Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Drunken husband of pol goes to gay bar to harass rival
Let’s start this Christmas week with some crazy family mess from Illinois. Jim Madigan, an openly gay Illinois politician, wants to unseat 7th District State Sen. Heather Stearns. No problem there unless you are Stearns’ husband, Leo Smith. Last week the challenger held a fundraiser in a gay bar called The Call. Madigan was minding his business, doing what pols do when they want you to open up your wallet, and who shows up? Leo Smith.
Now don’t go crazy. Smith is not living life on the down low. He spent an hour drinking at the bar, another ten minutes in the bathroom (baby, I don’t even want to know) and then decided to go up to Madigan and tell him about himself.
“I’m not here for your event! I know you think you’re gonna get famous with all your bull***t! But those things are about me.”
The two men went back and forth, talking about everything from ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to gay rights. Smith doesn’t think Madigan has a gay rights record that is worth anything. A strange charge against a guy who was director of Equality Illinois.
Well the two men went back and forth until they were separated by Madigan staffers. The challenger thinks the event says a whole lot about Stearns and her man.
“This is not what progressive, liberal Democrats do, in terms of how they interact with competition and challenge. This is what old-style, machine, intimidation-type politics is about. I hope this is actually a little revealing to [ people ]. They feel they’re entitled to their seat; this is their approach.”
Stearns sent out an email, calling her hubby chivalrous and a little dumb. What I wouldn’t give to hear what she actually said when he got home.
Actually, the fact that a STRAIGHT guy would challenge a gay man about not doing enough for the gay community is definitely a sign of change for the better (drunk or not).
10 years ago a ‘Smith’ type would have been screaming about sodomy or some such junk.
Very cool – if tacky…
Weird…and vaguely off putting.
Wow. Just wow.
Does the bar have this on video. Would be entertaining to give it a gander.
Would love to see bar cam video of this. Must be hilarious. Wouldve really loved to hear what the wife said in private! Just for the sake of my shallow thrills side.
More importantly, like FBU pointed out, almost yesterday no pol would’ve been holding a rally in a gay bar. Even closer, no straight pol would’ve considered such a thing real enough to crash. Things may not be changing fast enough but it’s amazing how much they have so far.
The bias in this article is ridiculous… Intimidation tactics? One person debating a few people in a bar is intimidation? Remarkable bias. Maybe if you were more imaginative you could have stretched it to verbal assault and then just shortened it to assault.
Messy.