The Gist

The GOP Debate: Back to the Paleozoic Era


As the Human Rights Campaign noted in a press release, in sharp contrast to the Democratic debate two nights ago in the very same New Hampshire hall, not one of the GOP candidates tonight raised his hand when Wolf Blitzer asked if anyone believes gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military.

It was as if we'd gone way back on the evolutionary scale in just two nights, to a time when the most advanced forms of life were sponges and other strange, stupid life forms with no backbones -- except of course that several of the Republican contenders don't believe in evolution. (Christian evangelical Mike Hukabee, former governor of Arkansas, insisted that whether God created the universe in six days or six other time periods -- whatever that meant -- "I do know" that God created it.)

Rudy Giuliani said that that it would be too "disruptive" in a "time of war" to end the ban on gays serving openly, while Mitt Romney called it a "social experiment" that was too risky. John McCain, breathlessly -- and without any follow up from the Wolfman -- said that "don't ask, don't tell" was "working well." This, even as we're throwing out talented and valuable people -- such as Arab linguists -- at a critical time. Not to mention that people's lives are being destroyed.

Overall, the candidates seemed to think -- or wanted everyone else to think --that gays were allowed to serve but just couldn't engage in gay "conduct" or whatever. That is a complete distortion: Gays are not allowed to serve openly, and are ejected if someone finds out about them, and are regularly targets of witch hunts. Mostly, they all wanted to appear "tolerant" and didn't say anything that actually would get the base breathing hot and heavy: The religious right wants to hear these guys say homosexuality is immoral, just like General Pace.

Blitzer didn't push them on it, and let the issue drop. He didn't ask any other questions on gay issues -- such as on civil unions and marriage -- as he did at the Democratic debate, making sure to put the candidates on the spot again and again on all that queer stuff. Of course, this is the same Blitzer who cowered when he was roared at by Dick Cheney after asking about religious right criticism of lesbian daughter Mary and her then soon-due baby. Most journalists are uncomfortable with the gay issue themselves, and when Republicans evade questions about it -- or stamp their feet at a question they claim is "out of line," as Cheney growled -- the media pack goes running, even when they have big, bad names like Wolf.