Reply #6: This is NOT Buchanan's Phrase, it is what they call themselves. [View All]

[Leopolds Ghost]

It is what gay Democrats on the hill (many of whom know exactly who is a closeted Republican and who is not) call them.

They are a blackmail and patronage racket, and David Brock (a gay ex-Republican) and Ana Marie Cox have been talking about the "Velvet Mafia" for years now.

If Democrats pile on Buchanan for saying this, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Foley was kept on very explicitly because his ties to the gay community in Washington allowed DELAY to continue blackmailing the entire gay community.

Foley wanted to retire in 2004. DeLay said NO. The public excuse was that Foley was too good a money-raiser. The private excuse, according to David Brock and the Washington Monthly (they said this in 2004, you can look it up) was that DELAY HAD THE GOODS ON FOLEY, AND BY EXTENSION ANY FORMER PAGE OR ASSOCIATE OF FOLEYS -- and there were MANY CLOSETED REPUBLICANS on the Hill who traced their job to Foley.

He was running a casting couch.

DeLay was keeping tabs on everyone he associated with. DeLay was keeping dossiers.

Until Democrats understand that, they will continue shooting themselves in the foot because they are afraid to investigate a blackmail scheme that these people have used to maintain absolute control over dozens of Republican staffers ever since DeLay was put in leadership in 1994.

The "Velvet Mafia" is real. They are evil people who the liberal gay community on Capitol Hill have felt compelled to protect on the grounds that otherwise, all gay people on the Hill will be fair game. In the FBI this is known as acquiescence to blackmail racketeering and it is illegal to acquiesce to blackmail, even if you are the one being blackmailed.