The anti-gay attack machine worked before; will it work again? I'm a contributing writer for queer media cites AfterEllen.com/AfterElton.com, and today they're running my article that asks just that question of a wide variety of media and political figures including Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Congressman Barney Frank, Joe Scarborough, AmericaBlog.com's John Aravosis, and a number of others -- including Karl Rove himself.
Keith Olbermann is one of the strongest progressive voices in the traditional media, and reliably friendly to GLBT civil rights issues. His Countdown is MSNBC's highest rated show, and his designated stand-in during his nights off is out lesbian political news analyst Rachel Maddow. In an exclusive interview with AfterElton.com, Olbermann told us that he doesn't know whether or not the Republicans will try using gay issues as a wedge this year, but he's pretty sure it won't work if they do.
"The sense I’m getting from a lot of quarters among the Republicans is well, we can do all this stuff now and we’ll just make people’s opinion of us worse," he said. "This isn’t going to happen for us this time. We have spent all of the capital that the party has. We’ve damaged the brand. Let’s not go nuclear on this because we will just provide material to reelect a Democratic president, Senate and House in 2012. And if they’re thinking in those terms, there is at least the possibility – maybe a third, maybe a quarter – that these sort of kitchen sink strategies on these issues will not happen, because it will only come back to hurt them in severe fashion."
Even here on DailyKos, I've seen "progressives" express dismay that my home state of California recognized marriage equality in a recent Supreme Court decision, resulting in the predictable anti-gay-marriage amendment to our state Constitution being place on our ballot for November. "Can't you wait until a non-election year?" is pretty much the mildest of the reactions, although California is so blue it's hard to believe any amount of anti-gay screeching is going to change that.
Even if the rules of the game have changed, there are a number of reasons the Republicans may try to play the gay card yet again. After all, it's the conventional wisdom, and almost certainly true, that the 2004 Massachusetts Supreme Court recognition of marriage equality helped drive anti-gay ballot amendments in nearly a dozen states. Some observers have wondered if this year's similar ruling in California will have the same effect. Will Jon Stewart be able to say, as he did in 2006, "Oh yeah, here we go. It's anti-gay-marriage amendment time, my brother"?
The guy who can answer that question best is probably Karl Rove, widely seen as the architect behind that strategy in nearly a dozen states in 2004. His comments may surprise you.
What may or may nor surprise you, but will certainly amuse you, is just how hard some journalists are pushing back at anti-gay dog whistling these days.
"George Stephanopoulos did something very important when he pushed John McCain for a real answer regarding his statements on adoption by gay parents," said GLAAD's Cindi Creager. "That kind of insistent questioning sends a message that empty sound bites and reliance on catchphrases like quote-unquote 'family values' need to be challenged. And it suggests that those who take their responsibility as journalists seriously will dig deep and push for meaningful engagement on these issues."
But it's not just the "serious" journalists who are pushing back pushing back -- and while the article discusses Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, there's another media figure coming at things from an angle both humorous and intensely personal.
In the finest tradition of political humor, Ellen DeGeneres backed John McCain into a metaphorical corner on his opposition to marriage equality when he made an appearance on her show.
She asked him bluntly why he had a problem with her forthcoming marriage to Portia de Rossi. McCain, clearly wishing he was anywhere else but there, stumbled through an awkward explanation of how he thought same sex couples should be able to have contracts and share insurance, but "I just believe in the unique status of marriage between a man and a woman, and I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue."
Ellen hit him with an impassioned speech on civil rights, which the audience wildly applauded and to which he feebly replied that he wished her every happiness.
"Thank you," she responded dryly. "So, you'll walk me down the aisle? Is that what you're saying?"
The article is here.... Gay-Baiting '08
A round-up of our interviews on gay issues with Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, John King, and Suzanne Malveuax is here... The Pundits Speak!
And on my own blog, I've posted the complete transcripts of my interviews with John Aravosis and Congressman Barney Frank.
Hope you enjoy!