Signorile: Homophobic homosexual aide to Tancredo outed

[StefanX]

Tyler Whitney, the webmaster for the right-wing antigay Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign, has been outed by the Michigan gay paper Between the Lines. I had reporter Todd Heywood on the show today. Bay Buchanan, Team Tancredo Senior Advisor and sister of the fire-breathing Pat Buchanan, is defending Whitney, saying, "A person's sexual preference is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the campaign."

In other words, if he wants to work against his own kind -- for a man who's railed against gay rights and has a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign -- we're happy to have him!

Whitney, an 18-year-old who is a rising star in right-wing Republican circles (perhaps until now), who also works at the far-right Leadership Institute in Arlington, VA, was involved with the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at Michigan State University (in East Lansing) that is now listed as a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center. It is the first university-affiliated group to be put on SPLC's hate list, and according to SPLC's Heidi Beirich the reason it was put on the list is because of its use of slurs, a proposal to have the governance of MSU be white supremacist and "its constant immigrant bashing."

Last November, Whitney -- whose father was a speech writer for former conservative Michigan Gov. John Engler, who was no friend to gays -- went to a a YAF-sponsored protest against a pro-gay, pro-trans human rights ordinance and held a sign that said, "Go back in the closet!" Other signs at the protest included "Straight Power" and "Faggotry."

http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2007/06/high-profile-tancredo-presidential.html

[William769]

1. It will be interesting to see if he still get to work on the campaign.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

2. As a Jew I find these "outings" offensive

It reminds me of how converted Jews were "outed" in the past for political gain.

It's wrong.

[ronnykmarshall]

3. Ahh never mind ....

[jpgray]

4. Were they outed for collaborating in the persecution of their own people?

If not, I don't really see the comparison.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

12. It's not for you to judge n/t

[jpgray]

14. But outed gays are for you to judge?

:shrug:

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

15. No, but it makes me feel uneasy

Let's say I joined the puke party, for the sake of argument. Let's also say that the "consensus" then hold that the pukes, with their Christian fundamentalism, are enemies of the Jews. Would it be appropriate for you to publicize my religion if I had kept it personal and quiet up till then?

[mondo joe]

17. When you enter political life, everything is fair game for public exposure. See 1st Amendment.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[jpgray]

19. I don't think he/she is concerned with the legal aspect, but rather the moral aspect

[mondo joe]

20. Okay: Morally, we have the right to expose hypocrisy in politics.

And the obligation.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

22. Define hypocrisy?

For all we know, this young man could be entirely supportive of gay marriage. Often, when we work or intern with elected officials, we're going to have a hard time finding someone who agrees with us entirely.

He could be a libertarian or a Rockefeller Republican. Perhaps if he were to rise in office, he would bring the gay cause to the Right and show them that it's not incompatible with the Republican Party. Then both parties would be united in their support for gay rights.

[jpgray]

23. If you support gay marriage, why work for a troglodyte who hates gays?

Or hold a sign that says "Go Back to the Closet?" We're back to collaboration again.

[mondo joe]

24. Try reading the OP.

Last November, Whitney -- whose father was a speech writer for former conservative Michigan Gov. John Engler, who was no friend to gays -- went to a a YAF-sponsored protest against a pro-gay, pro-trans human rights ordinance and held a sign that said, "Go back in the closet!" Other signs at the protest included "Straight Power" and "Faggotry."

Furthermore, he supports anti-gay Tancredo.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

28. Fair enough

Sometimes I bring up things which we'll disagree on, and I'll end up being proven wrong. I accept your point and agree.

[Raksha]

47. I understand where you're coming from because I'm Jewish too,

but the relevant analogy would be to the Converso (aka Marrano) who didn't undergo forced conversion simply for physical or economic survival, but too it a step further and became part of the Inquisition.

Just in case anyone isn't already familiar with the historical situation, during the Spanish Inquisition, it was illegal under the Edict of Expulsion (1492) to be a practicing Jew in Spain. All Jews living in Spain had to either convert or leave.

