A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Ricochet's own Jennifer Rubin has been following the story of Richard Grenell on her Washington Post blog, Right Turn. Richard Grenell was recently hired by the Romney campaign to serve as a spokesman on foreign policy. As luck would have it for a former governor with little foreign policy experience, this former John Bolton advisor is a registered Republican and staunchly opposes the Obama administration's stance on key national security issues. There is only one problem: Mr. Grenell is gay.
Pieces in two conservative publications, the National Review and Daily Caller, reflected the uproar by some social conservatives over the appointment. [UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Although Grenell also raised the ire of liberal commentators with now-deleted tweets about certain prominent women, none of the sources I spoke with mentioned the tweets as a factor in his resignation decision.]
In the National Review, Matthew J. Franck wrote late last week: “Suppose Barack Obama comes out — as Grenell wishes he would — in favor of same-sex marriage in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. How fast and how publicly will Richard Grenell decamp from Romney to Obama?"
I believe we can have a rational debate over gay marriage within the conservative sphere without forcing out those who are gay from our movement. This is a shameful moment for us conservatives and I hope we are beginning the process of rejecting such intolerance. While I am saddened that Mr. Grenell decided to resign from the campaign for personal reasons, I am proud that Governor Romney demonstrated the fortitude to stand by his selection of an imminently qualified advisor like Mr. Grenell and did not take the easy way out by bowing to the less savory aspects of social conservatism.
I would like to know if I am alone with my indignation over the treatment of Mr. Grenell and the pressure for him to resign. In the alternative, I would be happy to hear the counterargument if a fellow Ricochetian feels an openly gay man should not be advising on Republican campaign. How should we proceed as a movement? And, a slightly different question, how do you think we will actually proceed as a movement?
- Comment (114)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (5)
Comments:
Nov '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Grrrrrr......
Quoth Jennifer Rubin:
The Daily Caller piece has nothing to do with Grenell. It has to do with one of Chris Christie's judicial appointees.
Can we please stop pretending that Jennifer Rubin is
1) Conservative
and
2) a serious journalist?
Quoth Franck:
The criticism is about Grenell's outspoken support for gay marriage - it's not about being "anti-gay", unless you want to be a Leftist and define all opposition to same sex marriage as being "homophobic" or whatever.
All that said, I don't have a problem with an ardent gay marriage supporter being a member of Romney's campaign. I do have a problem with people who write vitriolic rubbish, which Grenell is apparently guilty of. Now that he's resigned from the campaign, maybe he can make ads for one of Romney's Super PACs.
Mar '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Pat in Obamaland
And what is that issue? That an advisor on foreign affairs differs from the majority of the Republican Party on one issue which in no way pertains to foreign affairs? · 32 minutes ago
Ah I see, principles are a buffet! I shall choose which amuse me and discard those which I find for some reason or another unpalatable.
So amusing that there are actually citizens who put faith in these statements from the Republican convention is it not? How you must laugh that there are voters who still believe a handful of those striving for office might actually believe what they say.
Dec '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
It sounds like this guy was a loose cannon in general. I can see how he wouldnt feel good in a Romney campaign, as buttoned up as they are.
Its a pity because he would probably be the only interesting person there.
Jun '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
M1919A4
Casey Taylor: Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) tweeted 2 hours ago:
7 minutes ago
Casey, did VP Cheney openly turn on President Bush over their differences on this issue? I have no recollection of his doing that. · 3 minutes ago
Did Grenell turn against Romney over their differences on this issue?
Dec '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I seriously doubt that a guy that nobody knew about except uptight liberals who can't stand a catty gay guy, quit a decent job because of 2 articles that nobody read by authors nobody heard of.
I making the official call of BS on this. There was no 'controversy' about this guy being gay or even being a gay advocate on this campaign, until now when he decided to quit.
Edited on May 2, 2012 at 5:05amJul '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I just called one of my aforementioned friends and he said a guy pushing hard for gay marriage should not be in the campaign in any serious position. From a conservative gay man worth a hundred million( and a big political donor) to the eyes of Ricochet in 20 minutes.
