Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Why does the sexuality of a McCain staffer matter?
Never met Mark Buse. Couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. I know he is John McCain’s chief of staff and that means there’s not much we agree on. That’s enough for me. His sexuality, just like the love life of “singer” Clay Aiken, are bits of information that do not need to be added to the flotsam and jetsam in my head.
Yesterday Buse’s supposed gayness became a talking point in the gay blogosphere. When the rumor first hit my email box, I rolled my eyes. Mainly because this type of conversation is as dated as watching a rerun of Beverly Hills, 90210. Isn’t outing a technique we have moved away from?
Aside from the moldiness of it all, why the shock? A gay man shills for the GOP and its candidate? We’ve seen this story before and it ain’t new. Can the choir say former senator Rick Santorum’s communications director Robert Traynham? And who can forget Mary Cheney (love the fact she got paid a whole lot of cash for a book no one read)? Are we so naive that we continue to be shocked when we find there are gays and lesbians who actually are Republican? The horror. The horror.
Yes Virginia, there are gay Republicans; instead of being shocked about that, it might serve us better to come up with reasons on why we disagree with them. And reasons do not include using the terms “Nazi” or “self-hating.”
I’ve said it before and have no problem repeating it. Sexuality does not equal ideology. Never has. Never will
If nothing else it proves that the Republican party adheres to a Do As I Say Not As I Do attitude when it comes to sexuality, morality, and the truth.
“it might serve us better to come up with reasons on why we disagree with them. And reasons do not include using the terms “Nazi” or “self-hating.”
Why not? It wasn’t too long ago, that McCain’s “religious voter” ringleaders (including Dobson, the LaHayes and Tony Perkins) proposed and pushed for the execution of ALL gay U.S. citizens:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sfN7i3tOguI
With something THAT serious and threatening, the LCR’s ARE guilty by association.
Standing alongside the people who were trying to start up genocide in the USA (sounds “Nazi” to me) – specifically of gay folks, like your own LCR self (”self-hating” is appropriate) – that’s my reason, and it’s beyond good enough.
I bet 90% plus of people commenting on this blog work for a companies that do not provide health insurance coverage for same-sex parteners. As I always say, introspection is necessary before you critisize others. Often times, you will change your mind before making ignorant, heated comments.
I don’t wish to offend anyone, but…Is this mean John McCain is Mark Buse’s sugar-daddy?
Buse is well knows among the gay DC circuit. He and his partner have an open relationship and have a sling set up in their condo. Mark’s online cruise name is “DupontPig200″ and he’s into major kink.
Now who in the world would think such an image might influence someone about supporting gay civil unions or adopting children? Most McCain supporters couldn’t care less if an active and unrepentant homosexual in an “open” relationship has an anal sex sling and wants to care for a young impressionable child.
It is very important because it shows the total hypocrisy of Republicans in general and John McCain in particular. They will befriend us and hire us when we’re useful (and discreet) but deny us ALL our rights.
Gay staffers who help deny us our rights MUST be exposed so that 1) They can change their own self-loathing views 2) Republicans can realize “Hey, they’re not so bad after all – they work for John McCain 3) It demystifies being Gay. If Mark Buse is Gay, probably lots of others are 4) When nothing terrible happens to Buse, others can come out of the closet and lead normal lives. Maybe they’ll even help us achieve our rights instead of helping people like John McCain take them away.
Withers: You will find (if you have not done so already), that the naive anti-Republican camp among the frequent commenters will rail on you for challenging them to be more than tools they are.
While I don’t agree with your opinion on the matter of interest, I applaud your willingness to air something that many of the people here aren’t happy to hear.
It bothers me to think that the “Masses” are so blithely amused by this kind of chicanery and sklight of hand. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! NEVER MIND WHAT AND OR WHO IS PROPORTED TO be GAY lets stay focused on the BIG Picture Here. Just Who can we Trust. I see Smoke and MIrrors on Both Sides and personally I dont trust Either one of them. To me it seems as though Some one else is Pulling the Political Strings for the whole World.Not Just the USA. Our Freedoms have been compromised and now we are headed to a “Centralized Bank” especially if Congress Bails out these Banks that are Failing. If they buy or “Lend” the Money or “Credit” to bail out those in trouble how do you think its going to be paid off? (I have a Solution”Forgive All Debt ” and start from Scratch”) The Behind the Scenes Movement next is to Destablize Chavez because he doesnt want to share his OIL with the rest of us. He would rather use it to strengthen his Economy and People. The “Beast” has yet to get its Seventh Head. Watch, Watch what happens in the next yr if it takes that long. This election is just Window Dressing to Distract every one from the Big Picture. This all playes like a “Bad ‘B’ Horror Flick” You will find me in row 12C with a Jumbo Size Pop Corn.
It’s not just a gay thing. It’s a disease that afflicts many Americans. It’s called “incapability of independent thought.” It’s the mindless masses of Americans who want MTV, celebrities, and political front groups like the HRC (basically just a fund-raising apparatus of the DNC) to think for them. If you’re gay and you’re told all day by God (the television) that you’re supposed to think and act a certain way, how can you do otherwise? Oh, those independently-minded heathens (gays who vote Republican, think Madonna is a talentless uninteresting hack, think drugs do more harm than good, or prefer scifi and heavy metal to “Sex and the City” and disco) don’t deserve to live or even call themselves “gay”!
P.S.
I hate the Wizard of Oz too.
Thank God I’m Canadian.
Shame on 365gay.com for not revealing James Withers as a republican hack.
The reason I am gay and am forced to vote republican.
To this point neither of the political parties (at the national level) have done anything for gay people. Oh sure the democrats talk a good game but have no interest in delivering.
George Bush through inattention has done more for us than the whole of the democratic party.
we are looked at as a source of campaign contributions for the democrats. after the election they ignore us the same as they do the unions. the same as the republicans ignore the evangelicals.
our so called friend bubba gave us DOMA & DADT and i’ll never forgive that ______ for that.
Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, George Bush, Obama and McCain all have one thing in common they don’t support equal marriage.
If I’m not going to get anything from either party than i may as well vote to win this ____ war.
Time to accept a scripted Presidential “debate” yet again?
Brought to you by your “good friends” on Wall Street.
No USA Main Street Paul or Nader,
nor Cynthia McKinney…
Um, Dan, I hate to point out the obvious, but when you say of Mr. Buse, “Now he faces possible discrimination everywhere he turns.”, that would be largely because of the policies of the very party for which he is ’shilling’ (to use Mr. Withers’ term). Hence our (justifiable) outrage.
James, I couldn’t agree with you more. To put this incident in perspective, we must first acknowledge that gay Republicans are insisting that it is NOT an “outing” since Buse was open about his orientation. So why the outrage among LCR?
If Strom Thurmond had retained an African-American Chief of Staff for his 1948 Presidential run (and retained him for 17 years), I doubt it would have been noted by the press at the time. The African-American community respects and embraces its own regardless of trivial differences on civil rights. Journalists would have respected an African-American’s privacy and agreed to not identify him to the extremist opposition.