Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: Does a McCain Radio Ad Gaybait?

[flpoljunkie]

(Duh! It is "gay baiting" from media heartthrob, straight talking John McCain." Notice how Ambinder tries to cover for McCain at the end.)

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/01/john_mccain_gaybaiting.php

Does A McCain Radio Ad Gaybait?

29 Jan 2008 09:58 am

"Mitt Romney thinks he can fool us. He supported abortion on demand, even allowed a law mandating taxpayer-funding for abortion. He says he changed his mind, but he still hasn’t changed the law. He told gay organizers in Massachusetts he would be a stronger advocate for special rights than even Ted Kennedy. Now, it’s something different.

That's a McCain robo-call, confirmed by the campaign. Is this gay-baiting? Or making the point that Romney flip-flops on social issues?

Raising the specter of scary homosexuals and their "special rights" is a time-honored last-minute trick, and what qualifies for the label of 'gay-baiting -- a harsh label, to be sure -- is often in the eye of the beholder.

But about John McCain, a social conservative who opposes gay marriage, we've never had the occasion to ask the question before in the context of his presidential campaign.

Incidentally: it's not clear whether McCain ever personally approved the script.