Jun '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Franck:
The criticism is about Grenell's outspoken support for gay marriage - it's not about being "anti-gay", unless you want to be a Leftist and define all opposition to same sex marriage as being "homophobic" or whatever.
All that said, I don't have a problem with an ardent gay marriage supporter being a member of Romney's campaign. I do have a problem with people who write vitriolic rubbish, which Grenell is apparently guilty of.
Agreed on Rubin... but.
Despite Franck's protestations, his argument boils down to, in his own words:
Grenell can't be trusted because he'll betray us. Because of his ideological position. Why this one? Why not any of his other positions? Why just this one?
His tweets were pretty funny, by the way, and most often as part of an ongoing battle.
Nov '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Yet another example of how the underlying reality doesn't matter. Most people I know feel pretty much the way DocJay articulated it, above, as do I. No, it's all about the "narrative": Romney lost control of it, Begala, Burton and the rest can be counted on to seize it, distort it, run with it and try to steal home with it. The instant I heard about L'affair Grennel, I knew two things: There was more to the story-- and that the "more" wouldn't matter. Actually three things: The third was that I could come to Richochet for a reasoned and lively discussion (maybe even contentious) and find out what was really going on. So thanks. That said, as we all know, nothing is over until Meghan McCain weighs in. Can't wait...
Apr '12
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Casey Taylor
What a specious argument! One small thought experiment shows how silly and offensive Franck's reasoning is:
Or maybe this:
Or this:
What an ass. · 3 hours ago
Keyes is patently against reparations, why would you say such a thing?
Immigration is not central to Rubio's position, why would you say such a thing?
Coulter wouldn't switch because the GOP remains more consistent with all her views.
Who's the ass?
May '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Roberto
So amusing that there are actually citizens who put faith in these statements from the Republican convention is it not? How you must laugh that there are voters who still believe a handful of those striving for office might actually believe what they say. · 41 minutes ago
How is the party discarding its beliefs by having one member that disagrees on one issue? It seems to me Mr. Grenell is being held to a standard - absolute ideological purity - that we ask of no other advisor for a candidate (let alone the candidate himself or herself). If we decide to purge the party of anyone who deviates from the accepted platform on any issue, we are going to be left with an ideologically pure party that may carry as many votes as Dennis Kucinich.
The only reason why Mr. Grenell was singled out was because Mr. Franck felt he couldn't be trusted. Why couldn't he be trusted? Because he is a gay man and, according to Mr. Franck, he will probably be willing to throw away all other political concerns if President Obama comes out and supports gay marriage (which the President says he doesn't anyway).
Jul '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Gay or militant gay Pat? I do not trust militant gays as ideologues will betray you for their cause. Bear in mind I could care less about a person's private life.
Jun '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Highlama
One small thought experiment shows how silly and offensive Franck's reasoning is:
Or maybe this:
Or this:
What an ass.
Keyes is patently against reparations, why would you say such a thing?
Immigration is not central to Rubio's position, why would you say such a thing?
Coulter wouldn't switch because the GOP remains more consistent with all her views.
Who's the ass?
Keyes is patently in favor of reparations, though he calls it a tax break. Rubio supports the Dream Act, lite, in defiance of his leadership. You prove my point with Coulter, as the GOP remains overwhelmingly consistent with the rest of Grennel's views.
Care to walk back that last sentence?
Edited on May 2, 2012 at 5:55amOct '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Conservatives are trying to top what Dan Savage did.
Mar '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Pat in Obamaland
Roberto
So amusing that there are actually citizens who put faith in these statements from the Republican convention is it not? How you must laugh that there are voters who still believe a handful of those striving for office might actually believe what they say. · 41 minutes ago
How is the party discarding its beliefs by having one member that disagrees on one issue? It seems to me Mr. Grenell is being held to a standard - absolute ideological purity - that we ask of no other advisor for a candidate · 4 minutes ago
What absolute nonsense. Ron Paul? Patrick Buchanan? Have you been asleep for for the past few decades? Perhaps they belong in the Republican Party and perhaps not, that is a question of issues a matter for debate. Certainly many insist and shout to the rooftops such men and many others have no place in the GOP.