As a result, the was an entire subculture of converted Jews who were publicly converts to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism secretly. This was also illegal. If they were caught, they could be burned at the stake for heresy. In some cases the secrecy continued for generations, to the point where the descendants of the original Conversos literally didn't know why they had to light candles on Friday nights. They only knew their mothers and grandmothers had done it, and that it was important to keep doing it.

[TheMadMonk]

29. Or, most likely he's a Quisling.

He's certainly, at the very least, willing to kiss the arses of people who blindly hate what he is, and see his peers harmed, to get where he wants to go. That BTW is hypocrisy.


I don't care if he's at war with himself. If he is, the proper venue to fight his personal battle is his church (as the prime author of the conflict), not the political arena.

[Rockholm]

36. Not talking gay marriage. Just plain ol' gay in general.

[jpgray]

18. If the Republican Party supported denying Jews basic human rights, yeah

If they regularly called Jews unfit parents, denied them marriage, and refused to allow them to openly serve in the military, I'd have no problem with the community of Jewish folks outing that sort of collaborator.

[eridani]

44. You know, the Nazis had a real problem dealing with Jewish WW I vets--

--who had a lot of decorations for valor, up to and including the Iron Cross. It wouldn't really do to put people like that in cattle cars and send them off to death camps, now, wouuld it? Of course not! So the Nazis arranged a special FIRST CLASS TRAIN to send them off to death camps. Much better, no? Well, this Tancredo aid is fighting for first class instead of cattle cars, and is therefore utterly contemptible.

(The story of the special train is in Treblinka. A few German civilians got on in by mistake, and were "processed" along with everybody else--made it easier for everyone else to continue to ignore what was going on.)

[Bluebear]

5. And if said Jew was helping them close the oven doors?

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Bingo

That's exactly the difference.

[krj44]

7. excuse me but what does being a jew

have tro do with any of this,do you mean we are now outing jews.one should not be a hypocrite though,i`m not for outing anyone for anything,other then a crime.gees where is the bill of rights these days?

[William769]

11. I thought being a Gay Republican was a crime?

[TheMadMonk]

30. If you'd bothered to read the whole subthread, you'd know.

Someone made the claim that this was akin to outing Jews to the Nazis, and didn't immediately back down when the counter analogy of a Jew hiding amongst the Nazis pretending to be one of them and openly persecuting other Jews.

Just the usual problem of getting a new idea into the head of a student. (Sorry, had to do it.) Persistence finally paid off.

[northernsoul]

10. Specific examples?

I'm not asking to be snide, I'm simply unfamiliar with this phenomenon.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

13. This was common in France once upon a time

Some people were even being wrongly said to be Jewish. It was becoming ridiculous.

This was mostly during the Third Republic.

[mondo joe]

16. As a gay man, I find these outings appropriate and good.

[donco6]

27. I take them on a case-by-case basis, and this one . . .

is A-OK with me.

[Toasterlad]

37. Normally, I'm All for Outing Political Hypocrites

It's the only kind of outing I approve of...and I LOVE when it happens. The only thing I like more than a Republican being outed is a fundamentalist Christian being outed (when Ted Haggard got booted out the closet door, I had a woody for a week!).

In this case, though, I feel a little sorry for the boy. I made the mistake of checking out his myspace page, and it kind of humanized him for me. He's obviously the product of a very hard-core, anti-gay upbringing, and I can't even imagine what it must be like to grow up gay under those circumstances (it was hard enough under MY circumstances, and my family are all very supportive).

Still, better he be outed now, before he's in a position to actually affect policy to any degree. He's still young: maybe this will be a nice wake-up call for him, and he can turn himself around.

[donheld]

25. Outing solely for being gay might be wrong, Outing hypocrites is not

Don't tell me if a closeted jew was working to crimnalize being jewish you wouldn't out that person

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. You're a jew and you defended Creationism?

