More on Bob McDonnell's 2003 Anti-Gay Crusade

I have written several times about Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell's rampant homophobia - the same homophobia he now is trying to dismiss as "misquotes" by local news media even though McDonnell (pictured above with his puppeteer, Pat Robertson) voiced no complaints at the time - and now Blue Virginia has a great review that contrasts McDonnell's past words and actions with the current fairy tale he is seeking to spin to the public. I truly hope that the MSM continues to talk about what was done to former Circuit Court Judge Verbena Askew. Besides the homophobia that was involved, I suspect Askew being black was a second major strike against her. Racism and homophobia - not a pretty picture and not what we need in a governor. Here are some column highlights (I recommend that people read the whole piece):
*
The quotes by Bob McDonnell in this article make several things clear. First, Bob McDonnell will say anything to get elected. Second, Bob McDonnell has been a long-time, right-wing extremist and anti-gay bigot (but we knew that already). Third, Bob McDonnell is completely disingenous, aka "a liar." Fourth, Bob McDonnell is as slippery a politician as you'll ever find, claiming that something only matters if he says it matters; otherwise, if it's potentially harmful to him, it's irrelevant and you're a bad person for even mentioning it. Let me elaborate.

*
On point #1, Bob McDonnell "became known for telling the Daily Press of Newport News [in 2003 while persecuting a judge he suspected of being a lesbian] that certain homosexual activities could disqualify a person from the bench," saying among other things that "[t]here is certain homosexual conduct that is in violation of the law." Other Republicans concur that McDonnell was on an anti-gay crusade, with Sen. Kenneth Stolle (R-Virginia Beach) cautioning McDonnell at the time that "nothing good is going to come from this." Instead of listening to the advice of Stolle and other Republican colleagues, McDonnell charged ahead, . . .

*

Today, in contrast, McDonnell minimizes and denies the entire incident, saying "through a spokesman last week that the quotes are not accurate" and "repeat[ing] that assertion Friday." Whatever you think of the merits of the case, the point here is that McDonnell is denying what he said and did in 2003

*

Finally, note how McDonnell completely ignores the fact that Virginia's budget problems are 99% the result of two factors: 1) the national recession, arguably the worst since the Great Depression, thanks largely to the Bush economic policies he so admires; and 2) the failure, year after year, of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates to allocate sufficient revenues to support education, transportation, and Virginia's other pressing needs. Again, this is completely disingenuous, bordering on outright "liar" status. The only question is, are we going to let Bob McDonnell get away with this?

*

Finally, we have Bob McDonnell's slippery, slimy, arrogant, insufferable assertion that something is only an "issue" if he says it is. . . . The fact that millions of Virginians do care about equal rights for all Virginians doesn't matter, because Bob McDonnell says it doesn't matter. It's not "relevant" that Bob McDonnell is a vicious anti-gay bigot. It's not "relevant" that he believes women in the work force are "detrimental" to the family. It's not "relevant" that he believes in Bush economics as the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's not "relevant" that he is Pat Robertson's Manchurian Candidate. It's not relevant that he's been lying this entire campaign, pretending to be a "moderate" when he is anything but that.

*

The media truly needs to keep hammering McDonnell for answers and stop allowing itself to be led by the nose and mere regurgitating McDonnell's untruths and attempts to change the subject. Virginians do not need a homophobe - and likely a racist too - in the governor's mansion.