05/24/2007
Mitt Romney: "I am not Anti-Gay"
Speaking to a crowd at a Jacksonville, Florida library today, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spoke of his feelings about gay people, elaborating on comments he made yesterday at a campaign event.
At that event, someone asked Romney if pastors should preach that homosexuality is a sin. Romney answered that elected officials should not dictate what pastors preach. He later told the Associated Press, "I don't think that a person who's running for a secular position as I am should talk about or engage in discussions of what they in their personal faith or their personal beliefs is immoral or not immoral."
Today he went further. Said Romney: "What you look for in a leader is someone who will welcome and treat with respect people who made different choices and have different beliefs in their lives and have differences. I have nothing but respect and feelings of tolerance for people with differences from myself and feel that way with regards to those who are gay...I oppose discrimination against gay people. I am not anti-gay. I know there are some Republicans, or some people in the country who are looking for someone who is anti-gay and that's not me."
According to the AP, "He noted that one of his Cabinet members was gay and that he appointed gays to positions of responsibility in his administration....He said he is opposed to gay marriage because it's not in the best interest of children."
I'd love for some of these reporters to start asking these bigots about Mary Cheney.
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Posted 5:10 PM EST by Andy Towle in Election 2008, Gay Marriage, Mitt Romney, News, Republican Party | Permalink
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Of course Romney isn't anti-gay. He's just pro-whatever-will-get-me-elected.
Posted by: Timothy | May 24, 2007 9:09:13 PM
This robot/android is just a hypocrite, liar and jerk for his lame lies. Actions speak louder than words, and your words aren't exactly filled with "tolerance."
And, lets not forget, Mormons have one level of what is worse than gay, murder, so, he is a bald face liar, and how dare he equate children with gay marriage. Someone really needs to reprogram him with a clue or hard statistics!
Posted by: Sandy | May 24, 2007 9:12:32 PM
Even in his attempt to sound NOT anti-gay he uses ALL the anti-gay buzz words and talking points: Like "Choices", and like saying that he doesn't want to say who's "moral or immoral" while making it pretty clear where he stands, and then saying he has nothing but respect for gay people, while saying that our marrying each other constitutes a threat to children's wellbeing, (As a man married to a man, raising our son together for 13 years, I REALLY appreciate that one) and then acting all open-minded because he "tolerates" us. One “tolerates” people they don't like, don't respect, and don't appreciate. One does NOT "tolerate" someone that he likes, respects and/or appreciates.
I'll file this speech away with the one where Liberace said he wasn't gay and the one where David Duke said he wasn't a racist and the one where Nixon said he wasn't a crook.
Posted by: Zeke | May 24, 2007 9:39:36 PM
Romney is the very definition of "tool". That anyone takes this pandering asshole seriously is a sad commentary on the state of the cesspool that is our national electoral intelligence.
Posted by: Acolyte | May 24, 2007 10:08:42 PM
^^^Cute!
Does Veritas = Leland?? I'm getting confused!
Was anyone here thinking of voting for Mitty? He isn't anti-lying either.
Posted by: anon | May 24, 2007 10:16:03 PM
I was ^^^'ing to Zeke's last line actually.
Posted by: anon | May 24, 2007 10:17:07 PM
You guys are taking him way too seriously.
43% of america will never vote for a mormon for president per the latest polling data. With the majority of those being the Repub base.
He is just wasting mormon money by even trying. even with bushco support the southern baptists, assembilies of god, church of christ , etc basicaly every single last evangelical (The repub base) officialy see the mormon church as a cult. The base, the only thing they have left ,thanks to bush only pulling in 27-28% support, will never vote for him. His religion wackyness is just too wacky for the other xtianistas.
On that note. The official stand on what to do with one's magic mormon underware when having sex is "It's probably OK to fold them up and tuck them under your pillow during your special time together."
LOL one wonders how they even manage to reproduce mormon children with the whole passion destroying taking time out to fold up their magic underware and have them right there under their pillows the whole time. Then afterward rushing to put them back on. That is since 1970's when they also finaly allowed Black Folk to join the preisthood. Before then, they didn't even remove the magic underware.
The greatest move the gay community can do is to join the laughing crowd and point fingers at this nut job. Reduce him to the joke he is.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 24, 2007 10:34:26 PM
PS
A guy who hasn't even decided to run yet has a higher percentage than romney.
He isn't to be feared or even someone to get angry over. He is a nut and a joke.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 24, 2007 10:38:13 PM
PAVIFICOCEANBOY, I had forgot that they are anti-black as well, well, at least until about 30 years ago I think. He and his fellow Mormons may be hard working God fearing people, but, along with being a cult, and any time you wear magic drawers and forbid "outsiders" from even entering the church or attending weddings or funerals or help unless they are a memeber, you are part of a cult, they show intolerance on a level not seen since the 1860s, slong with some might freaky habits.
Magic undergarments, wow!! That's really freaky deaky!
Posted by: Sandy | May 24, 2007 10:44:35 PM
POB, I remember when people said the same things about GWB before the 2000 debacle. No way! Too stupid! No chance! Seven years later, here we are. Don't ever underestimate the presidential chances of a fool in America.
Posted by: Zeke | May 24, 2007 10:53:49 PM
It is not possible for Giuliani to "shrink" morally, since one cannot shrink from zero. Ask any gay New Yorker -- let alone a black one -- how enlightened his reign was. The man did his best to stamp out gay nightlife, along with any other spark of creativity in the city.
