The Washington Monthly

August 28, 2010

FRC HAS IS IT ALL FIGURED OUT.... Interest in former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman's announcement that he's gay seems to have come and gone fairly quickly, but the religious right isn't about to let this go.

Take the Family Research Council, for example. Yesterday, the D.C.-based religious right powerhouse made the bizarre case to its supporters that Republicans would have done better in the 2006 and 2008 elections if only Mehlman had been straight. From its message to FRC backers:

This unfortunate confirmation helps explain the scandalous failure of many in the Republican establishment to vigorously uphold the values and policy positions expressed in the party's platform in 2004 and 2008, particularly the need to protect the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman nationwide. While grassroots activists succeeded in passing marriage amendments in dozens of states across the country, they received little support and even outright resistance from Party officials at the national level, which contributed to the GOP's electoral failures in 2006 and 2008. Now we know one of the major reasons why.

Yes, if only Republican officials hated gay people just a little more, Democrats -- buoyed by unpopular wars, a failing economy, and GOP scandals -- wouldn't have done so well.

That support nationwide for gay rights is growing, not shrinking, is probably a minor detail that the FRC prefers to ignore.

—Steve Benen 11:45 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (12)

Comments

Shorter FRC: Closeted self-loathing gay Republicans not self-loathing enough.

Posted by: MikeBoyScout on August 28, 2010 at 11:51 AM | PERMALINK

This string of posts is going to make my head explode...more stupidity and hatred in this country than I can bear.

Posted by: John R on August 28, 2010 at 11:53 AM | PERMALINK

"Growing not shrinking" is the essence of gay. How's that for levity? Anywho, about fucking time Ken, welcome to the new world.

Posted by: Trollop on August 28, 2010 at 11:57 AM | PERMALINK

So did God punish the GOP for not upholding their values or is he punishing America for not knowing Republicans are fake Christians.

God. I need an answer,

Posted by: sensistar on August 28, 2010 at 11:59 AM | PERMALINK

FRP is not amused . If Mehlman did any more to hurt Americans than his actual complaisance with this nonsense , would that make the slightest difference to the fabulists swanning along on the 'real' America fantasy .

- vigorously uphold the values and policy positions expressed in the party's platform in 2004 and 2008, -

To those of us who know enough to fear an uncontrolled reaction to a profitable fantasy , it is well to recall that no matter how much is accumulated it is never enough .

Posted by: FRP on August 28, 2010 at 12:07 PM | PERMALINK

So will the FRC now start calling for the outing of gay Republicans??? LOL Could be interesting.

Posted by: sue on August 28, 2010 at 12:23 PM | PERMALINK

FRC has clearly run out of straws, to either grab at or make strawmen.

I guess FRC doesn't watch the Daily Show-- they had a nice set of old clips of Ken saying that same-sex marriage is wrong, traditional marriage needs to be protected, etc. The idea that they somehow view him as pushing for change from the inside is just absurd, Ken totally towed the party line on SSM, hook, line and sinker.

Posted by: zoe kentucky on August 28, 2010 at 12:25 PM | PERMALINK

This is merely another attempt to fashion a purified Conservative Movement in the public mind (and its own) that is not implicated in any way with the bad press, awful poll ratings or disasterous record of the ruling Republican Party over the past 15 years -- even though it was these very same radical right conservatives who dominated the party and its administrations for a decade or more and is now trying to slink their way back to power as the re-branded Tea Party.

Posted by: Ted Frier on August 28, 2010 at 12:27 PM | PERMALINK

Ted Frier - Excellent point. I think you're absolutely right. Mehlman's self-outing will provide another piece of the evidence for the "enemies within" narrative that paranoid, right-wing hacks will use to explain their string of electoral defeats. Sorry to comply with Godwin's law so soon, but the Nazis used similar scapegoating to explain their defeat in WW I.

I hadn't thought about that poor closet case since the day after he resigned. By coming out now, I think he faces a significant chance of being welcomed by Beck and his pack of idiot flying monkeys as one hidden cause explaining 2005 onwards.

Posted by: Rathskeller on August 28, 2010 at 3:30 PM | PERMALINK

And what will they say when Condi comes out of the closet? That our national security and foreign policy were obviously compromised during the Bush era?

Posted by: Andrew in Berkeley on August 28, 2010 at 3:50 PM | PERMALINK

"And what will they say when Condi comes out of the closet?"

"When," not "if," Andrew?

Posted by: daniel rotter on August 29, 2010 at 2:24 AM | PERMALINK

No, no--you mean "Democrats, buoyed by being less gay than Republicans, found favor with God."

Posted by: mark on August 29, 2010 at 9:14 AM | PERMALINK