Hmm.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

32. HE DID????? Ohhhh linky linky! -nt

[The Count]

31. This guy isn't converted. Just hypocritical. Hypocrisy is a valid political issue

and homophobia even more so.

[Madspirit]

39. Thank-you Count!

Long time no see... Have you been someplace that's else?
Lee

[The Count]

42. Anytime. I take breaks to lick my wounds after political set-backs...

Then I have to peek back in to see how the others are taking it...

[Rockholm]

35. Oh PLEASE.

[MonkeyFunk]

46. As an atheist

of Swiss and Irish descent, I find your objection supremely nonsensical.

[roguevalley]

51. so if a Jew collaborated with the Nazis that would be their

personal thing? Personally, I would hold the rope. Anyone can be anything they want to be but when it spills over to include innocent bystanders than it is SELF FUCKING DEFENSE to do this. Nothing more, nothing less.

[kimmylavin]

8. More Hypocrisy

"A person's sexual preference is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the campaign."

Riiiiight... but only if they're conservatives.

[madinmaryland]

9. Hmmm. Why hasn't he volunteered for service in Iraq?

Now there's a conundrum? A gay republican signing up for the armed service.

[Oak2004]

21. This has been Tom's opinion for a ***long*** time

(Yep, I once knew him, very well... please don't shoot me ;)) When several people attempted to out me to him, Bay Buchanan's words in this instance were, almost verbatim, his response.

Ahhh... life as a gay Republican. Those were the days :puke:

Republicans operate in a strangely schizophrenic world, thanks to their need to triangulate between the libertarians and the religious loonies. Pragmatists and libertarians don't give a damn about sexual preference (that's not to say that, absent the need to triangulate, they'd take active measures to support LGBTQ people... that, I doubt). But the religious loonies do care, a lot -- it's a make-or-break point for their political support. Hence the schizophrenia.

It's not much different from the Democrats who try to triangulate between labor and more free trade. The results are schizophrenic, deceptive, and generally suck.

[xchrom]

33. as a general rule i am against outing -- however

this one passes the roy cohn smell test.

[AZ Criminal JD]

41. Your are comparing an 18 year old kid to Roy Cohn?

Please spend some time reading the history of McCarthy. You really need to.

[The Count]

43. What's age got to do with it? The man makes a career from persecuting his own

THAT's the Roy Cohn test. Roy Cohn was 18 once - I actually wonder if he was as putrid as this guy as early.

[xchrom]

45. i'm comparing his actions.

his actions were comparatively vicious.

directly harmful to gay folk.

folk like that 18 or otherwise have to be stopped and held accountable.

[MotorCityMan]

50. Good way to put it

I've always been iffy about outing, as I am all for a person's right to privacy.

But I don't have a problem with these hypocrites being exposed. I feel it is comparable to how a lot of the fine, updstanding repugs were exposed as hypocrites during the witch hunt of Bill Clinton.

[shenmue]

34. Couldn't happen to a more deserving fellow

:eyes:

[Madspirit]

38. As a Lesbian

:woohoo: ...another hypocritical bastard who works directly against my ability to even exist, is outed. :woohoo:

Lee

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

40. He's a baby. Whitney, an 18-year-old who is a rising star in right-wing Republican circles.... nt

[Flubadubya]

48. I just wish gays wouldn't become right wingers... (talk about "against one's self interests")

I know that homosexuality is not a "chosen" lifestyle, but maybe political persuasion isn't eihter. (???)

I don't know, I do think it's more a matter of personal choice than is one's sexuality. :shrug:

[BornagainDUer]

49. ...

Sometimes I wonder whether this whole gay anti-gay thingy the Repukes are engaged in is just a ruse to throw people off of the real crimes.

[NashVegas]

52. You Know ... I Wouldn't Be Too Rough On This Guy

He's going to get plenty enough shit from his so-called "friends." Piling a load of crap on him isn't going to persuade him to drop the conservative Republican cause.