Before getting to Mitt, this diary has a bit about Ann Coulter. Yes, I know, another one of them. I had absolutely no intention of writing this short diary, but this prompted me to do so:
C'mon it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.
Did any of these guys say anything after I made the same remark about Al Gore last summer?Why not? What were they trying to say about Al Gore with their silence?
Follow me over the fold for a few brief thoughts
Her assertion that it was a joke was in an email with Adam Nagourney, and it's documented here.
Ha ha, Anne. It was a joke. We all knew she was making a joke. The outrage here is that gay-bashing was a political punchline.
One more quote, and this comes from Nagourney's blog:
Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said: "It was an offensive remark. Governor Romney believes all people should be treated with dignity and respect.
Apparently the three front runners have distanced themselves from Coulter's latest bile, but this remark by Romney's spokesman is actually the bigger problem, and is where are outrage needs to be directed. With very little respect Governor, you are a liar, or guilty of some alarming abilities at doublethink. You clearly do not believe that "all people should be treated with dignity and respect." Being so vocally against gay marriage means that you believe gay people are not entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals. Where is the dignity and respect in that?
It's not enough to say Coulter went too far, or was "offensive." All she did was confirm that gay rights is a joke to conservatives. Disavow her all you want, Governor, but your actions to limit the rights of a large group of people is far worse than calling them "faggots." What you're doing is far more insidious. You're not calling them "faggots;" you're in effect dehumanizing them. Which allows people like Coulter to use the word "faggot."
Update:
Mitt Romney comes in first in CPAC straw poll. It's only 21% mind you, but still first place. Since when do social conservatives believe in the dignity of all people?