Comments on: Smear the queer

By: David

David — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:32:34 +0000

As I said, it won’t work, although I’m sure the Republicans will use it since they have nothing else to run on anymore. But thanks for the condescension.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:44:20 +0000

Eeew! TMI, KC!

By: Knitting Clio

Knitting Clio — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:33:21 +0000

I just got back from a conference on HPV vaccines, which included gay men’s health, so we talked about a different sort of smear, i.e. the diagnostic kind . . .

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:44:53 +0000

Excellent point, Fratguy–and thanks for those Bush photos with your expert commentary! I like the caption on the Rugby cheap shot: “George Bush delivers illegal, but gratifying right hook to opposing ball carrier.” He hits like a girl!

And David: you’re in Obamaniac Dreamland if you think this mudslinging is out of fashion a short 4 years after the GOP successfully portrayed a decorated Vietnam Vet presidential candidate as an effete, unmanly, flip-flopping out-of-touch liberal, and their Cheerleader frat-boy Preznit as a manly man who takes a stand and sticks by it. It is the playbook they’ll run against Obama (along with making Michelle look like an overbearing broad with dangerous opinions). They already are. But my comment today was about the media cheerleaders, not the GOP playbook. Notice how the Dowds, Parkers, and Richard Cohens all adopt GOP language and framing to describe and demonize Democratic presidential candidates as unreliable, untrustworthy gender queers.

You may be right that it won’t work this year, in which case Obama will join Bill Clinton as the only Dems to win in the last 30 years since this tactic became fashionable. But I think the track record speaks for itself.

By: Fratguy

Fratguy — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:05:22 +0000

For the love of Jeebus, George W Bush was a CHEELEADER at Yale (see link). Not that there is anything wrong with or emasculating about being a male cheerleader, but some mindless consistency in the application of baseless and ugly stereotypes on the part of the GOP faithful would be refreshing. Fratguy’s own choice of athletics, rugby and soccer, were notable for explicitly excluding cheerleaders. Maybe that’s why we were regarded as “faggy” by the footballing shovelheads. There is another picture of W applying a very cheap shot during a rugby game in the enclosed link. Just click the right arrow to see it. In case you are saying to yourselves right now “hey, but rugby is a pretty tough and manly sport and not at all infused with any homoeroticim” you have obviously never attended a mid week team meeting.

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushcheerleader.htm

By: David

David — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:09:10 +0000

The fortunate thing is that I think this brand of mudslinging has passed its expiration date. If the Republicans think they can win in 2008 with this kind of language, they are going to be in for a rude awakening.