From everything you may read in the press (nationally and on a local Connecticut level) and even here, Governor-Default Jodi Rell walks on water. I sympathize with anyone who has battled cancer, but it repulses me the way that her party uses her cancer as a smokescreen and the way they they and she are so insensitive to others in spite of her own health problems.
At one time last year, Rell said she opposed a federal amendment which would ban benefits for gay couples. But she has probably changed her mind on that, since she's already backtracked on another important issue. Last year, she said she was open to civil unions. Last month, after
heavy lobbying by the hate wing of her party, Rell shocked many by
boasting she will not support gay marriage
or civil unions, that people will just have to accept what is there now, because she's an "old fashioned gal". Governor Rell is definitely a "stand by your man" type - she was an unremarkable state legislator who then enabled or happily ignored John Rowland's corruption for a decade so that she could inherit his seat. This supposedly moderate and supposedly nice, sweet governor is perfectly willing to trash gays and lesbians and ignore their needs even as she brags about what a moral person she is.
Even more offensive is that Rell handpicked Bill Ramzy to run her state's GOP. In the course of one interview, Ramzy:
- lies that gay marriage and civil unions are the same
- peddles fear-mongering about homosexual benefits leading to polygamy
- lies that Connecticut residents oppose gay marriage and civil unions, and the paper naturally doesn't try to correct his falsehood (a poll from late last year has a majority of residents supporting gay marriage and over 70% supporting civil unions)
So the message Rell is sending to her party is that they must move to the right, they had better stigmatize and punish homosexual people and push rhetoric about them that you would hear in Alabama or Texas. This is far to the right of what Connecticut residents believe, so I wonder if she has some personal homophobia and prejudice, or she is under the thumb of people who have this problem, and she is now using her manufactured popularity to push residents to hate gays as much as her supporters do. She seems to be far more right-wing than John Rowland ever was.
Yet, no one can say a bad word about her, because to do so would be mean, since she has cancer. This disgusts me most of all. Her lackey Ramzy says it's "amazing" that she managed to make a small speech after being treated for cancer. Personally, I find it "amazing" when a single mother who doesn't even have good health insurance continues to work in spite of serious illness. A filthy rich professional politician who lives in a fancy mansion does not impress me just because she manages to leave her mansion long enough to bleat out a few generic buzzwords and then go back to her millionairess life.
I really do get the sense that Jodi Rell and the Connecticut GOP decided to use her cancer as a political tool. She announced her illness at a time when much attention and focus was paid to the issue because nothing else was going on (mid December), right before the legislative session would begin. Now her underlings are using her cancer as a smokescreen to innoculate her from any negative attention or any criticism.
I don't take cancer lightly, and I wish Jodi Rell the best, but the truth is that as serious as any form of cancer is, there are far worse forms of cancer out there which far less fortunate people struggle with every day. But you won't hear that from her or her lapdogs. Instead, they just tell gays and lesbians who have cancer and who have no legal standing to go fuck themselves, to drop dead, all while a very rich and very powerful woman is praised to the heavens just because she makes a short speech or just because she happens to be the governor (by default) and happens to have cancer. I would like to see how she would feel if a judge told her that her husband could not visit her in the hospital and would probably not inherit anything they owned if she died. Then maybe she would see what her "old fashioned" beliefs lead to.
Clearly Governor Default and her leeches are trying to move Connecticut to the right, and have already done so with the state party. Clearly they are willing to attack homosexuals and tell ugly lies to try to garner support that their poor policies cannot garner. And perhaps they are even willing to use serious illness solely for political football. They all make me sick but what saddens me the most is that this state party and this governor are getting a free pass.
I hope everyone here in Connecticut who thinks Jodi Rell is nice or sweet takes a look at what she and her toadies are saying and begins to fight back before it's too late. Her toadies are taking the first step towards turning the public against homosexual rights, but it won't be the last unless you stop them. That doesn't mean people should attack her right now, but it does mean within the next 2 years you must show the public just how unappealing this unelected and unworthy "old fashioned" gal is. Sadly all I see are CT Democrats and the media basically giving her a free ride and letting her and her foot soldiers spit on homosexuals without any response.