I still remember the dog-and-pony show that became DADT, and Bill C. getting monica’d while he was signing DOMA.

They have to do better than that.

I also have some questions about the process in the Maryland Senate. The WaPo article describes the Judicial Proceedings Committee as “evenly split,” but it’s an 11-member committee. How does that work, exactly? According to the Maryland Senate website 7 members of the committee are Democrats. So that must mean that at least one of the Democrats besides Muse was against the bill, right?

I’m not familiar with Maryland politics, but I’m wondering why Muse is more to blame than the other Democratic legislator(s)? Is it because he’s seen as more likely to change his vote? Because he’s from a safe district? There’s a lot of background information that’s not in evidence here and it makes it hard to figure out the whole story.

I guess I’m a little puzzled as to what you think should be done to Sen. Muse. Should he be removed from his position on the committee because he didn’t support this particular bill? What’s involved in such an action? What is the process by which Maryland Sentors are appointed to or removed from committees? How often does such a thing occur and under what circumstances. Again, what about the other Democrat(s) on the committee who didn’t support the bill?

What’s the standard you’re proposing for when a legislator should be judged to deserve “no place in any position of authority?” Should a legislator be removed any time he or she doesn’t follow the will of the party leadership? Only when he or she is a minority voting against rights for another minority? Whenever anyone (minority or not) supports “bigotry?” Is the standard different for legislators who are minorities than for those who aren’t?

Finally, is there anything productive we can do other than withhold our respect from the Democratic Party leadership?

A party – composed of many gay-UNfriendly politicians (to put it mildly).

-or-

B party – composed of many gay-friendly politicians but has one powerful anti-gay politician that refuses to let equality measures even be considered by the legislature.

Seems like you break even, except when you consider that B Party members are not powerless in this situation, they simply aren’t doing anything.

You didn’t take that Valium, did you?

My line about hating the Republicans was hyperbole; in any event I didn’t say ‘Zeke hates Republicans,’ I said you hate theRepublicans, meaning the Party itself. I implied nothing about your feelings towards individuals.

I have seen plenty of variations on the term Republicans such as Repugs and Rethugs. I have also seen similar variations on the word Democrats like Dhimmicrats and Dummocrats. Using the phrase Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party is nothing like them — no matter who uses it. So relax a little.

As for my lesser evil question, you haven’t answered it. I have not been living on another planet for the last 20 years. I know full well which party has the lesser number of gay-friendly polticians and why. But my question wasn’t about the differences between the parties.

I asked just how the Democratic Party of Maryland is a lesser evil than the state’s Republican Party when the Democrats have as one of their legislative leaders a man who will stop the legislature from even considering gay-friendly measures he doesn’t like. This question gets to the crux of Kincaid’s post — which you seem to have missed.

I didn’t use slurs when I was a Republican and I don’t use them now.

I agree that they are childish and counterproductive to any debate, political or otherwise.

Somehow it seems like everyone in the Democratic Party has forgotten this over the last few weeks. It’s getting REALLY ugly out there.

Jason D., you’re point is well taken as well.

You also know very well why you chose to start using it and why you continue to do so; it’s cute and clever in a real Rush Limbaugh sort of way, especially among one’s Republican friends.

I’ve said that this was not an intentional insult. Twice. You continue to accuse me.

I do not use slurs. I don’t think they are cute or clever. I think they are nasty and pointless and show immaturity.

Now, you may very well have been hateful and vile towards Democrats when you were a Republican, as you state. You may have used slurs as cheap insults. But just because you behaved in this tacky manner does not give you any insight to my thinking.

And I assure you that if you did, you would certainly not have been one of my close “Republican friends”.

You may believe what you like about me. But you may not continue to make baseless accusations about me. Or at least not at this site.

So consider this a helpful reminder. Disagree with my opinions but do not ascribe motivations to me.

And I have used:
“Democrat Party” vs. “Democratic Party”

interchangably forever. To me, it makese sense. We call the Republican Party , “Republicans” for short. So it would make sense that if they call themselves “Democrats” that they would be the “Democrat Party”.

“The Democratic Party” sounds almost pretentious — as if to say that any other party out there does not support democracy.

This is, of course, before I read a very odd history lesson in this very thread.

Zeke
“2) It’s simply NOT called the Democrat Party. It never has been. You know that. Everyone knows that.”

I didn’t know that until just now. I was in gifted and honors classes in High School. I went to college. I usually vote FOR the democrats. I’m a gay actor, you don’t get much more liberal than that! I’ve been fairly active politically for quite awhile, but never read anything about this controversy, and never noticed anyone getting irate about “democrat” vs “democratic”.

Zeke, I had to read your comment, and the article several times and it wasn’t until I read further down the thread that I understood. I kept thinking maybe Timothy had called them the “DEMONcrats” or something snarky like that.

This almost sounds like a silly semantic argument. The loss of “ic” breeds this much trouble? Perhaps the Democratic Party should insist on calling each other “Democratics” for short, so that the distinction flows more organically.

I say all this because, well, I’m a pretty smart and perceptive person…and I don’t mean to belittle you Zeke, but I don’t think *everyone* knows this little tidbit of information.

Interesting nonetheless.

Now what was the article about in the first place?

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/08/07/060807ta_talk_hertzberg

It goes back much earlier than Limbaugh, Coulter, GWB, etc. (Senator Joseph McCarthy was fond of using it) but it is much more widely used these days and, more to the point, is clearly intended to irritate Democrats. As Zeke says, the proper name of the party is, and always has been, the Democratic Party. Heck, even William F. Buckley found the use of “Democrat Party” an offense to good grammar and clear communication…

1) The intent of using “Democrat Party” is to insenuate that neither Democrats nor their Party are Democratic.

and even more simply,

2) It’s simply NOT called the Democrat Party. It never has been. You know that. Everyone knows that. You also know very well why you chose to start using it and why you continue to do so; it’s cute and clever in a real Rush Limbaugh sort of way, especially among one’s Republican friends.

Don’t forget, I used to be one of those friends.