I find the jokes about Gannon 'servicing' Bush hilarious.

[JackBeck]

Poll question: I find the jokes about Gannon 'servicing' Bush hilarious.

Over the past few days we've seen a lot of press surrounding the upcoming release of Scott McClellan's insider 'tell-all'.

Obviously, there are now questions over whether or not there will be any new information surrounding the Gannon/Guckert situation.

Which in turn has brought about a whole new cycle of rehashed speculation surrounding any extra 'work' Jeff may have been offering during his tenure as a press shill.

So what say you, fellow DUers?

The mods are doing a great job when alerted, and the thread locks I've seen completely respect the essence of why LGBT DUers and our allies find these inferences shallow and elementary. But they still persist, so I just wanted to get an idea of where other DUers are at.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Lighten up, Francis.

:hide:

Pretty sure you know how I feel. :grr:

[JackBeck]

4. Ha! I almost included that in the poll.

GD has been ripe the past few days.

:eyes:

[LeftCoast]

2. Interestingly enough, it seems to be the same people most of the time...

Many even use the same offensive graphics over and over again.

[JackBeck]

5. Yeah, I just saw that and alerted as well.

Without sounding condescending, it's just all kind of childish.

And yet when it's a heterosexual scandal, the 'humor' and photoshops don't even amount to the kind of stuff expressed when it involves a same-sex situation.

[LeftCoast]

7. It is childish

It's also hurtful and obnoxious.

[tridim]

3. I don't care about the sex stuff, but I do want to know why he was in the WH press room..

pretending to be a "journalist".

[JackBeck]

8. Oh, absolutely! I totally agree.

I've followed this story ever since Aravosis broke it on his blog. I find the whole thing quite fascinating.

But I just can't seem to make the intellectual leap that some posters consistently make when they come to the conclusion that all of this automatically makes Bush gay.

[terrya]

6. That's always so darned comical

Yes, any mention of Republicans and any allusions to gay sex...just fucking wonderful. Just use any reference to homosexuality about right wing Republicans around here...always an effective way to make your point on what is supposed to be a progressive web site.

Oh, by the way. :sarcasm: to the above. I get so goddamned tired seeing that kind of shit around here.

[JackBeck]

9. Me, too.

And I think the admins and mods have been pretty good about deleting or locking threads, yet there doesn't seem to be an effective way of trying to set an example for everyone as to why this shouldn't be acceptable on this website in the first place.

This was mentioned before but, DUers have a general understanding that racism will not be tolerated on a progressive web site, so no one would think that posting a racist jokes because this community would never tolerate any of that. Yet when it comes to jokes surrounding the LGBT community, we're supposed to look at that as an opportunity to educate other 'progressives' as to why this is uncalled for, even though it's generally assumed that progressives would know better to begin with.

[terrya]

11. It's the same thing with the "Mann Coulter" crap.

Look, Ann Coulter is a vile piece of shit. But I don't think it's necessary or right to indulge in mindless transphobic insults.

I alerted on the post you alluded to in this thread. And I do think the mods and admins have done a pretty good job deleting the crap such as this. But goddammit, why DO some progressives indulge in this homophobic crap? You...I...everyone here would think that they wouldn't. That they would be respectful of GLBT DU'ers and GLBT people in general. But...here we are. With posts such as the one in GD right now.

[JackBeck]

14. It was encouraging to see that the Mann Coulter stuff has been addressed.

As for the rest, I'd love to figure out a way to address how we can more forward on this issue. Skinner, for his part, opened the door with his posts and I believe the other admins and mods recognize there are problems. The next step, though, needs to be taken.

[LeftCoast]

10. I have a short post about this in GD that could probably use some love

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3357594

It will probably drop out of sight very quickly.

:shrug:

[terrya]

12. Done and thank you.

[LeftCoast]

18. Thanks Terry

:hi:

[terrya]

19. You're welcome!

I posted in GD that Bush wasn't gay. And someone replied to me about his boyfriend from the past.

If you don't mind, I'll just hang out in the Lounge for a while. Before I start hitting my head against the wall from GD.

:hi:

[LeftCoast]

20. Yeah...I've pretty much reached my GD tolerance level for the day

I know the mods will delete the offending posts...just sad that it's already been over two hours and they are still there. I hope Skinner was right and the new DU will make for easier moderating. When posts like that are left for hours on end its almost a moot point when they're finally removed.

[newmajority]

13. GannonGuckert's overnight unauthorized visits to the White House should be a legitimate subject

It doesn't necessarily mean he was doing Chimpy, or Rove, or Scotty, or whomever. But the fact remains he WAS there, repeatedly, and overnight visits wouldn't fall under his duties as a "journalist".

I'd like to know why he spent so much time there. Not because of the "gay sex scandal" possibilities, but because the real story might be far more scandalous.

[terrya]

15. I do think the unauthorized White House access needs to be investigated.

[JackBeck]

16. I agree. 100%. I find this story very fascinating.

But like I mentioned upthread, I don't understand, why, some that claim to be progressives automatically need to make a joke that Bush is gay.

If DUers went around calling Obama "half-rican", like Rush does, do you think they would be members of this community for much longer?

[newmajority]

21. I don't get the fascination with the "Chimpy is gay" stuff either.

The problem with Chimp is that he's fucking the entire country. Who cares who else he's fucking?

I think the reason it gets so many laughs on this board (along with Larry Craig, Lindsey Graham, McCain's ex campaign manager in Florida, Ted Haggard, etc) isn't intended as homophobia as much as it is laughing at Repuke hypocrisy.

Notice I did say intended. I'd have to agree that the results sometimes make it appear otherwise, as if being "gay" would somehow make these Repuke hypocrites look worse??

[LeftCoast]

17. I'll agree with the other responders here

It is an interesting and valid question. However, it's a huge and false logical leap to assume that bush is gay.

[xchrom]

22. it's simply a way for liberal/progressive heteros to work out

their homophobia.

it's -- agreed upon -- so they suffer no censure for it.

[pnwmom]

24. I'm not sure that's true in all cases.

I agree that it's an insult to gay or bi people to think that Bush might not be straight. I mean, who wants to have anything in common with the chimp?

But I think what a lot of progressives are reacting to is what it would mean -- the enormous HYPOCRISY -- if Bush were actually on the "down low." And if he WERE unmasked, the suffering he would then undergo . . . . .

[Toasterlad]

23. I Have as Low a Tolerance for "All Republicans Are GAY!" Comments As Anyone, But...

...Gannon IS gay, so this is slightly different. Bush is not (thank God!), but I don't see much harm in joking about Gannon servicing Bush...particularly since Bush would have an aneurysm if he thought anyone truly believed it.

So, to sum up:

1) "Republicans are Gay!" jokes = bad.

2) Gannon fucking Bush jokes = shaky, but I'll allow it.

3) Bush aneurysm = good.

[davidinalameda]

25. the idea of anyone servicing Bush makes me ill

:puke: