Far right Republican Bob Corker is your best Tennessee Senate choice

Timothy Kincaid

August 6th, 2012

Republican Senator Bob Corker is opposed to marriage equality. He supports a constitutional amendment to make sure that gay people cannot have equality in any state. He opposed lifting the ban on open service in the military. He is not by any means a friend to the gay community.

About the only remotely pro-gay position that Corker has ever taken was saying that he would be “open to looking at” civil unions provided that they were limited to certain rights (e.g. hospital visitation) and resembled marriage in no way at all.

In other words, just about the only way that Corker could possibly be the best choice for gay voters would be if the Democrats selected a challenger who was an anti-gay activist affiliated with an actual anti-gay hate group.

Which they just did.

Send funds to elect my very own personal Senator.

Mark Clayton, the Democratic Party nominee for Corker’s senate seat, is the Vice President of Public Advocate of the United States. Public Advocate (better known as Eugene Delgaudio’s alter-ego) has been determined by the Southern Poverty Law Center to be an anti-gay hate group. (Who knew Delgaudio had a Vice President?)

It seems that Clayton used that title to lobby for Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill last year. (Who knew that Public Advocate actually advocated for anything?)

Of course Tennessee Democrats didn’t intend to select an anti-gay activist to represent their party. They really didn’t set out to elect anyone in particular to that nominal task. Clayton was just listed first on the ballot.

And now they are trying to figure out how to get rid of him. So far, there doesn’t seem to be any way to do so and it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Corker will win reelection regardless of who the Democrats nominated.

But until such time as there is some other option at the ballot box (I don’t know if Tennessee allows write in votes) gay voters are best served by voting for Bob Corker. The fewer votes for Eugene Delgaudio’s side-kick, the better.

Christopher

August 6th, 2012

As a Tennessee resident it’s times like this that I wish our ballots had a “none of the above” option, but they don’t.

All I can really say is that I’ve gotten used to being ashamed of my home state, especially in recent years, and the reasons for that have consistently been on both sides of the aisle.

Hyhybt

August 6th, 2012

If the Republican were actually pro-gay, this might be different… but as it stands, which party controls the senate is up for grabs, and that’s more important than whether one senator is slightly less or slightly more anti-gay.

Timothy (TRiG)

August 6th, 2012

My brain hurts.

TRiG.

Dr. Shaun Crowell

August 6th, 2012

Bob Corker is not your best choice as he is a big government, establishment politician. What does this mean? It means that he has voted against the Constitution 40% of the time in office. If you vote for Bob Corker then you will only be supporting the status quo politician. Who is your best choice on November 6th? You need to vote for the candidate that will support your Bill of Rights as a United States citizen, someone who cares about your freedom. A true liberty minded independent candidate who will support your rights. Vote for Dr. Shaun Crowell for the U.S. Senate!

Timothy Kincaid

August 6th, 2012

Dr. Shaun,

I VERY MUCH doubt that you care about MY freedom. In fact, from your website, it would seem that while Corker would vote against my freedom, you would make opposing my freedom and equality a part your mission.

So, no. I think that of all the possible choices, you would not be the one I would select.

David Roberts

August 6th, 2012

I second Hyhybt’s comments. A vote like that is never an isolated issue.

Timothy Kincaid

August 6th, 2012

David,

I try to let comments like that go. But I’m not going to this time.

You’re wrong. It is an isolated issue.

Hello? This is Tennessee. Corker is going to win. There is absolutely zero question about it. The ONLY issue is how many votes will the Hate Group Candidate get?

Now you can go right ahead and vote for the guy who campaigned to have any advocacy for gay youth banned by state law. You can decide that voting for a Democrat is more important than voting against someone who sees anti-gay discrimination to be his calling.

But that really has to be the dumbest example of partisan blindness that I’ve ever encountered.

I mean, I’ve seen Log Cabin place priorities in ways that I think are a bit too generous to their party affiliation. And GOProud takes pride in selling out and opposing what they stupidly think of as “the Gay Left”.

But not even GOProud would actually vote for a Anti-Gay Hate Group Candidate solely because of his political party.

Timothy Kincaid

August 6th, 2012

caveat: (while I think that your comment was a less-than-brilliant way to see this issue, I am not trying to insult you or imply that you are stupid. I know that isn’t the case)

MsRowena

August 6th, 2012

That Clayton guy’s glasses are freaking me out, man. Sort of like Aristotle Onassis meets Seven of Nine.

MsRowena

August 6th, 2012

Whoops. Delgaudio dude’s glasses. Sorry, those glasses _made_ me mess up.

cd

August 7th, 2012

I hear that the Tennessee Democratic Party’s recommendation is to write in a candidate. I.e. vote for neither Clayton nor Corker.

Lord_Byron

August 7th, 2012

TN does allow write-in candidates and personally i wouldn’t vote for either. Both are anti-gay, just to different degrees. It’d be the same as asking me to vote for a guy who only wants to break my legs compared to the other one that wants to cut them off.

Mark F.

August 7th, 2012

Off topic, but San Francisco has a pro-gay, pro-medical marijuana, fiscally conservative and anti-war Republican, John Dennis, running against Nancy Pelosi. Not a chance in hell of winning, but he’s worth supporting.

