Our own Michael Gambale gets a mention on Wonkette. We’re accepting this in the spirit of unity. Live (ish) coverage of Obama’s speech tomorrow as the New York contingent of the Flaming Politics crew meet-up for real.
Latest Updates RSS
-
Japhy Grant
-
ddavis
-
Brock Savage
Del Martin has died. Martin and her partner Phyllis Lyon were married this year by SF Mayor Gavin Newsome. The couple, who had been together since the early 1950s, were married originally by Newsome in a ceremony that was later vacated by the California Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court found that same-sex couples should share the same rights as heterosexual couples, they became one of the first, if not the first, same-sex couples to marry under California law.
She will be missed dearly. The fact that she lived to see the day that would allow her to marry her beloved partner, in a legally recognized ceremony, provides some solace. Maybe this sad event will help those opposing Proposition 8 reach a few more hearts.
-
Michael
He’s got to be kidding me. Hey, I have a question, Axelrod: what’s the best way for Barack Obama to distract from his economic message and a strong indictment of the last eight years and make a mockery of his own image AND hand Republicans more ammunition? I know! A set for his big convention speech that appears to resemble a Greek temple. What, they couldn’t just mirror the set inside the DNC of hyper-colored all American flags?–No, they had to run with Obama: one Nation under Him, in the Temple of Him, the One, the only. Well, there’s always 2012 Clinton-Schweitzer, I suppose. Current mood: self-defeating liberal democrat.
-
joemoag
I try and steer clear of the day-to-day belches of stupidity that bubble up in our political system. And, for the most part, I am successful. But this Irish Catholic pro-choice fag has to chime in on this one.
Speaker of the House Pelosi, a Catholic, stated on a TV interview over the weekend that, as a practicing and devout Catholic, she is fully aware of the fact that the Doctors of the Church have never spoken in uniformity on the issue of abortion, vis-à-vis “when life begins”. And she was promptly assailed by a collection of U.S. Bishops and 14 Catholic Democrats in the House (obviously both politically gutless and theologically challenged folk) who called for her to re-cant (“BURN HER! BURN HER!!! SHE’S A WITCH!!).
Small fact: Pelosi is 100% correct. The Doctors of the Church – for those of you who have been lucky enough not to be Catholic, a Doctor of the Church is a major theologian, you know, a rule/law setter – have never agreed on what does and does not constitute a morally permissible abortion, as they have never agreed upon when life, and thus a soul, is present in the womb. Moreover, no Pope has ever issued a dictum on the issue Ex Cathedra, meaning “in the Word of God”.
How do I know this? Well, I am referring to the teachings of those very, very minor Doctors of the Church, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. In the case of St. Augustine, that minor thinker declared that if there was no ex-utero viability for the fetus/baby, it was not human, and thus had no soul. It ain’t murder if there is no soul. In regards to his equally irrelevant theological comrade, St. Thomas, he created a set of gestational conditions to determine when a life, and thus a soul, was present. Clue: it had to do with viability.
Jeez, sounds a lot like Roe v. Wade…and Jeez part 2, Pelosi was right.
So, to the rest of my Catholic Democrat brethren who so gutlessly marched in papist lock step to denounce Pelosi, go fuck yourselves. By the way, fucking yourself is also not prohibited, theologically, by the Church. So I am OK with Jesus for suggesting it. Perhaps not so for my misguided Catholic brothers: check out the admonitions in the Bible about bearing false witness against one’s neighbor. If you can’t find the citation, check under Exodus, specifically, the Ten Commandments. It’s Commandment number Nine.
-
Nick
Do you think McCain is on the verge of becoming a satire of himself every time he drops the “five and a half years” reference to his war imprisonment? When he starts yammering on to Jay Leno about not having a kitchen table for five and a half years, you’ve got to wonder if even Mr. and Mrs. Joe Swingstate aren’t rolling their eyes a little.
The reputation of America, the future of the world, and the legal rights of gays, women, Latinos, and Arab-Americans are at stake. And Obama is in danger of losing to this guy?
It seems he’s much more at home in a small confined cage in Southeast Asia than he is at one of his many, many houses. (Here’s a fun trick: wherever you are in the country, stop and ask directions to the nearest McCain house! It’s probably quite close!) But deflecting any and all possible arguments or criticisms with a POW reference is insulting and degrading to real prisoners-of-war who returned home and DIDN’T dump their first wives for wealthier, pill-poppier models. It’s insulting to every American.
Ho Chi Minh City — would you mind taking him back? -
joemoag
As I informed loyal Flaming Politics readers four weeks ago, July 22nd, Obama has chosen Joe Biden to be his running mate. A great, great choice, now let the new-hole-ripping of McCain begin!
