Thank You America, I Knew You Weren’t as Dumb as the Religious Right Thinks You Are

Hey Pat, Jerry, Tony, Cliff, Paul, and the rest of you homophobic bigots:

It’s NOT WORKING. Americans aren’t buying your crap. Your attempt to scapegoat gay Americans has been an utter failure. The American people know the problem is lack of Republican leadership. You guys can twist the facts all you want, but Americans aren’t buyin it:

A new just released nationwide poll shows that the aggressively coordinated attempts by anti-gay right-wing leaders and anti-gay groups to brand the Mark Foley scandal as a gay issue are a resounding failure.

And I have some more bad news for you:

The new, nationwide poll shows that, by a 2-to-1 margin, voters believe that “this type of behavior is typical of politicians” over “this type of behavior is typical of gay men.” The poll also showed support for either civil unions or marriage for same-sex couples at 66 percent, which is consistent with other polls on the same question.

So just keep talking guys, we could not have done it without your help!

“Some right-wing leaders and politicians have tried to divert attention from the congressional leadership’s failure to investigate Mark Foley’s abhorrent behavior, and their cover-up in order to hold on to power, by insisting that his being gay was the central issue,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Conservative politicians have tried to promote prejudice against gay Americans, rather than push for accountability in this scandal. Today’s poll shows that Americans reject their outrageous claims.”

And if you need some talking points, look to the experts:

“The news is the Republicans have formed a circular firing squad, and they're firing away. It's just insane, this atavistic spirit to find blame just before an election. They'd be better to say, ‘Well, this man's gay, he does what gay people do, and so don't worry about it.’”

— Pat Robertson on “The 700 Club,” Oct. 5

“If the Republican House leadership is guilty of anything, it is of being too tolerant, of allowing Political Correctness, a fear of being called homophobic, to trump common sense. Whether we admit it or not, many male homosexuals have a thing for teenage boys, which is why so many of them wind up with black eyes when they try to pick them up.”

— Pat Buchanan, Oct. 6

“Democrats seeking to exploit the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) are right to criticize the slow response of Republican congressional leaders to his communications with male pages. But neither party seems likely to address the real issue, which is the link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse.”

— Tony Perkins, Message to Friends of Family Research Council, Oct. 2

“We are very concerned that the early warnings of Mr. Foley's odd behavior toward young male pages may have been overlooked or treated with deference, fearing a backlash from the radical gay rights movement because of Mr. Foley's sexual orientation.” (Because we all know that the Republican Party would never gay bash)

— The Arlington Group in a statement, Oct. 3

“For the sake of honest and open government, not to mention protection of the children, the secret Capitol Hill homosexual network must be exposed and dismantled.”

— Right-wing blogger Cliff Kincaid, Oct. 9

“Where does post-modern American ethics place Mark Foley's homosexuality on a scale of 1 to 10 — a 1 being just another gay guy and a 10 being a compulsive, predatory sex offender?” (Shame on the Wall Street Journal)

— Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal deputy editorial page editor, Oct. 6

“The fact that Americans find former Rep. Foley’s alleged conduct reprehensible shows we have not bought into the false ideology that ‘all sex should be celebrated’ or that age of consent laws should be reduced as some special interest groups demand. Not all ‘diversity’ should be accepted and not all conduct or beliefs should be ‘tolerated.’ In the real world, there is such a thing as right and wrong.” (oh those dreaded no no words: diversity and tolerate)

— Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, Oct. 3

“Here is the real problem. It has been known for many years that Congressman Foley was a homosexual. Homosexuals tend to be preoccupied with sex.”

— Paul Weyrich on “All Things Considered,” Oct. 4

“I think that this -- there's an indication, there's clear research that shows that homosexual men are more likely to abuse children than straight men. And when it comes to government, yes, I have a concern that any type of sexual deviancy is a problem.” (Where did you find that piece of research Tony? Paul Cameron?)

— Tony Perkins on “Hardball,” Oct. 3