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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBwaaaaaaaaaaah hahahahahha Rmoney has a gay immigration problem
That Ariz sheriff was a co-chair in the Romney campaign - he has admitted that he is gay and has resigned from the campaign- hahahahaha
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Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu on Saturday denied allegations that he and his attorney threatened to deport a Mexican former boyfriend of Babeu's unless the man agreed not to disclose the relationship.
Babeu said the allegations are "completely false" and the only information mentioned in a Phoenix New Times article that's true is "I'm gay."
Babeu on Saturday quit his position as an Arizona co-chairman of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
"Sheriff Babeu has stepped down from his volunteer position with the campaign so he can focus on the allegations against him," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams told The Republic in a statement. "We support his decision."
Babeu recently appeared at a Romney event with former vice president Dan Quayle in Paradise Valley.
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This is freaking delish!!
Please note that he did not wear his 'gayness' on his sleeve. He just supported folks who deny gays their human rights.
liberalla
(9,249 posts)and by his own admission (or advertisement) he described
himself as "str8 acting"
OMG, studboi1 --- was his user name
malaise
(269,038 posts)The hypocrisy is breathtaking
BumRushDaShow
(129,074 posts)malaise
(269,038 posts)liberalla
(9,249 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)"Gay Agenda"... + "Immigrant Amnesty"...
Wow! You couldn't write this into a Hollywood screenplay!
SG
malaise
(269,038 posts)The utter hypocrisy.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,168 posts)Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha. *phew* bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. *phew* bwahahahahahahahahahaha..............
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)Yes, I get it's all about hypocrisy but the fact that a sheriff turned out to be gay really shouldn't be a reason to lose your job or position in a campaign. Nor should it be something to laugh about here. Instead of having a good chuckle over it, we should be outraged that the only reason this happened is because to most, it's not okay to be openly gay in this country.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Suppose that a campaign's state co-chair were a straight male sheriff, who threatened to deport an ex-lover unless she kept quiet about the relationship, and the whole mess came to light. My guess is that the campaign would quietly tell the guy to step down.
I will agree with you that, in a borderline case, a campaign (especially a Republican campaign) would be more likely to throw a gay supporter overboard. It isn't really borderline, though, when a public official is accused of misusing the power of his or her office to gain a personal advantage.
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)then he wouldn't have created the scandal. It's the argument that some use that say you can't hold certain political or federal law enforcement positions because being homosexual could be used to blackmail you. If we turn the argument on its head, if some people didn't make a big deal about sexuality, there would be no need for a scandal in the first place.
eShirl
(18,494 posts)ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)Making an issue out of illegal immigration while you're sleeping with a Mexican boy-toy? What a scumbag!
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)His sexuality should have never been pulled into it in the first place. If it wasn't so awful to be gay in the United States, half of the scandals wouldn't be scandals any longer. That's the only point I'm making here.
I find fault with your statement: "Making an issue out of illegal immigration while you're sleeping with a Mexican boy-toy?"
Why not stop at: "Making an issue out of illegal immigration while you're sleeping with a Mexican?" <-- That is the real issue... not that the mexican is a male, IMO.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)If the man was an illegal immigrant, that makes this guy a hypocrite for having a relationship with him while harping about illegal immigration. If the man was a legal immigrant, then abusing his position to threaten him is criminal.
That's what the problem is.
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)"Bwaaaaaaaaaaah hahahahahha Rmoney has a gay immigration problem" *emphasis mine
I get all the nuances of what's going on... I see all the hypocrisy involved. My point, is that the sheriff being gay should not be the issue, yet some continue to bring it up. I understand this also points to his hypocrisy but if we didn't demonize being gay in the US, this wouldn't be an issue.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)But I really don't feel to sorry for gay people who continuously endorse and vote for people who hold them in open contempt (note I'm a lesbian so I certainly have a horse in this race).
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)I'm just bothered by the attitude in America that makes this guy think he can't live openly... and more importantly how that reflects on other LGBTQ people in the community and young kids that are still getting the message that this guy is in trouble because he's gay--since that's how it's being framed by some media outlets--even though we know that's not why he's in trouble.
( I'm a lesbian too )
Aerows
(39,961 posts)And accept the fact that we can't accept every gay person's actions in the political arena just because they are gay. That is also a step toward equality. He screwed up on immigration, and by possibly exploiting a lover.
I wouldn't feel any different if he would have been straight and this would have been a woman.
I get what you are saying, but we can't stop chastising gay people for bad behavior just because they are gay. What he did was wrong all the way around, and I'm not passing judgment because he's a gay man - I'm passing judgment because he's a law enforcer and did a bad thing.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)Well, he can thank the political party he supports for that. Barney Frank is out, and he does fine because he's not hiding it, and he's not championing policies that discriminate against gay people.
If he can't live openly, he needs to realize that he himself is part of the reason why.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)Yes, he deserves all the opprobrium heaped on him for actively working against equality.
sammytko
(2,480 posts)His friend and deputy Puroll, lied about being attacked by Mexican cartel members in the desert.
He was the headmaster of a scandal plagued alternative school in the east run by Michael DeSisto.
sammytko
(2,480 posts)sammytko
(2,480 posts)justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)It's obvious he was corrupt and a hypocrite and I understand that Rmoney would rightly ask him to step away.
The issue with me is his need to hide his homosexuality, which may have led to some of his actions. If he hadn't had to hide his homosexuality, if the party that he supports actually supported the core of who he is, I suspect some of the things we're reading about wouldn't be issues. These are some of the things that happens when you have to hide your homosexuality--the people often get caught up in huge scandals.
sammytko
(2,480 posts)He was from Vermont and Massachusetts. Did he move to Arizona to play out some tough guy sheriff role? Wouldn't he be more able to be himself back east?
Also he was or is a major in the army national guard. Did he embrace DADT. Was he glad when it was overturned?
liberalla
(9,249 posts)but I also see hypocrisy, humor, irony and a karmic aspect.
It was refreshing that he came out and owned it as openly as he did yesterday. Too bad he couldn't have done it sooner by choice, and avoided this situation altogether. The needing to hide, needing to lie, threatening the boyfriend to keep secret, etc... It's a sad way to live.
So what does he do? He goes 'all in' with the GOP. Trying to be that uber conservative, law and order, military, patriot guy they all adore (and trying to hide his real self.) He attended and spoke at CPAC last week, for Gawd's sake!
http://www.sheriffpaul.com/sheriff-paul-babeu-speaks-at-cpac-2012/ Yes, it's sad.
sammytko
(2,480 posts)malaise
(269,038 posts)Where are those criminal priests
originalpckelly
(24,382 posts)It is not a problem for a large number of people in America. Most young people around 80% are cool with it.
It's the old white people, to whom this sick prick was pandering, who don't like it.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
malaise
(269,038 posts)He said that was his private business but does not share the same view re others.
He's a hypocrite on more than one count
onethatcares
(16,169 posts)this was about a Democratic co chair of a presidential campaign?
Just wondering aloud here.
MiniMe
(21,716 posts)I wonder how fast his campaign will pull that ad?
hughee99
(16,113 posts)This guy is one person on one state committee. It's not like Romney nominated him to run the ICE.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Does he just not see that he is trying to smother his own identity by belonging to this life-crushing group of psychopaths called the republican party? It is literally killing people, gays and women thru their destructive policies that deny people their right to exist fully in society!
dear god...