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?
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Comments:
Nov '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I find the story to be a bit trumped up. The campaign hires an openly gay man. A handful of loudmouths outside the Romney campaign agitate over it. Romney has openly denounced those loud mouths, which should be a message to the gay man that Romney still values him. But just before the man is supposed to start on the job he says he doesn't want to, citing pressure from social conservatives on the Romney campaign. Romney's campaign urges him to stay the course. He refuses.
I'm not going to say it is Grenell's fault that people say nasty things about him. But it is up to him how he deals with it. If it takes just a few words from those who have no real influence for him to give it up, then I think he probably handled it poorly.
Apr '12
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Casey Taylor
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? · 10 hours ago
Not quite yet,
Keyes says: "I have consistently opposed the effort to extort monetary damages from the American people." He also supports a general overhaul of the tax code. But that's not the point.
The question at hand here is "Is it reasonable to suspect that Grenell is so single issue focused that he might switch camps."
And yes, it it reasonable to suspect, but not so in the other cases you mentioned. Grennell seems to have spent most all of his political capital on this issue.
As to why Mitt brought him on in the first place: The homosexuals have powerful political influence and have singled out Mormons as a major opponent. Grenell simply had to come in the the public eye as a tacit nod that Mitt stands with them, also a victim of conservative intolerance. Brilliant!
Nov '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I'm sorry, I just see this as another propaganda post by a social liberal which becomes clearer as the facts become known. See also James' Mean and Nasty' article...I don't know why it always surprises me so much when people who can smell a rat in other liberal causes and arguments don't see the same sort of thing in their social issues arguments. I am not saying they need to agree, just argue them better or in other words quit using leftist tactics and make a good argument (if there is one?). As for this particular story as far as facts are known I'm leaning toward this at legalinsurrectionc.com: Now Mitt Romney starts paying the price for Jennifer Rubin
Jul '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I've no problem with Mr. Grenell advising Gov. Romney, so long as he is a rigorous thinker and understands history without the slavish preference among Liberals for thinking that history begins each morning when they get out of bed (no matter whom they have been with).
Mar '12
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Ken Owsley: I find the story to be a bit trumped up. The campaign hires an openly gay man. A handful of loudmouths outside the Romney campaign agitate over it. Romney has openly denounced those loud mouths, which should be a message to the gay man that Romney still values him. But just before the man is supposed to start on the job he says he doesn't want to, citing pressure from social conservatives on the Romney campaign. Romney's campaign urges him to stay the course. He refuses.
I'm not going to say it is Grenell's fault that people say nasty things about him. But it is up to him how he deals with it. If it takes just a few words from those who have no real influence for him to give it up, then I think he probably handled it poorly. · 15 minutes ago
This.
Mar '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Does Ms. Rubin actually want Romney to win?
Some guy I never heard of,decided, of his own free will, not to take a job. The Romney campaign asked him to reconsider. The guy says he cannot do his job because people don't like that he is gay.
Supporting the idea that simply being gay disqualified a potential staffer is found in one online posting from another gentleman most people have never heard of. ( a second link discuss judges in NJ and not this issue at all)
Ms. Rubin seems to be attacking the Romney Campaign as being anti-gay based on flimsy evidence. Ms. Rubin has initiated a fight between the more social conservative and the more libertarian parts of the party. Who does this help? What problem does this solve?
The only facts are Romney hired a gay staffer and accepted his resignation. The rest is just conjecture and he said/she said.
Thank you Ms. Rubin for causing infighting and making it seem that all Republicans/conservatives are anti-gay. That will surely help the election.
Feb '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Well, if Franck's hypothetical comes to be and Obama does announce he is in favor of same-sex marriage, then we'll see if Grenell signs on.
And if he does, who in this room will say to others in this room "See what people like you made him do," instead of "Hmm. You were right when this came up back in early May."
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Ken Owsley: I find the story to be a bit trumped up. The campaign hires an openly gay man. A handful of loudmouths outside the Romney campaign agitate over it. Romney has openly denounced those loud mouths, which should be a message to the gay man that Romney still values him. But just before the man is supposed to start on the job he says he doesn't want to, citing pressure from social conservatives on the Romney campaign. Romney's campaign urges him to stay the course. He refuses.
I'm not going to say it is Grenell's fault that people say nasty things about him. But it is up to him how he deals with it. If it takes just a few words from those who have no real influence for him to give it up, then I think he probably handled it poorly. · 43 minutes ago
Good comment. You are certainly looking at it from a different angle. Nice job.