Pray that the right wing vetoes him in the primaries, for if he gets in, kiss the Constitution goodbye.
And yes, Mormonism is a cult cooked up by a loony scam artist in the early 19th century named Joseph Smith, no matter how admirable some of his followers may be in their own lives.
Posted by: Eric | May 24, 2007 10:56:40 PM
zeke
point taken
But I would say Fred whats his name "Law and order" dude who hasn't even anounced that he will run has a higher percentage amongst repubs than romney.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 24, 2007 10:56:50 PM
Oh and sandy
They let black people in now but they are still considered under the curse of cain.
I would like a reporter to bring up his stance on condoms. The abstinance only crowd at least accept condoms once one is married to a woman. Mormons though officialy never accept condoms even between a man and a wife which would shock even those baptists that might consider voting for romney.
I would also like somebody to do a study of HIV numbers amongst the mormon population. I have a personal theory it is HUGE because of gay mormons not wanting to get excomunicated and loosing their families. They marry women and do the whole on the down low schtick without condoms due to being raised thinking condoms are always bad even between them and a wife.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 24, 2007 11:04:55 PM
Im not quit familiar with how progressive the mormon church has become but arent homosexuals shunned? If you are demonzied and arent recognized, respected or valued by the church you claim to be affiliated with isnt that the equivilant to a wife that says her husband loves her but beats her more than she can recount? Im sorry but anyone who would stand by a church in such a fashion seems pathetic to me. Its one thing to be a religious and faith based individual but to be the willing bitch of a institution that condems you just doesnt make any sense to me.
Posted by: Toto | May 24, 2007 11:08:43 PM
Thanks for illuminating Veritas.
It does speak to Naffs lack of credibility that he would reject the idea of chastising Washington for using the F-word and berate Edwards for referring to gays as "those people". Would seem like a double standard, at least.
Axe to grind indeed.
Posted by: aidanc | May 24, 2007 11:10:01 PM
I'm not sure Mitt Romney's religion is the problem, it's the fact he's put it front and center of his political platform that will scare people off and cause his rightful undoing.
And as a gay person I don't "hate" republicans as someone suggested. There are even some that I enjoy, like Senator McCain. He might have his senior moments (like not knowing if condoms help stop the spread of HIV), but he's still one heck of a politician and an interesting character. It's too bad he sold out to the religious right and is being outshined by two-faced Rudy Giuliani.
Oh, and on the topic of civil unions: in the past he said he's not for it, but he's not against it..and when New Hampshire passed a civil unions bill he gave the correct answer as a federalist that it was their right to do so (though he took it back afterwards)
http://www.nysunpolitics.com/blog/2007/04/exclusive-john-mccain-comes-out.html
Posted by: rope | May 24, 2007 11:18:49 PM
I don't care if Mitt Romney is anti-gay. He is a total dreamboat. That is why I hope he wins the election.
Posted by: tonytony | May 24, 2007 11:25:54 PM
Anyone who could possibly believe the nonsense that the Mormon cult preaches is not fit to be president.
Posted by: ReasReasonBased | May 25, 2007 12:54:40 AM
For those who think he can't win, remember that this "lightweight" was the Gov. of Mass., a very liberal state. And are the evangelicals going to vote for Hillary or Barak??
Posted by: anon | May 25, 2007 1:23:06 AM
Okay, to the person that said : "I don't care if Mitt Romney is anti-gay. He is a total dreamboat. That is why I hope he wins the election" - ummm, this is my idea of a dreamboat President: http://www.jfkjr.com/jfjjr_walking.jpg
My grandmother used to say she liked President Bush because she thought he was "cute". Now she's a Democrat ready to vote for Hillary in the primary next year. My grandmother has a lesbian daughter and a transgender grandchild (me).
By the way, I still have this fantasy where it's 2000 and JFK Jr. and George W. Bush are the candidates for President, and I go to bed late Tuesday night knowing that JFK Jr. won a landslide. And then I wake up...to George W. Bush and the nightmare continues.
Posted by: julianadotsr | May 25, 2007 1:59:24 AM
Uh, he said "people who make different choices" - as in gays and lesbians still "choose" to be gay.
Maybe he'll pay for state-run programs to help all gay teens "pray the gay away."
A redneck's a redneck.
Posted by: Louie | May 25, 2007 3:20:58 AM
Mr. Flipflop
Posted by: joejoe | May 25, 2007 4:32:47 AM
If he is opposed to gay marriage because he thinks it's not in the best interest of children, he's anti-gay. Plain ans simple.
Let's hope the USA doesn't elect another liar.
Posted by: Minge | May 25, 2007 4:33:54 AM
TonyTony...comments like yours make me think it might actually be a good idea for potential voters to have to pass an intelligence test before they are allowed anywhere near a voting booth.
xo,
peterparker
Posted by: peterparker | May 25, 2007 6:41:21 AM
I hope this guy wins the Republican nomination, because the American people aren't ready to vote for a Mormon.
As long as Big Love is still playing on HBO, a Mormon will never take the White House.
Right now, out of the Big Three (McCain, Romney and Guiliani) Romney is clearly leading. He's raised the most money and he's doing a great job courting the social conservative vote.
Once he's captured the Republican nomination, the Democratic nominee, whoever it is, can then rip him to shreds for any reason.
Expose his religion for being a silly cult. Expose him for being the flip flopper that Kerry wasn't. Once the American people get a good luck at this guy and realize who he is, they'll be turned off. They don't want another disengenious Republican as president.
Posted by: Sean H | May 25, 2007 7:27:49 AM