Sen. Larry Craig
Mood: busy
Posted on 2007-08-30 10:37:00
Tags: politics
Words: 60

(if you missed the story, see here)

These sort of situations always make me a little uncertain how to feel. I confess to a reaction of schadenfreude simply because he's a Republican. Not good, I know. I'm also sympathetic because it seems fairly clear that he's closeted. (or at least, was) But with the whole hypocrisy angle...blah. (Tom Toles cartoon)

5 comments

Comment from tehfanboi:
2007-08-30T11:02:44+00:00
I have little sympathy because it would be one thing to be a normal guy and be closeted and get caught in a compromising situation like he has. But it is something else to spend your life and career campaigning against the thing you are closeted about. Don't lie about who you are or what you are is my thought. But people like Sen Craig and Reverend Haggard do significant and real harms to the communities they should probably be apart of. It is the hypocrisy of the whole thing that gets people's so interested.

Comment from onefishclappin:
2007-08-30T11:35:45+00:00
I agree with the uncertain part. I guess some of the key points, in my mind are:
1) Cheating on a committed, closed relationship is wrong.
2) Campaigning against gay rights while engaging in covert homosexual activities is despicable.
3) Forcibly outing someone isn't good, even if they are a senator. (The were articles alleging his being gay long before the "airport incident" happened.)
4) The fact that a senator turns out to be a closeted gay isn't particularly news worthy, except for point #2 above.

Comment from djedi:
2007-08-30T14:09:36+00:00
I agree with #1 and the way you worded it, but I also think tons of other things are wrong, too. I don't like that our society holds sexuality to be the worst sin in the world.

Recent news story: This FATHER was arrested for showing *his* son porn (who then showed it to his friends, stupid father should have prevented that issue) but I'm thinking WTF right do we have to tell this guy how to raise his son. I certainly don't think he was endangering his own child in a way that the state has any right to interfere with. And I can tell you right now, I don't believe in shielding minors from sex in quite the same way as the fasco-religists. My kids, if I have any, will know about sex and how to protect themselves and won't have hangups about normal sexuality.

Comment from spchampion:
2007-08-30T19:18:20+00:00
Slate's video reenactment makes it pretty clear that he was over the bounds of good behavior in society. Whether he's gay/straight/bi/Martian is none of my concern, but his actions were still unacceptable. There are better, safer, and less invasive ways of finding random people to meet for sex. Heck, Craigslist is even better than that. The idea of a US Senator conspicuously spending two minutes peeking in at me while I'm minding my own business in a bathroom stall gives me cold shivers down my spine.

Now misdemeanor or felony? Definitely misdemeanor in my mind.

Comment from djedi:
2007-08-31T13:34:25+00:00
yeah, agreed. His sexuality, to me, is totally unimportant, it's his behavior that's kinda disgusting.

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