Oh, and don’t ever, EVER, doubt my prognostic abilities!!!! If anyone wants to know the winners of the next 3 World Series, just email me. I can be reached at http://www.Joe_Knows_All.com!
-
Brock Savage
Gay stories everywhere…kind of. The good people over at 365gay have been busy reporting on the various gay-related issues happening around the world.
In Brazil language that would have made it possible for same-sex couples to adopt has been dropped from a new bill. Though a few municipalities recognize same-sex marriages, the country itself does not. As such, opponent say that couples not in legally recognized marriages should not be allowed to adopt. From the article is unclear whether single people are allowed to adopt in Brazil.
(More …) -
Michael
The suspense is killing me. I am worried Obama will text me at 3AM that it’s Hillary as his VP. I am worried he will want to double down on his Change message and choose someone whom he considers fit to serve like Chet Edwards or Tim Kaine but does not have the executive experience or foreign policy like Joe Biden or Sam Nunn. I am worried that the VP choice will matter this election cycle, and the symbolism of two inexperienced freshmen will scare Americans into choosing a war mongering Republican, yet again. I am worried he will choose Joe Biden and then Joe Biden will insult McCain’s POW history and blow it for Obama with cranky white men. I am worried that my phone will go dead and I WILL BE THE LAST ONE TO KNOW WHO OBAMA’S VP IS. OMG! TXT ME!
-
ddavis
-
joemoag
The current honeymoon and bump in the national polls being enjoyed by John McCain is about to come to a crashing halt as soon as he picks his Veep. McCain has been getting away with two things until now: One, driving the media and the campaign to be about Obama, and through that, raising doubts as to Obama’s “readiness” for leadership. Two, McCain has been gliding on the 30 years of good will he has built up with the media, getting away with the continued “maverick” b.s., all the while substantively (and below radar) wrapping himself up in every Right-wing shibboleth out there.
That comes to a screeching halt as soon as he names his Veep. Why? Because whoever he names will be a standard, lifelong, Right-winger. And that will finally get the media – and the campaign – to focus on just how far Right he has gone. It won’t be McCain the maverick after Denver. It will be McCain/Right-Wing Veep after Denver. And then, all his current positions – all his newfound love of the radical Right agenda – will be in full view and for all to see.
And the party will come to an end. It will then be up to Obama/Biden – or whoever – to hang that around McCain’s neck like the albatross that it is. No wonder McCain is delaying naming his choice until the last possible minute.
-
joemoag
The latest on the upcoming GOP Convention in Minneapolis is that 10% of the sitting GOP Senators will not be attending the event.
And the pundits are going wild on it. Hypothesizing that these Senators are running away from McCain/Bush like it’s the plague…postulating that these Senators, many in vulnerable seats come November, don’t want to be caught dead hanging around a national gathering of Right-wing nut jobs…
Bullshit. I know that it is easy, for us folks on the other side of the aisle, to snarkily act like these are the reasons. That this is a great indicator of just how dysfunctional the GOP is these days. But I think that is B.S.
These GOP Senators are staying away because the public bathrooms in Minneapolis have notoriously narrow stalls; makes it hard to pinch off a load of total crap in such confines.
-
Brock Savage
Good news everyone! In case you were wondering, Obama showed once again this weekend at Saddleback Church that he and the DNC are willing to toss the concerns of the LGBT community (and the community itself) under the proverbial bus (sorry for using that chestnut) whenever they need to in order to appeal to the evangelical whackadoos.
I know he didn’t say anything he hasn’t said before regarding same sex marriage, but reiterating his “one man-one woman, but those gays can be separate but equal with civil unions” bullshit, in that location highlights exactly where his priorities lie.
And before I get attacked by the “he’s doing what he needs to in order to get elected so he can help us later” harpies, I realize that preaching to the choir is wasted energy at this point in the election cycle. However, to paraphrase Maya Angelou (I know, I know), when someone shows themselves to you, believe them. Once Obama becomes president, don’t be surprised when the LGBT community gets sacrificed again when it’s the expedient thing to do. And don’t expect the HRC or anyone else to hold him accountable.
-
Brock Savage
Ah, the Olympics. I would love to wax philosophical about how the Olympics represent the best in man and how nations come together as comrades in sportmanship. But alas, this Olympics have only reminded me of how sportsmanship is so very lacking, not only in sportsmen, but in man himself. Phelp’s success is overshadowed in my mind by the posturing of nations, the tantrums of athletes, the doping by the Greek teams, the machinations of the Chinese to circumvent Olympic regulations, and the IOC’s and the world’s complete unwillingness to hold China accountable, not only for forging documents, but for their extensive Human Rights abuses against Tibet and their own people. The very fact that China is even hosting the Olympics, is to me, evidence that the original spirit of the games has long ago been crushed under the weight of nationalistic posturing.
