Rachel Maddow Interviews Rick Santorum

Obviously, within the context of a couple of segments of her nightly show, Rachel Maddow was unable to get to every point we'd like her to ask Rick (don't Google me) Santorum. But this segment did a couple of newsworthy things: it undoubtedly gave Santorum a little bit of buzz, evidenced by the fact that the story is currently trending on Twitter. Secondly, Santorum fans might just discover that Maddow is a different breed of cable pundit. I can't imagine a similar interview of a Democratic candidate on Hannity, for example.

 

The Gay Thing: NOM's Anti-gay Marriage March Goes Bust

What if you threw a rally, and nobody came? What if you spent a better part of the year on an image-making, national, relentlessly publicized event, and it blew up in your face? That's pretty much what happened to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) this past Thursday. The whole thing was so un-newsworthy, that even outlets like The Rachel Maddow Show and All in with Chris Hayes--which would ordinarily revel in NOM's failure--instead ignored it altogether.

Oh, but it was a failure. Even though NOM is wont to crop and Photoshop crowd pictures to give an illusion of success, and even though they claim "thousands" of participants attended, the truth is much more grim for them. News from on the ground was that a sizable chunk of the small crowd--likely closer to 500 than thousands, or even one thousand--were Spanish speaking tourists, there at the rally because they were given a free excursion to Washington DC, to see the sights.

The handwriting has been on the wall for a while that NOM is in decline. Their Twitter and Facebook pages have more gay supporters than NOM supporters. Their money begging emails and blog posts are becoming more and more desperate. And the rally is evidence that those appeals are falling on deaf ears. As the marriage equality movement continues to expand, and given the likelihood that nationwide same-sex marriage legality is on the horizon, how long can NOM stay in the game? How long can their leaders, notably Brian Brown, continue to draw enormous salaries? And how long can they continue to get name politicians to speak for them, even if they are punchlines like Rick

I've seen more people at a small, shopping center
carnival. Image from DailyKos

Santorum and Mike Huckabee?

[Excerpt]

NOM's Rally Crashed, Burned, Flopped, Failed, Fizzled, Disintegrated And Imploded All At Once

I will admit that before NOM's March for Straight Marriage yesterday, I was a little worried that it could do harm to our cause. I was worried that it might begin to roll back public opinion, possibly leading to a reluctance among judges to invalidate marriage discrimination laws. But the rally has not only invalidated my worries, it's actually made me more confident of winning than ever before. . .

Read more at: DailyKos


[Excerpt]

Inside NOM's Second Failed "March For Marriage"
 
On June 19, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) held its second March for Marriage - an event that proved to be largely a repeat of last year's march, with dismal attendance, bussed-in supporters, and examples of anti-gay animus on display. An estimated 2,000 attendees convened at the U.S. Capitol for a rally culminating in a march to the U.S. Supreme Court. As he did for last year's event, anti-equality State Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-NY) bussed in a large group of mostly Spanish-speaking evangelicals from the New York area, after promising rally-goers an expense-free trip to Washington to "visit the monuments." Equality Matters approached several attendees to ask about their reasons for attending the rally and their means of getting there, only to be told that they spoke little English. . .

Read more at: Media Matters

 

The Gay Thing: New Jersey is the 14th Marriage Equality State

How cool is this? The marriage equality train just keeps chugging along. On the heels of the state of Oregon deciding to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages (though not performing them, yet), New Jersey has become the 14th state where it is legal for gay couples to marry. That's in addition to the District of Columbia. And there are presently lawsuits pending in twenty more states, winding their way through the courts. We may not be able to count on a clean sweep of them (though the way things are going, who knows?), but we only need to bat slightly higher than .500 to reach half the country. Exciting times for equality.

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Image from source, Christian Science Monitor

Excerpt]

New Jersey is 14th state to allow gay marriage, as Chris Christie ends appeal

It is now official. On Monday, New Jersey became the 14th state to recognize same-sex marriages. The development adds momentum to a nationwide push by gay-rights activists and supporters seeking to prepare the groundwork for what they hope will be an eventual ruling at the US Supreme Court declaring a constitutional right to marry regardless of sexual orientation. . .

Read more at: Christian Science Monitor

The Gay Thing: Michigan Republicans Want to Regulate Your Sexy Times

Remind me again please, which party is it that is against government regulations? And exactly how can the state presume to "regulate" sex and procreation anyway? Are GOP busybodies unaware that a) people have sex--and babies--without getting married, b) people sometimes have sex--and no babies--even if they are married. This is extra dumb reasoning, in a desperate attempt to find a legal reason why gay people can't get married. Why don't they just come out and say it: they think gay people are "sinners" and that their relationships are inferior to straight ones? Because that is the bottom line, and everybody knows it.

