I've been reporting from inside the belly of the beast since the beginning of the convention here in New York.
I've been doing three hours on Sirius Satellite Radio's OutQ - the nation's only LGBT Nationwide 24/7 Radio Station.
We've been cornering folks and going after them on LGBT Issues.
Today, we got David Dreier to come on one of the shows and asked him what he thought about Ed Schrock and why he voted for the Marriage Protection Act. We ended it by asking him why there were so many rumors about him being gay. He pretended like it wasn't asked, so we said - Mr. Dreier, are you gay? Still refused - are you heterosexual? Finally he says, I'm not going to get into those types of things.
So, we're on the trail of more closet cases that are anti-gay.
Read the story about Alan Keyes going after Mary Cheney. Michaelangelo Signorile and me have been tracking these nutcases down and going after them.
I was able to pitch this and feed it to the Chicago Tribune.
You can listen to us live from the convention at www.siriusoutq.com - just click on the big orange button that says LISTEN TO SIRIUS OUTQ LIVE.
Apologies for this diary being so long, I usually just read on this site and don't really post much. So if I didn't use the proper protocol, forgive me.
Best,
Corey Johnson
Keyes defends comments about Cheney's gay daughter
By Jennifer Skalka and Ofelia Casillas
Tribune staff reporters
Published August 31, 2004, 10:40 PM CDT
NEW YORK -- Madison Square Garden, home of many prizefights and hockey brawls, seems a fitting venue for Alan Keyes to be meeting his fellow Republicans.
The candidate for U.S. Senate has miffed many members of the Illinois delegation by spending more time on national talk shows than schmoozing with them.
He has been prickly with the media, chastising reporters for asking "inappropriate" questions.
As the Republican National Convention focused on unity Tuesday, Keyes lashed out at the vice president's gay daughter.
And it was only the second day of the convention.
Keyes' first comments about Mary Cheney came during an interview Monday night on Sirius OutQ, a New York-based satellite station that provides 24-hour gay and lesbian programming.
After Keyes told the hosts that homosexuality is "selfish hedonism," he was asked whether Mary Cheney is a "selfish hedonist."
"Of course she is," Keyes replied. "That goes by definition. Of course she is."
On Tuesday, Keyes defended his remarks, adding that if his daughter were a lesbian, he would tell her she was committing a sin and should pray about it.
Thus far, Keyes' week has been defined by friction with his state party chairwoman and the Illinois delegation, who feel they're playing second fiddle to Keyes' media campaign. Some have also expressed concerns about Keyes' beliefs, calling them too far right for Illinois.
Keyes is challenging Democrat Barack Obama, who wowed his party's national convention with his keynote address.
Illinois Republican Party Chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka said Keyes' remarks about Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter shouldn't distract from key election issues.
"It's a pity that we have gotten away from the substance of the campaign and instead have gotten into personalities and things that are personal and name-calling," Topinka said. "Since this is amongst Republicans, it really needs to stop and get on course."
When informed of Keyes' comments about Mary Cheney, Bush/Cheney campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt offered a terse reply Tuesday.
"It was inappropriate," he said.
Campaigning in North Middleton Township, Pa., with President Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke to reporters about Republican chances to hold the Senate and said, "I think it's clear we lose Illinois."
Informed about Keyes' comments about Mary Cheney, McCain said, "I don't think that's appropriate, but it's not the first inappropriate remark Mr. Keyes has made. He made a remark the other day that people who perform abortions are the same as terrorists. That's a very unique take on that issue and one that's very seldom espoused."
For the last two days, Keyes has frequented Radio Row, a hallway in the Garden occupied by talk show hosts. Keyes, who had his own radio show in the 1990s, appeared comfortable there, stopping for interviews when asked.
Two hosts with Sirius OutQ spoke with Keyes for four minutes Monday night in a nearby hallway. Their conversation centered on Keyes' opposition to gay marriage. Keyes said family is defined by having children.
"If we embrace homosexuality as a proper basis for marriage, we are saying that it's possible to have a marriage state that in principle excludes procreation and is based simply on the premise of selfish hedonism," Keyes told hosts Michelangelo Signorile and Corey Johnson.
It was at this point that the hosts asked Keyes their question about Mary Cheney, which Keyes answered.
An interviewer then said: "I don't think Dick Cheney would like to hear that about his daughter."
Replied Keyes: "Dick Cheney may or many not like to hear the truth, but it can be spoken."
When asked Tuesday evening to explain his statements about Mary Cheney, Keyes did not back down.
"I have said that if you are actively engaging in homosexual relations, those relations are about selfish hedonism," Keyes said. "If my daughter were a lesbian, I'd look at her and say, `That is a relationship that is based on selfish hedonism.' I would also tell my daughter that it's a sin, and she needs to pray to the Lord God to help her to deal with that sin."
Rick Garcia, director of Equality Illinois, a non-partisan gay rights group, said Keyes' views are not representative of the state's Republicans nor Democrats.
"Selfish hedonism? Has anyone seen Dr. Keyes look at a microphone or a television camera? That's hedonism," Garcia said. "The mainstream of the Illinois Republican Party is not behind Dr. Keyes."
Keyes attempted to build bridges Tuesday with the Illinois delegation. But a breakfast gathering ended messily for Keyes as he chastised reporters for not giving his candidacy a fair shake and left early.
Topinka had welcomed Keyes to a Times Square hotel for his first delegate breakfast. She said there was room under the Republican Party's tent for different beliefs, but added that a far-right candidate would not win in Illinois.
"Without social moderates this party cannot win," Topinka told a few reporters before she and Keyes shook hands for the cameras. "It has to be center-right, it can't be right-right."
When Topinka and Keyes greeted each other, the exchange was brief and awkward. It ended strangely, as Topinka ducked out, dashing behind a ficus plant.
"There you go," she said to Keyes. "You're on."
Reporters surrounded Keyes on his way out. When asked why he had not addressed the delegates, he promised it wouldn't be the last time he'd see them this week but had to tend to a schedule packed with media interviews. Pressed for a reason why he had not spent more time with his state party, Keyes responded angrily.
"The proper question would be: `What are you doing at this convention?' And that is a fact," he said. "
'What are your plans at this convention? ...What are your priorities as you deal with these matters? What do you think is your proper role?' All of these are right questions."
Though her views differ with Keyes' on several social issues, Topinka said Tuesday morning she would support him.
"The ticket is Republican. I am the Republican chairman," she said. "He is on the ticket. We will support the ticket."