Unfortunately, I just moved out of the district.

David Roberts

August 8th, 2012

caveat: (while I think that your comment was a less-than-brilliant way to see this issue, I am not trying to insult you or imply that you are stupid. I know that isn’t the case)

Whatever.

I try to let comments like that go. But I’m not going to this time.

All that’s missing is “just wait until your father gets home.”

Ever since I switched to the Democratic party, you keep expecting me to start hunting Republicans with the vengeance of a smoker off cigarettes. 

The truth is, I was so fed up with the GOP the last few years I was in the party that my view couldn’t sink much lower anyway. Talk about anti-gay!

We are talking about a US Senate seat, are we not?  Then yes, with a razor thin majority in the Senate and the House lost to the tea party, I would vote for the Democrat.  In this instance, the stakes are too high. 

If the race is a shoe in for the GOP candidate, then I’m not sure why we are even discussing it, unless it was to give you a chance to highlight a bad example of a Democrat? I mean, if the guy is already going to lose…

It’s interesting how you addressed all this to me, instead of Hyhybt who actually made the comment that I agreed with.

Ryan

August 8th, 2012

The Tennessee Democratic Party has disavowed Clayton and openly urged Democrats in Tennessee to write in a candidate. That’s obviously the best and only option for Tennessee Democrats. (Other than moving the hell out of Tennessee, of course).

Ryan

August 8th, 2012

@David Roberts, clearly Clayton would vote with the Republicans against any gay rights legislation, so what purpose would his win serve? Why would Dems ever want to have their party associated with such a hateful bigot? It’s clearly a moot point anyway, he’ll lose. But to vote for him simply because he has a “D” next to his name seems incredibly short-sighted.

David Roberts

August 8th, 2012

But to vote for him simply because he has a “D” next to his name seems incredibly short-sighted.

That is one view, one I don’t share.  Both are anti-gay, so that legislation is moot.  But the man must be a Democrat for some reason.  So if presented with two anti-gay candidates, one from each party, and given the current make-up of the Congress, I would chose the Democrat. 

I would gamble that there would be other areas of that platform where he would vote with the party and therefore maintain that majority.  The GOP — on the national level and increasingly on the local level — is simply too toxic across the board.  In another time and situation, I would not feel so pressed to vote that way.  I do now.

The point has been made more than once that this is all moot anyway.  First, I don’t live there and can’t vote for either of them.  Second, it would seem the prevailing wisdom that the GOP candidate is going to win. 

Until the GOP either survives this case of ideological rabies it has contracted or a viable third party splits off, my vote will be far more partisan than in previous years.  If you feel differently, by all means vote your conscience. 

Timothy Kincaid

August 8th, 2012

David
So what you’re saying is that you are more partisan than GOProud. Yikes.

Ryan
Have they coalesced around anyone to write in yet?

The whole thing is so stupid (and funny). If Democratic Party leadership had just ran one sacrificial lamb who was a credible token who could talk to the press and who could insist on debates, then they could at least have a voice in presenting ideas and could hold Corker to positions and challenge his values – even if they knew they would lose.

At this point, they need to find a person to be the figurehead. How friggen hard can that be? Just announce that good Democrats should write in the party chairman, or a state-wide elected official.

David Roberts

August 8th, 2012

So what you’re saying is that you are more partisan than GOProud. Yikes.

Well no, but thanks for twisting my words.  If you ever actually want to discuss something rather than just dismiss me like a child, you know where to find me.

Ron Crowell

August 12th, 2012

You might want to consider Dr. Shaun Crowell as an alternative. He is a conservative Christian; I don’t know how that sits with a lot of people.

I am his dad. That is my email and his Website. Check out his website and get it right this time.

Ron

Timothy Kincaid

August 13th, 2012

Ron,

Yes, clearly Shaun is a conservative Christian of the ‘force everyone else to live by what my church teaches’ variety.

Thanks, but I vote against theocrats, not for them.

Ron Crowell

October 20th, 2012

Timothy,

Actually Dr. Crowell believes just like most actual Christians, that everyone should choose what they believe after trying to look at all sides of an issue. However, if anyone does not believe they are right they should not believe that way. We must be very careful in what we believe, it is not about feeling.

The wheat and tares will be separated by someone with a lot more wisdom than what us humans have been given.

Ron

Priya Lynn

October 20th, 2012

Ron, the wheat and tares will only be separated by humans. The only things god has ever done are those things commanded by humans.

Timothy Kincaid

October 20th, 2012

Ron,

Well I have to appreciate your persistence. But truly you are not gaining support.

I am certainly not “about feeling” and if you have “looked at all sides” of the issue of equality under the law and somehow decided that you should have rights that I don’t have because your denomination doesn’t like me, then you are neither a follower of Jesus nor a lover of freedom.

And if you’re concerned about wheat and tares, I refer you to Matthew 25:31-46.

You see a people in need, those who have been denied the right to marry, to look after each other, to care for children, and to live in peace with their neighbor and you have decided that that is A-ok with you because you don’t like the way God created them.

Sir, your soul is in peril.

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