If you wish to have a debate on issues then put it forth plainly and let us have that discussion. Do not rant and wail on some invented percussion.
Jul '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Mitt Romney isn't exactly a bastion of ideological purity. He gets my vote though.
Mar '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Pat in Obamaland
How is the party discarding its beliefs by having one member that disagrees on one issue? It seems to me Mr. Grenell is being held to a standard - absolute ideological purity - that we ask of no other advisor for a candidate (let alone the candidate himself or herself).
No he's not. You can have dissenting views in the GOP. John Bolton is onboard the gay marriage train. No one is chasing him out.
It matters greatly how you dissent. And this man's history is full of examples of doing that poorly, often by attacking his own party and the leadership in it. Pat Buchanan doesn't support free trade, and free trade is a party plank. And by the way, no one has kicked Grinell out of the Republican Party. He quit his post in a campaign. He can choose to leave the party too, but that's up to him. No one is going to make him do it. No one has tried to kick the Log Cabin guys out either, for that matter.
This isn't a purge, no matter how many in our own party want to make it one.
Nov '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Casey Taylor
Agreed on Rubin... but.
Despite Franck's protestations, his argument boils down to, in his own words:
Grenell can't be trusted because he'll betray us. Because of his ideological position. Why this one? Why not any of his other positions? Why justthisone?
His tweets were pretty funny, by the way, and most often as part of an ongoing battle. · 53 minutes ago
I'm not gonna defend Franck's argument, because I don't see any evidence that Grenell would suddenly switch parties over gay marriage. I'm specifically taking issue with the phrase "anti-gay" being applied to Franck - because he makes a bad argument, he's anti-gay? That's about as thin as claiming Grenell will suddenly become a Democrat, despite working for Bush all those years.
Hilarious, I know. Foreign policy gravitas.
Apr '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Casey Taylor:
....There's simply no good reason to drive him out. But, as our own Ben Domenech says:
It's a terrible, terrible, story, and terrible in substance. Worse still, we appeased those who engaged in vile attacks. We'll see more of them in the future. If your opponent's response to attacks on his staff is to let them go, the value to attacking staff goes up considerably.
Douglas:"There is only one problem: Mr. Grenell is gay."
This is frankly, flatly,false. This isn't a "gay purge". He was pressured to leave because he's a crusader for redifning marriage, against his own party's principles...
It's not false. For some, your characterization is accurate. For others, it's simply bigotry. Bryan Fischer, for example, has been extremely clear that we should have no openly gay senior officials in the party. Worse, appeasement appears to have exacerbated the problem.
Here, for example:
Apr '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Mothership_Greg
I'm not gonna defend Franck's argument, because I don't see any evidence that Grenell would suddenly switch parties over gay marriage. I'm specifically taking issue with the phrase "anti-gay" being applied to Franck - because he makes a bad argument, he's anti-gay?....
Suggesting that Grenell was a bad hire because he's gay? Even if it was a good argument, that would be anti-gay.
Grenell's problem with Bush was that Bush didn't include Grenell's chap on social occasions. Romney has a lengthy history of making gay people feel included; his reforms at the Olympics are better known than at Bain, but he went to efforts there, and was always personally solicitous to them.
As with so many other issues, I've always gotten the impression that gay sex is like alcohol to him; something he'd take an active stance on as a bishop (and church stake "president"), but not press on outsiders. Obviously, gay marriage has always been beyond the limits of that tolerance, but only for governmental functions; socially he's always treated couples who considered themselves married with respect.
May '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Social conservatives are a continuing embarrassment to the party, making us look more like the anti-dancing guy from Footloose than anything human. Tis is nothing new. As you'll recall, GOProud, a group which doesn't even espouse "gay issues" was discontinued as a sponsor of CPAC by these same groups. For all the tortuous, convoluted pretzel arguments used to justify their bigotry (and there are some doozies on this thread), at bottom they simply don't want to be around gays for fear of cooties, or enjoy the idea of designating some other collection of life-forms as even more distasteful than themselves.
The alarming part of this story is Romney's caving to these toothless groups almost instantly. I can't imagine why we ever listen to what they say. They should be grateful for anything we give them short of a wedgie, and historically have been.