God…my cynicism is pissing myself off.
-
joemoag
The deafening silence from the far right/neo-con corners over the Russian invasion of Georgia is not only telling – for it admits, by omission of commentary, the utter failure of the new-con Bush/McCain foreign policy – it is the height of hypocrisy. Can you imagine what foaming rants would be coming out of their pie holes if a Democrat were in the White House when this happened?
Oh, and by the way, why has this happened? Could it be that for the past 6 years, the Bush administration thought it was more important to build sand castles in the deserts of Iraq than to build productive and progressive coalitions and treaties between Western and Eastern Europe, including Russia? Could it be that having watched the U.S. military deplete itself in a war that has already outlasted WWII in duration, Russia saw for itself that there was no one on this planet that could stop them? Could it be that the world’s greatest Russia expert – one Condolleeza Rice – doesn’t know her asshole from a mortar hole in Tbilisi?
There is a great opportunity – and a truthful one at that – for Obama in this. Georgia now, Poland next. Increasing unease and instability in Eastern Europe, and a roll-back of post-Cold War gains, all the result from 6 years of criminal negligence by the Bush administration’s go-it-alone thinking and obsession over nation-building in the Arab world. And McCain offers the exact, EXACT, same thing.
Hang it all on the GOP, Barack. It’s their baby.
-
Michael
Phelps for VP
Polling data for me has become an obsession. Regarding the Olympics, I honestly don’t have an insight into the geopolitical significance as all I seem to be interested in is how sweet the swimmers look and how the gymnasts make me feel funny in the pants–especially the Asians. But I digress. No, what has had my stomach in knots are the darn polls. Obama’s had a slim lead in national polls throughout the summer, but the ones in key battleground states are giving me agita. I truly hope that once those blue collars see Obama and McCain side by side discussing economic issues that the tide turns and Obama makes ground up AGAIN in Nevada, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia. (He won’t win Florida, and Pennsylvania is more Obama than pundits think.) Will a VP candidate matter much to any of these states and the crucial votes? Yes and no. A VP like Biden or Bayh with working class gravitas could help with a few percentage points and arguably be the few numbers Obama needs to win this election, but in the end in comes down to the candidate. And even more so this Presidential cycle with our first African-American nominee. No one in any state is asking him or herself, do I want McCain as President but whether Obama is fit to serve. They want a Democrat but are not convinced. WHEN WILL THEY BE CONVINCED. (Michael Phelps for VP!)
-
Brock Savage
Apparently, Jonathan Crutchley, founder of Manhunt.com, aren’t content to just destroy Gay culture, but have now set their eyes on destroying America as a whole. The online front-runners in reducing homosexuality to its most hedonistic, male objectifying, got-to-have-it-now, lowest common denominator urges have given $2,300 (the maximum allowed by law) to the McCain campaign.
If you think about it, it’s not all that surprising. The kind of cynicism it takes to exploit gay men’s willingness to debase and commodify themselves in the search for validation, by reinforcing the belief that one’s only worth as a gay man is measured by his sexual desirability, all in the name of profit, is the same kind of cynicism it takes to be the presumptive Presidential candidate of a party noted for using homophobia, racism, and misogyny in order to win elections. Come to think of it, both Manhunt and the GOP have found a formula for success by reducing all of life’s issue to a dick-measuring contest.
By the way, this strident tone isn’t a turn-off, is it?
-
Brock Savage
Let’s see, An Olympic Speed-skater with thighs that could crack a walnut who cares deeply about Human Rights and the Genocide in Darfur, or a scrawny party wonk with an exorcism fetish?
Sorry, Dorian, I think I’m gonna have to go with Joe on this one. But then you can’t go by me, I sometimes daydream about hate-sex with Tucker Carlson.
-
FP News Wire
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) Despite claims they had thwarted a government ban and had entered Canada, members of an anti-gay group that purports to be a church failed to show up for their threatened protest at the funeral of a man who was stabbed to death and beheaded aboard a Greyhound bus. Members ... -
FP News Wire
(Washington) The party platform that will be presented to delegates at the Democratic National Convention carefully never mentions the words gay, lesbian or transgendered, yet it's the most positive LGBT platform in memory. It calls for passage of expanded hate crime legislation and a comprehensive employment discrimination bill, while not specifically ...
