Could the Republican Party really be opening up to the gay and lesbian community? It looks like it, and some members of the gay community may be openingup to Republicans.
For the first time in history, the Log Cabin Republicans were invited to the Republican National Convention. The Gay and Lesbian group had been there before, they just weren’t allowed inside! Not this time!
Dallas Log Cabin Chapter President Rob Schlein says, “It can be harder for a gay man to tell members of the gay community he’s a republican then it is for him to tell his straight friends he’s gay.” It must be tough being a gay republican when most gays hate republicans and many republicans hate gays.
The gay Republicans I spoke with are quick to point out, no one agrees with 100 percent of any party platform. I asked Schlein about the Texas Republican Party Platform that includes language like, “Gays tear at the fabric of society, and contribute to the spread of dangerous and communicable diseases.” Schlein called it hateful and hurtful rhetoric that he would like to see stripped from party literature.
Still, he said, the core republican beliefs about lower taxes, national security, smaller government are what draws him and his partner to the GOP.
But make no mistake, even though the Chairman of the Dallas County Republicans openly welcomes members of the gay community to join the Republican Party, there are many Republicans who want them to stay away. David Keeton, Schlein’s partner in business and life, calls the anti-gay religious right, “Mature” joking, “They won’t be around very long.” He says the younger generations of Republicans have been much more welcoming.
I can hear them whining now. City leaders across North Texas crying the blues. All of them insisting their city faces a budget shortfall. My guess is, most of those leaders ran on a promise of “NO NEW TAXES!” But now taxes are on the rise. Here is a partial list of cities considering a tax hike:
Dallas
Corinth
Grand Prairie
Forney
Lake Dallas
Pilot Point
Garland
Benbrook
Royce City
Crandall (proposed 37 percent tax hike)
Little Elm
Corsicana
One city stands tall and stands alone. The posh Dallas suburb on the shores of Lake Ray Hubbard has not raised taxes in 17 years. The last time Heath raised taxes I was a junior in college, 1990! The big question, how do city leaders do it? The funniest part is the philosophy is so simple. Here are just a few quotes from Mayor John Ratcliffe:
“It’s simple, we live with in our means.”
“If Revenues are X than expenditures should not exceed X.”
“We don’t take on debt, we don’t live on credit, we don’t borrow.”
“We never dip into reserves, instead we cut our costs.”
Sounds like the way I try to run my household. What a novel idea for a city!
Barack Obama may be one of the greatest speech givers our nation has ever seen. From an oratorical stand point, he knows how to draw a crowd in and connect with those watching him. How many people besides, The Jonas Brothers could fill a football stadium with adoring, captivated fans.
Though last night’s speech was well written there are a few jabs that may have bought Obama a fight. Last night Obama said, “John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell – but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.” Just as Republicans can acknowledge Obama’s true desire to make life better for his followers, Democrats can acknowledge McCain’s true desire to keep this country safe. At the Lakewood Theater that comment even drew a hushed cringe from the crowd. I can only imagine what it drew from John McCain.
Barack Obama may have just poked a sleeping lion. I can’t see John McCain take a comment like that sitting down.
I think what we witnessed last night was history, but it was also a look into the future. This Presidential battle is going to turn into an old fashioned slug fest where only one candidate will be left standing, the other may be destroyed. It’s any one’s race to win or lose.
John McCain has not picked his running mate, yet. But NBC5 IT man, now turned political analyst, Joe Rushing, has come up with a blockbuster idea for the McCain Camp. “How about Hillary Clinton as McCain’s running mate,” Rushing stated boldly in the newsroom today.
Wouldn’t that be fun. The Democrats would have a heart attack. The Republicans would too! I could just see the right wing extremists organizing their militia’s now. I can’t think of anything more fun to cover, the controversy would be everywhere, but mostly deep inside each party. The everyday, average American may actually like the idea. For a reporter McCain-Clinton would provide endless fodder too. So many angry people, I can here the yelling and screaming on the cable news outlet shows now.
The reality is, a McCain-Clinton ticket would most likely trounce Obama-Biden. No Democrat or Republican would ever admit it, but unlikely duo would be more powerful than Batman and Robin.
It wasn’t long ago that McCain was considered a Republican outsider. Many of his views were to far to the left for the conservative radio hosts. Some of them even vowed to leave the country if McCain was the nomination. (They didn’t.)
Hillary Clinton and John McCain are known to be friends, surprisingly they agree on a lot of things. But to quote “Jolten” Joe Rushing, referring to the McCain-Clinton ticket, “It’s an impossibility, it will never happen, but man would it make political reporting exciting!”
The pick of Joe Biden as Obama’s Vice-Presidential Running mate makes one thing perfectly clear. The old time politicos, Democrats and Republicans alike, know the importance of an old white guy with silly hair.
John McCain has what us New Yorkers call, an old fashioned “Long Island Sweep.” More commonly known as the comb over. It looks like his fine white hair is weighed down in some kind of not to greasy Dipsy Doo.
Joe Biden rocks, “The Trump plus 20.” The Biden due looks great from a far, but its far from good. Up close the thinning hair seems to float above the scalp somehow defying earth’s gravitational pull. And if you look very closely, Joe Biden’s hair could almost fit into the mullet category. Just a tad to long in the back.
