Today on Towleroad: GOP Convention Attempts Lift Off, and More

As Tropical Storm Isaac closes in on the gulf, The Republican National Convention gets underway today and maybe has prayer to thank for an on time start? Rush Limbaugh believes that the convention was never really under threat. It's all a big conspiracy guys! Before watching the speeches, get in the mood with the Obama Campaign's preview. Chris Matthews has already made his presence known by blasting into the RNC Chairman. Allen West apparently thinks that the phrase "crap sandwich" is somehow "military vernacular". Meanwhile Fox News seems to have already made a surprising implication about the Romney brothers, by use of song choice. Maybe they were swayed by this week's New Yorker cover. 

In news outside of Tampa, Ron Paul says he would have prevented 9/11. While gay couples await word from the Supreme Court regarding Prop 8, the man who is supposedly the father of the proposition hit the Blood of Christ really hard last night. In slightly better news, Scott Brown says that Gay Marriage is a settled law. Charlie Crist looks to be leaning toward becoming a Democrat. He will speak at the Democratic Convention next week in Charlotte. In definite good news, Joe Biden praised gay rights activists over the weekend. 

Feel good videos about coming out and being gay were popping up everywhere today. Check out this emotional video from an 18-year-old Rugby player who describes how he JUST came out. A recent gay high schooler has advice for other gay teens, chief among them is stay away from Grindr. Maybe that's advice we should all heed. Also check out this impassioned speech at Pride Festival in County Derry, Ireland.

Cutie Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham has another fun video. In tiny shorts of course.

Also check out a town hall at Drake University in Iowa about why marriage equality matters. If you've ever been obsessed with someone you've never met, this new documentary might just be for you. Another documentary was breaking box office records this weekend. The Anti-Obama documentary Obama's America 2016 was seen by a horrifying number of people. In other signs of the apocalypse a lion is creating panic as it runs amuck in the UK. Also, Ryan Lochte pees in a fountain, Rosie O'Donnell got secretly married, and "True Blood" has a gift for HBO Go subscribers. 

Lastly, I'd like to take a quick second to introduce myself. I'm Sam and I'm the new intern here at Towleroad. I'll be be doing regular daily recaps starting with today and working along side the team on other projects. I'm 24, live in New York City, and am really excited to get to be a part of the group here at Towleroad! 

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Have 'Bromance' on 'The New Yorker'

That poor puppy has no idea what's in store for it.

Newly-Appointed SF Archbishop, 'Father of Prop 8', Arrested in San Diego DUI

Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, who was recently named by Pope Benedict as the new Archbishop of San Francisco and a central strategist in the campaign to pass Proposition 8 in California, was arrested for driving under the influence, the San Diego Union Tribune reports:

Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, 56, who was appointed archbishop in July, was taken into custody Saturday at 12:26 a.m. after being stopped on College Avenue near Montezuma Road, police said. Cordileone, who is a San Diego native, was booked into county jail on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and later posted bail...he Archdiocese of San Francisco has not returned a call asking for comment on the arrest.

In June,  Cordileone attempted to force a LGBT Catholic group to sign an oath of integrity which included remaining celibate.

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Might Have Manipulated Hurricane Data to Ruin GOP Convention

Rush Limbaugh is "not alleging conspiracies" but notes that the National Hurricane Center is under the auspices of the Commerce Department, and just might have plotted the hurricane's path in order to influence decision-making by the Republican Party regarding this week's convention, Think Progress reports.

Said Limbaugh:

“And I noticed that the hurricane center’s track is — and I’m not alleging conspiracies here. The hurricane center is the regime; the hurricane center is the Commerce Department...It’s the government. It’s Obama....

...Okay, 6:45 p.m. Saturday night the Republicans announce that they’re canceling Monday. At 6:45 p.m. Saturday night, everybody is still under the impression that Isaac is making a beeline for very close to Tampa. It was an hour and 15 minutes later that the eight p.m. model runs showed New Orleans. I’m alleging no conspiracy. I’m just telling you, folks, when you put this all together in this timeline, I’m telling you, it’s unbelievable."

Listen to a clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

FOX News Uses Gay Anthem to Introduce Romney Sons: VIDEO

Raw Story makes note of some interesting intro music from Fox & Friends. Because you know what they say about families with lots of brothers?

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Couples Await Supreme Court's Word in California as Judge Orders Proposition 8 Case Closed

Judge James Ware today ordered the Proposition 8 case closed, Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner reports:

The trial court judge in California who has taken over hearing the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, the state's amendment limiting marriages to one man and one woman, ordered the case closed today — which would allow same-sex couples to marry in California. The couples, however, will have to wait on the Supreme Court to be able to marry.

A stay of the case by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals pending the Supreme Court's determination of whether it takes the case means that a "mandate" will not issue allowing Ware's order today to go into effect.

The order comes despite the fact that proponents of Proposition 8 have requested the Supreme Court to review the case because, Judge James Ware wrote today, all requests to stay the judgment in the case have been denied.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights confirms, in a tweet:

Today's court activity in the #Prop8 case is just housekeeping by the court, has nothing to do with judgement taking effect.