Paladino loses support of pseudo-Hasidic Rabbi Teabag for sounding sorry about gay bashing sermon

[BurtWorm]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/lg68q9iB124/doh_22.php

Wow. You can't win these days trying to have it both ways on whether to hate or accept gay Americans.

The GOP's Carl Paladino has now lost the endorsement of Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the showboating right-wing rabbi who apparently wrote or arranged the writing of the speech that Paladino gave bashing gays -- the one that caused the whole brouhaha in the first place. Levin withdrew his endorsement after Paladino subsequently apologized for his anti-gay remarks.

Frankly, I'm surprised he apologized. Not that he shouldn't; needless to say, I completely disagree with his views on this issue. But most politicians who come out with some charged anti-gay remarks have thought through the politics, if not the issue itself. They know they'll get slammed by supporters of the gay community. And they've decided they're okay with that. After Rick Santorum or whatever other Republican says something about gays being gross, you don't expect him to show up a couple days later apologizing and saying he's ready to stand up for the rights of gays.

In his apology he says, "I will reach out to leaders of the gay community to educate me on how to better represent my support for the rights of all citizens. If elected as your governor I will stand and fight for all gay New Yorkers rights." This is after saying in his speech over the weekend in which he said "I don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. It isn't." First, no brainwashing. Now he's stepping up for reeducation. I don't want to lose hold of the fact that it's great he's changing his tune. But is this even really a campaign?

I guess you can chalk this up to the lesson that if you're running for public office and agree to speak before some special interest group, especially a political hustler on the margins of a special interest group, don't agree to read a speech your team didn't write and which you don't even know the contents of.

[Behind the Aegis]

1. That is what happens when you pander to bigots.

If you build on hate, the foundation is doomed to crumble.

[ejpoeta]

2. you know, as much as i disagree with paladino and would never want him

as the dog catcher much less governor at least he had his beliefs and stuck with them. this flip flopping makes me think less of him.

[BurtWorm]

3. I don't want him anywhere near the governorship, but...

This is the first instance in which he has had a half human reaction to the reactions to his idiocies. And I think it's because he does know and work with and is related to gay people. He's had to face the personal consequences of being an demagogic asshole. I'm guessing he was also schooled on the stupidity of alienating an active bloc, especially the way he did it, by using a phony representative (a wannabe Hasid in Hasidic clothing) of another bloc as his conduit, which ought to piss them off as well.

[ejpoeta]

4. in my opinion these clowns should look at their own lives before they

worry about others. he does deserve what he gets for his bs. he's trying to have it both ways and in the end it will bite him in the ass. i sure would love to see a debate between him and cuomo. he sinks himself everytime he opens his mouth. not that i think cuomo is so great, but that paladino..... only thing i can think is that when people are 'mad as hell' sometimes they react instead of actually thinking.

[SoCalDem]

5. Gotta be careful when you build a monster... Monsters turn on the makers

Ask Dr Frankenstein