Maybe these two great Americans know something we don’t know about the power of the bad white hair draw. We do know each candidate is hoping the other will be, “hair today and gone tomorrow.” (At least gone by mid November anyway.)
Politicians shouldn’t run “for” congress. They should run “against” it. All new politicians talk about “change” and how it’s time for “out with the old and in with the new.” But has anyone noticed, since the 1960’s politics in Washington is still the same old dirty game it always has been?
There have been freshman who have come into office intent on swaying the power structure in favor of the people, those same freshman, end up as 10, even 20 year incumbents. They ultimately leave office for fat cat lobbying jobs. Sadly, I wonder, can anything be done? Will things ever change? My gut feeling tells me no, impossible.
But with that said, good people, good candidates, shouldn’t give up on trying.
Could it be, the foes of the past are joining forces? John McCain and Mitt Romney on one ticket is like putting Elmur Fudd and Buggs Bunny on the same ticket. That analogy has nothing to do with their personalities only the fact that the two don’t like each other. (Though Democrats may snicker at the comparison.)
Last I checked the two went through a knock down drag out brawl of a primary. But forgiveness is key if you want to win a trip to the oval office. I imagine the thought behind the ticket is with both of them running, there is something for everyone (who will vote republican). You have to wonder if the Democrats will follow suit and team up Obama with Hilliary.
I have long contended that many politicians are misguided fools. They go into public service as well educated, sharp young men and women but leave as dumb as a box of rocks. I am not sure why this is, but it seems to work for both democrats and republicans alike.
The latest form of idiocracy comes in the form of a no fried food mandate at the Democratic National Convention. A so called, “No Fry Zone.” I agree fried anything is not healthy, but grown men and women should be allowed to decide for themselves what to eat. Beyond that, there is another issue the democrats failed to think of before making the absurd decision to ban fried foods from the festivities.
The south has typically been ruled by two things, the republicans and fried food. With all the hard work Barrack Obama has put into courting southern voters, why ostracize them now? Southerners love their heart attacks on a plate. There is fried: okra, potatoes, steak, chicken, catfish, even fried Twinkies.
With the National Conventions nearly upon us, I now declare, “Let the Silliness Begin!”
People don’t like politicians because they can be phony and disingenuous. I’m not saying Sen. Clinton is phony and disingenuous, but to the public it WILL appear that way. I actually feel sorry for Hillary. She spent more then a year of her life in a knock down drag out fight with a man who she tried to portray as naive and inexperienced.
Now I hear her quoting Sen Barack Obama, saying “Yes we can!” She must be cringing inside. Maybe seething is a better word. Even her campaign website says “Thank you, Support Senator Obama Today.”
No matter who you support, Hillary, McCain or Obama you feel a sense of sadness for the loser. It’s hard to watch someone try and lose gracefully. In fact, it can be painful to watch. It reminds of post game interviews in the losers locker room.
Months ago when Obama and Clinton debated in Texas, I said after the debate that I thought the two actually admire each other. I still believe that is true. Still, after a brawling for the nomination, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must be to finally sit down together and talk about the future of the party now led by Barack Obama NOT Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The conversation might go something like this:
Clinton: Barack, I didn’t really mean all those things I said about you having the political experience of a third grader.
Obama: It’s OK, I said some mean things about you, I’m not going to apologize for that though, because I’m the nominee now and your NOT!
Clinton: Speaking of that, I hear your going to need a running mate?
Obama: Yea, I think I’m going to go with someone who didn’t try to make me look like a fool in front of the entire country.
Clinton: See, your showing your inexperience, that was just politics not personal!
Obama: How about this for politics… Kneel Before Zod!
Scott McClellan’s new tell all book “What Happened” makes me think of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, aka Sammy “The Rat.” Sammy was a loyal soldier for New York mob boss John Gotti until he found himself in some hot water with the law. Sammy decided to sell his boss out to the feds, to save his own hide. Loyalty is the one thing the Mafia and President Bush have in common, they both demand it from those who work for them. John Gotti and President George W. Bush both learned the hard way that loyalty can easily be sold for money or for freedom.
I have no doubt Scott McClellan’s book is well thought out and there is probably a lot of truth to what he has to say. But he worked for the the President for nearly 7 years, three as the White House Press Secretary. The President trusted him, gave him opportunities few people will ever be privileged enough to receive. His comments about the President are not earth shattering, we all know the President can be arrogant and governs by “feel and instinct.” What is earth shattering, is who the insults are being hurled by.
Bush clearly deserves criticism, but at this stage in the game, I’m not sure it should come from his staffers in the form of a tell all book. The President’s approval ratings are an all time low, the war in Iraq, though getting better, is still a mess just like our economy. McClellan’s book has the feeling of piling on by someone I never would have expected to throw a landmine at the President’s feet.
For all the problems there are with NBC5, and yes we do have a few (like all stations), you will not find me slamming my bosses in the media or in a book, not now, not ever. Not because no one would read (or buy) my book, but because these are the people that gave me a job and put food on my table. NBC gives me 4 weeks vacation and the opportunities to go places and see things many people only dream of taking part in. It would serve no purpose to try to take down the very people responsible for my success.
But I guess a multi-million dollar book deal can get people to do strange things.
Posted by Grant 
Posted by Grant 
Posted by Grant 
