Mehlman IS gay, then it is certainly Maher who is gay-bashing…***
And actually, brainiac, Maher didn’t bash anybody. All he did was claim that Mehlman was gay. If you think that’s “bashing” then it can only be because you’re a homophobe and therefore believe being called gay is a slur. What IS bashing is all the homophobic crap that’s been put out by various right-wing GOP nut jobs.
*** IF Mehlman IS gay, then it is certainly Maher who is gay-bashing…***
And actually, brainiac, Maher didn’t bash anybody. All he did was claim that Mehlman was gay. If you think that’s “bashing” then it can only be because you’re a homophobe and therefore believe being called gay is a slur. What IS bashing is all the homophobic crap that’s been put out by various right-wing GOP nut jobs.
*** It does only if you are a member of the group you are bashing. And the Uncle Mary is quite obviously Ken Mehlman. ***
Bill Maher is a self-described member of that group. To my knowledge, Ken Mehlman is not. Furthermore, it’s not our business whether he is or not. So “obviously” doesn’t enter into the equation.
The majority of Republicans — folks like me — *don’t care*. I’m perfectly OK with a gay man chairing the RNC. I’m also OK with a man who doesn’t want to disclose what isn’t our business. I couldn’t care less if he had sex with a duck (unless, of course, it were MY duck). Nor do I care whether you wanted to marry your boyfriend, your brother, or your coffee table. So why have such a vested interest in Ken Mehlman’s life?
Maher’s motivation is easy. He DOES think that being called gay is a slur, evidenced by the fact he’s using it as a political weapon, and that constitutes bashing. He says he wanted to expose hypocrisy, and he has… his own.
*** It does only if you are a member of the group you are bashing. And the Uncle Mary is quite obviously Ken Mehlman. ***
Bill Maher is a self-described member of that group. To my knowledge, Ken Mehlman is not. Furthermore, it’s not our business whether he is or not. So “obviously” doesn’t enter into the equation.
The majority of Republicans — folks like me — *don’t care*. I’m perfectly OK with a gay man chairing the RNC. I’m also OK with a man who doesn’t want to disclose what isn’t our business. I couldn’t care less if he had sex with a duck (unless, of course, it were MY duck). Nor do I care whether you wanted to marry your boyfriend, your brother, or your coffee table. So why have such a vested interest in Ken Mehlman’s life?
Maher’s motivation is easy. He DOES think that being called gay is a slur, evidenced by the fact he’s using it as a political weapon, and that constitutes bashing. He says he wanted to expose hypocrisy, and he has… his own.
Correction: where it says “The majority of Republicans…” above it should read “There are Republicans…” an edit didn’t take. I have no way of knowing whether I’m in the majority or not.
Correction: where it says “The majority of Republicans…” above it should read “There are Republicans…” an edit didn’t take. I have no way of knowing whether I’m in the majority or not.
Correction: where it says “The majority of Republicans…” above it should read “There are Republicans…” an edit didn’t take. I have no way of knowing whether I’m in the majority or not.
Correction: where it says “The majority of Republicans…” above it should read “There are Republicans…” an edit didn’t take. I have no way of knowing whether I’m in the majority or not.
Growing old is not upsetting; being perceived as old is.
Growing old is not upsetting; being perceived as old is.