Sep '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Hey, Doc! I sure wish I knew these guys!
Aug '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I think that the attack on Grenell was completely uncalled for and agree with the Podhoretz piece on Commentary.
I would like to add though that Franck's hypothetical is disingenuous on its face. While Obama has never "openly" stated that he is in favor of Same Sex Marriage, he has made it abundantly clear that he is so. In the face of Obama's support for said policy, Grenell has remained a conservative.
We need fewer ideological purges on the Right. We have the right to disagree with one another about policies. An OPS of .700+ (that's on base plus slugging) is enough agreement for me to welcome someone into my side of the argument. And that wouldn't require us to agree on even half of my positions, just for the person to be very good at advocating for those things upon which we do agree.
May '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Shame on you for jumping on Rubin's baseless attack.
Here's a more proper way of seeing this.
Mar '12
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Here's the thing, if there is a sexual orientation barrier within the GOP, the only way to break it is for homosexuals to get a thick skin, stand up to it and overcome it. Running away and crying about the meanies who called you names is not the way to improve the party.
Aug '11
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
The Legal Insurrection article was a very good article. I just don't see this as a purging. We can talk all day about making the GOP, or small-gov't conservativism a "big tent" movement-- and we should-- but I don't think we should fuse unrelated (or tangenitally related) issues together to create our own personal heroes and villains in for the "Big Tent Narrative."
I don't think that Franck's intuition was so far off as to be pernicious though. Grenell goes on TV interview, supposedly to talk about foregin policy and the question of gay rights comes up-- what will he say or do? I don't know. (I'm not making comment on gay rights here.) But this is a discussion that I'm sure Romney and Grenell had. Whatever the answer, the politics would need to play to Romney's favor and be consistent with Mr. Grenell's own character. I don't think the intuition behind the question was too far off.
Sep '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.: You might read Byron York's piece skeptical of the Rubin take here:
His catty tweets and demeanor ... were also issues, of course. · 2 hours ago
Edited 2 hours ago
Grenell can take Capehart to task because Dems claim to be pro-gay. Republicans acknowledge variance of opinion on the subject. He's calling Capehart out, not claiming to join in.
Dec '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Oh, look! Shiny, shiny!!
Republicans fall for it every time.
Nov '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Western Chauvinist: Oh, look! Shiny, shiny!!
Republicans fall for it every time. · 9 minutes ago
If your point is that we conservatives have a tendency to jump up and down about this sort of stuff in an effort to prove we aren't bigoted homophobes, then I agree. I had intended to post "Some of my best friends are gay" but then I thought that might be a bit too snarky...
Jul '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
So much angst over a media echo chamber story. Walk outside and ask people what they think about Grenell, and the response you're going to get is, "Who?"
Mar '12
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I count myself among the conservatives and I think that it should be a source of shame for us conservatives if we drive a talented and valuable voice on unrelated issues from our midst over this issue.
I don't oppose gay marriage. It is just not that an important issue for me, especially at the national level. If states want to vote for it in their legislatures or approve it by referendum I am fine with that and, in fact, I would vote for it. I'm not so happy with courts mandating it.
Nov '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
Is anyone besides me noticing a familiar pattern beginning here? Jennifer Rubin had nothing but praise for Romney and his campaign, as long as there was anybody more conservative in the race. Now suddenly the Romney campaign is just dreadful.
Anyone remember anything like this oh, say, four years ago? McCain was the only tolerable Republican right up until he became the only Republican, which is just about when he became intolerably right wing.
Jul '10
Re: A Shameful Moment for the Conservative Movement
I have doubts that Grennell's sexuality was the exclusive reason for this happening, but as a gay conservative, I find the prospect troubling. Mostly because if it's true, it indicates that Romney may be too willing to appease Gary Bauer and Focus on the Family...and that seems to me like a great way to lose this election. I could be wrong, but I personally suspect that most conservatives who would even think of withholding their actual vote live in states where Romney is likely to win already, whereas alienating independents, moderates, and the increasing number of gay conservatives could really hurt in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada, etc, etc.
I hope Grennell left over Romney's strong objections, and I hope Romney will continue to pursue a Big Tent strategy in terms of making gay voters feel welcome. McCain got something like 27% of the gay vote, almost 10% more than Bush did. Romney stands a chance to gain even more with organizations like GOProud now in existence. It would be foolish to make them feel unwelcome. Obama will take the gay vote for granted, but Romney shouldn't give him reason to do so.