[Excerpt]

Michigan Fighting To Keep Ban On The Gay Marriage ‘To Regulate Sexual Relationships’ Like That’s A Good Thing



Oh sigh. We are so tired of these dead-enders who can’t accept that the gay agenda is totes coming to your town, thanks to that raging gay homosexual judicial activist (but only when he rules against the right; otherwise he’s just doing what Thomas Jesus Jefferson would have wanted) Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was all, like, “Huh, why do we have some dumb law that makes gays unequal when we are ‘Merica and are supposed to be super hot for equality?” (We are paraphrasing a little. But just a little.) . . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Rick Santorum and NOM Under Ethics Investigation

Image from source.

If I were going to dream up some people to be investigated for wrongdoing, I could hardly do better than Rick (don't Google me) Santorum and the National Organization for Marriage. Throwing in the unshakably creepy Bob Vander Plaats is just icing on the cake Go git 'em Fred!

[Excerpt]

Rick Santorum And NOM Subjects Of New Federal Ethics Complaints Filings

Rick Santorum, the National Organization For Marriage (NOM) and Iowa anti-gay activist Bob Vander Plaats are reportedly about to become the subjects of ethics and election violations complaints which will be filed by Republican Fred Karger. Karger is charging NOM has been “money laundering” in Iowa elections and engaged in a “pay to play” scandal. . .

Read more at: The New Civil Rights Movement

Rude Pundit's "Guns for Gays" Plan

This is one of the funniest things I've read in a while.

[Excerpt]

Guns for Gays

"Here's what has to happen: we gotta get gays and lesbians by the thousands...no, no, by the tens of thousands to buy guns. No, wait, even better. Someone call George Soros for some major scratch. We gotta start a program to arm Ls and Gs and Bs and Ts and even Qs with the baddest ass guns currently legal, motherfuckin' AR-15s and fuckin' .50 caliber rifles, toss in some pistols like Glocks and Magnum revolvers. And get 'em all concealed carry and whatever other licenses they need. Then, once all the gays got themselves armed, they need to start showing up with their guns, all tricked out in the most over-the-top outfits. . ."

Read the rest (and then read his other stuff) at: The Rude Pundit

Lawrence O'Donnell Rewrites O'Reilly vs. Limbaugh

I don't usually post two clips from the same show in a row, but this one is too sweet to resist. And yes, we're still on the gay marriage subject. Don't worry, there will be other topics soon, and this one will back-burner until June. Probably. Anyway, enjoy this terrifically enjoyable dressing down of both Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Who apparently hate each other!

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Captain Obvious: No, FOX "News," Straight Marriage Isn't Over

"The Stupid! It Burns!" It's one of my favorite internet memes, because it will never be outdated, never be out of place. There will always be stupidity in massive quantities in America. And one of the most stupid statements? That "gay marriage" (or same-sex marriage, or marriage equality) becoming legal will somehow impact, invalidate or destroy "traditional" opposite-sex marriage.

I suspect the notion comes from the no shades of gray, lack of nuance, binary, black-and-white way of thinking you find amongst many conservatives. It's a very simplistic, shallow way of thinking, really. In reality, same-sex marriages are legal in several states and municipalities, and it has had no effect on opposite-sex marriages. This is no longer a hypothetical question. People still get straight-married in Massachusetts (and stay married!), many years after Adam and Steve (or Addie and Eve) have legally been allowed to marry. The fact that I'm married to someone of my own sex does not make the practice mandatory, only possible. It doesn't prevent anyone from having a straight marriage, or encourage anyone who hadn't already realized they were gay to marry someone of their own sex.

Frankly, the very notion is bizarre. But it really should come as no surprise that the folks on FOX "News" are confused about it, and very upset. Or, rather, they know that their audience is confused and upset about it, and know exactly who they are playing to.

[Excerpt]

Fox News analyst panics over same sex marriage licenses: ‘What will happen to heterosexual marriage?’



Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. is terrified that society as we know will change “forever” if Washington state moves forward with creating gender-neutral marriage certificates. . . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Sen. Al & Franni Franken for Marriage Equality in Minnesota

I knew I was a fan of Al Franken for a reason! Even though my fandom dates back to 1975, as a pre-teen watching Saturday Night Live.  . . LIVE. . .I just knew it was more than just the "Al Franken Decade!" This was a guy with his finger on the pulse.