Gay rights in the Republican Party and the conservative blowup over "Legalize Love"

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Monday July 09, 2012 · 9:43 AM PDT

2012/07/09 · 09:43

GOOGLE LAUNCHES “LEGALIZE LOVE” CAMPAIGN – CONSERVATIVES GO CRAZY
by: Jeff Wartman
http://jeffwartman.com/...

Last week, Google announced a great new campaign – the ‘Legalize Love‘ campaign. Google refers to it as “Legalise Love is our call to decriminalise homosexuality and eliminate homophobia around the world.”

Sounds like a wonderful cause, no? There should be nothing conversational about decriminalizing homosexuality and eliminating homophobia.

However, to conservative bigots, this is indeed a big deal.

Over at well known bastion of hatred FreeRepublic.com, which is a discussion forum filled with open racists, birthers and those who want to use violence against elected officials, the consensus is that they will stop using Google products. Of course, that’s after you sift through the homophobic and bigotry in that thread. The real question is how unhinged do you have to be to boycott a service because they’re behind a campaign to decriminalize consensual sex between two consenting adults?

Illinois Review provides another example of open bigotry on the subject – but they do so in a more subtle way. Editor Fran Eaton, an unlettered unhinged wingnut who has a reputation for idiocy so wide in political circles in Illinois that even mentioning her name usually brings a smirk to the face of any serious political observer – generally toes the same line of being an open bigot but does so in a much more subtle way, usually speaking in code. In the case above, she refers to the “Legalize Love” campaign as “anti-religious” for reasons unknown to any thinking individual. It’s not that it’s anti-religious, it’s that she is speaking in code because it wouldn’t be fashionable to use a gay slur.

wartman

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Wednesday April 04, 2012 · 9:04 AM PDT

2012/04/04 · 09:04

Obama: Paul Ryan Budget is “Thinly Veiled Social Darwinism”
by: Jeff Wartman

http://jeffwartman.com/...

The Republican golden child of the federal budget is Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. He's the point man for the Republican on nearly every budgetary issue that comes up. So, while Mitt Romney was campaigning around Wisconsin in the GOP primary with Ryan by his side, not longer after his budget was put forth in Congress, it's not surprising that people are taking a second look at Ryan's odd budget.

President Obama got into the mix, calling the Ryan budget "thinly veiled social Darwinism." Of course, he's not alone. Right winger Newt Gingrich himself essentially said the same thing last year when he called the Ryan budget "radical" and would lead to "right wing social engineering."

It's not a good budget for the people that need it:

wartman

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Wednesday January 25, 2012 · 5:26 PM PST

2012/01/25 · 17:26

Mitch Daniels’ Poor Grasp of Facts
http://jeffwartman.com/...

Mitch Daniels stated last night that President Obama was trying to form a middle class using government jobs, but he fails to mention that President Obama has cut government jobs while creating more net private sector jobs in his first three years in office than President Bush did during his entire eight years.

Tell me again why George W Bush’s budget director, the man directly responsible for taking a surplus budget and turning it into a deficit budget, is lecturing us on austerity?
Never mind that the unemployment rate in Indiana has risen above the national average on his watch recently. Never mind the fact that his support for right to work legislation threatens to kill even more jobs by forcing companies like BP out of the state.

Save it for people who aren’t paying attention, Mitch.

The Bloodbath That Was The CNN Debate Tonight, and Why Obama Should Be Excited

wartman

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Thursday January 19, 2012 · 7:39 PM PST

2012/01/19 · 19:39

The Bloodbath That Was The CNN Debate Tonight, and Why Obama Should Be Excited
by: Jeff Wartman

http://jeffwartman.com/...

Wow, that CNN Republican Presidential debate was a bloodbath. Some initial thoughts:

Is Mitt Romney trying to blow the nomination? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a bad performance. He said he was a self success story without mentioning that his father was a corporate CEO and the Governor of Michigan. He did not make it on his own. He admitted that there may be things in his tax records to criticize, so he said he wants to wait on releasing them. He criticized Newt Gingrich for only being mentioned once in the Reagan diaries while failing to admit that he wasn’t mentioned a single time. He acts like a political outsider yet has been running for office almost non stop for 18 years. This guy is a fraud, and a joke. Supporters of Mitt Romney should be embarrassed.

Ron Paul made two glaring historical errors tonight. First he tried to imply that before Medicare and Medicade, no one went without health care. Then he claimed that the prosperity of the post WWII generation was because of government cutting budget rather than the reality, the government fueled G.I. Bill. Ron Paul showed a severe lack of knowledge about American history tonight.

Leading the debate with a question to Newt Gingrich about his extramarital affairs was tacky at best. Let’s talk about the real issues, because that is where these candidate’s shortcomings are.

The debate didn’t change anything, however. Mitt Romney is going to win the nomination. There is no way Obama should be scared.

Why I’m leaving the Republican Party…and Endorsing President Obama

wartman

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Monday January 09, 2012 · 9:56 AM PST

2012/01/09 · 09:56

Why I’m leaving the Republican Party…and Endorsing President Obama.
by: Jeff Wartman
http://jeffwartman.com/...

I’m leaving the Republican Party. No longer can I say with a clear conscience that the Republican Party is focused on solving problems will benefit average Americans.
Solving problems is about pragmatically viewing data to decide upon the most effective public policy solutions.

Many times, problem solving is the complete opposite of adhering to a rigid political ideology that dictates policy regardless of consequences. Our public servants need to be looking at what has worked, what has not worked, and using those judgments to form policy moving forward. The Republican Party refuses to look at what works and what doesn’t — they simply base policy on whether it fits into a rigid anti-government philosophy, whether it is good policy or not. Essentially, the effectiveness of policy is completely and totally irrelevant to Republicans. Additionally, the Republican Party believes more strongly in obstructing anything that President Obama proposes than in real solutions that would create jobs and help the average American.

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Gay rights in the Republican Party and the conservative blowup over "Legalize Love"

Breaking down the Paul Ryan/Republican Budget

Mitch Daniels’ Poor Grasp of Facts

The Bloodbath That Was The CNN Debate Tonight, and Why Obama Should Be Excited

Why I’m leaving the Republican Party…and Endorsing President Obama