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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 8th, 2009
Representative Jason Chaffetz, a California Jewish Democrat turned Utah Mormon Republican, is now auditioning for the position of Congress’ Biggest Homophobe. As lead Congressional opponent to D.C.’s out-of-state marriage recognition bill he was strikingly inept, but he did manage to get some press by announcing:
“It’s not something I think we can just let go lightly into the night.”
Chaffetz got into BYU on a soccer scholarship so perhaps he can be forgiven for mangling Dylan Thomas’ poetry. But his other comments suggest that his approach to legislation is not particularly nuanced (abc4):
“Marriage should be defined as a union between a man and a woman. I don’t see much other wiggle room for it.”
This stance comes in a week where America’s fifth state legalized same sex marriages.
So, we asked the congressman whether he is going against a trend towards gay unions.
He said simply, “The trend is still 45 states don’t.”
Sorry, Jason, but a trend would be… oh, well… nevermind.
But now Jason has now found his cause. He has discovered that he can get the media’s attention by saying some rather, ummm, interesting things about gay folk. So he was quick to state his mind when he found that Rep. Tammy Baldwin wants to pass legislation that would give benefits to the domestic partners of federal employees. Baldwin thinks its a matter of equal compensation for equal work.
But Chaffetz called the legislation “directly discriminatory” against heterosexual couples that choose not to marry.
That argument didn’t get much traction with the other panel members who noted that gay couples don’t have the choice to marry in most states (including Utah). Rep. Gerry Connolly found his argument “a screaming contradiction”.
Ah, Jason. You haven’t yet figured out that everyone is laughing at you, have you?
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Lindoro Almaviva
July 8th, 2009
LOUDLY!
Emily K
July 8th, 2009
He needs to learn a li’l bit more about his ancestors.
As in, how second-class citizenship has affected those in his blood line.
cowboy
July 8th, 2009
What do you expect from the part of the country where Utah Senator Buttars gets re-elected.
I was going to give Rep. Chaffetz a little latitude for being a freshman in his first exposure in our nation’s Capitol. But the more I see and hear of his antics (re: Stephen Colbert episodes, and his silly notion of sleeping in his office to save money, etc.) He clearly is a media whore and will likely be making more examples of how to embarrass his constituents in Utah.
He’s not there in D.C. to represent the people of Utah but, rather, a man who feeds on publicity and self aggrandizing.
He got voted in because the incumbent Representative for Utah he replaced (Cannon) wasn’t more strident on immigration issues; which is ironic given his last name. He is the consummate career politician and will say and do anything to keep him in the limelight. He said he is interested in taking the office of our Senator Bennett.
Sad little man. Another Orrin Hatch.
David C.
July 8th, 2009
The laughing at this kind of buffoonery needs to be loud and long, followed by ridicule and more laughing. Embarrass the hell out of the small minded bigots that keep trotting out this kind of nonsense, and never let up on the criticism until all of them are driven from public office to crawl back under the rocks from which they came.
tavdy79
July 9th, 2009
There’s a wonderful little vignette on Babylon 5, where Rebo & Zooty (an in-show comedy duo played by Penn & Teller) say they’re going into politics:
Christopher Waldrop
July 9th, 2009
While I want to steer clear of Chaffetz, I also admit to being curious about what led him away from being Jewish and a Democrat to being Mormon and Republican.
Is it just his need for attention that drove him to change?
Burr
July 9th, 2009
I’m guessing he converted for his wife, who he probably met at BYU. And now, like Gingrich who married his Catholic mistress, has to pretend he’s some hardcore member of his new faith. Pathetic.
Joseph
November 5th, 2009
The guy seems gay to me hummmm I wonder thats why hes trying to hide his deep set
feelings,what a hypocrite. He will probably get voted out of office next
election. Not to mention his absured behavior at the airport. WAAA WAAA
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