Bruce: "All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive"
Discussing the scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley on Fox News Live, political analyst Tammy Bruce stated: "All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive. I mean, is that too much to ask for?"
On the October 2 edition of Fox News Live, Fox News political analyst Tammy Bruce, in a discussion about the resignation of former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and whether there is a double standard held by the media against Republicans -- but not Democrats -- who become embroiled in scandal, stated: "All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive. I mean is that too much to ask for?" Bruce, a self-described "openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush progressive feminist," made her remarks in the wake of reports that Foley had engaged in sexually explicit communications with one or more male congressional pages and subsequently resigned his seat. Later in the discussion, while defending the notion that a double standard exists in Democrats' favor, Bruce also mentioned the Monica Lewinsky affair without noting that Lewinsky was an adult.
As the Los Angeles Times reported, the FBI is investigating whether Foley "violated federal law by sending sexually explicit instant messages to at least one teenager who had served as a congressional page." As Reuters noted, Foley, the former co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, was "author of the key sexual predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which President Bush signed in July."
From the 10 a.m. ET October 2 edition of Fox News Live:
SCOTT: Inside the Beltway, Democratic leaders in the House are shifting their attacks from former Congressman Foley to the GOP leadership that, of course, is still in place. Democrats demand to know whether Republicans knew of Congressman Foley's illicit text messages to underage boys. But wait a minute, what about the old saying, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?"
[...]
SCOTT: So, is there, Tammy Bruce, a double standard?
BRUCE: Well, here's the -- one issue is politically getting into that -- is that there's wondering what the Republicans knew and when they knew it. The timing of this release should surprise people, considering Hastert passed this on to the attorney general last fall. The fact is I want to know what the Democrats knew and when they knew it. But the reality is, is that the Republicans themselves, and we can use the 1983 congressional page scandal as an example. The Republican in that was caught with a 17-year-old female page and the Democrat, Gerry Studds, was caught with an underage male page. The Republican did not win re-election, Gerry Studds was re-elected repeatedly. He literally turned his back on Congress, and he was censured, so I think it's a matter of what Republicans expect of themselves with Foley's reaction -- was not defiance, it was resignation and rehab. And in the instance of Democrats, I think of people like Bill Clinton and Gerry Studds is an example, set the bar lower for Democrats than the bar which is at a normal level for Republicans and what they expect from themselves.
BOB BECKEL (Democratic strategist): Is that to say that we're like the lower form of life form, low on the food chain. Gerry Studds, by the way -
BRUCE: No, not at all. It's about what moral expectations and who your constituency is.
BECKEL: Well, but moral expectations, Tammy, it depends on where you are. Gerry Studds was from an area of Massachusetts, Cape Cod, where there is a very substantial gay community. Let's remember what Edwin Edwards once said about being re-elected in Louisiana --
[CROSSTALK]
SCOTT: So, Bob, wait a minute.
BRUCE: Being homosexual has nothing to do with attraction to children.
BECKEL: I agree.
BRUCE: And I think that there's an argument --
BECKEL: I agree.
BRUCE: -- that of course you're going to have Democrats being elected in from populations within urban areas where there's an entire mix. The difference is, is that Democrats unfortunately -- we need to expect. All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive. I mean, is that too much to ask for? I don't think it is.
BECKEL: Barney Frank is an example.
SCOTT: Well Gerry, Bob, Gerry --
BRUCE: Well, Barney Frank is also had his young, his problems with young --
BECKEL: Well he has --
BRUCE: -- people out of the office.
BECKEL: -- but as Edwin Edwards said the only way you ever get beaten --
BRUCE: C'mon.
BECKEL: -- is, Edwards said the only way he could get beaten is either a dead woman or a live boy, and that was Louisiana.
BRUCE: Oh, and only if you're a Republican with a live boy, apparently not if you're a Democrat.
BECKEL: I'm not sure, I'm not sure.
SCOTT: You know what, I could get -- I didn't get any of my questions in.
BECKEL: Aw, John, we're sorry.
BRUCE: Sorry, sorry, dear.
SCOTT: We'll do it again soon, I guess next Monday. Thanks.
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the bar is set so high for Rs because they go on endlessly about their virtue and piety.
Ab-so-lutely.
What will she ask for next? A black person in office who doesn't steal? An Asian in office who doesn't eat pets?
Seriously though, if Foley might not be a pedophile, but a repressed homosexual. After all, how else would he win on a Republican ticket? If I were him, I'd probably be contacting young men on the sly, too.
As for being an "openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush progressive feminist," does she support the discrimination of her fellow gays? Does she like how the Supreme Court could very well revoke a woman's right to choose? Does she think progress means going back to the Cold War mentality? I don't understand people like her.
that Congresspersons should not be having sex with minors. And in a previous posting I said I doubt that FOX would drag out Bruce as they have been doing their best to cover Foley.
So, I was wrong and I am impressed that at least one person kept their ethics overs politics.
That being said you immediately see the disingenious nature of her logic. Certainly no one would say Clinton's affair was correct behavior. However, they were adults. Her hatered for all things Clinton makes it impossible to take her seriously, as it makes it imposible for her to be objective. For example she will defend Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln as great men, despite their affairs -- one of which could reasonably called non-consenual -- then turn an attack Clinton for the same thing.
Additionally, for being a member of the gay community -- as she is -- I can't think of a less desirable neighbor to have in your community. She is anti-gay to an extreme, especially in dealing with gay men (in her writing). After reading her book and following her tortured logic she very much strikes me as the wounded little girl who became a reluctant lesbian because it the "only thing she could do to maintain control of 'whatever' ". And no not all homosexuals are wounded but she seems so. I have seldom met far right preachers as willing to blame homosexuals for the horrors of child predation as quickly as Bruce.
It makes her almost impossible to read or watch. As while we all want to protect children, we don't all believe all gay men need tracking devices inserted under their skin to protect children. No she did not say that but judging from her writings I would not be surprised if she would agree to such a plan. As she openly does preach the exclusion of gay men from any active that may have an underage male there.
Try M'aam Coulter. It has a more pronounced Adam's apple.
we never see this headline;
GAY CONGRESSMAN GOES HOME FROM WORK, HAS DINNER WITH HIS HUSBAND, THEN GOES TO BED!
Obviously, there are no gay office-holders who aren't sexual compulsives.
Well, they couldn't be married in most states,either.
that can get on the air and speak about an issue with some knowledge and authority . . . instead of bloviating, spinning and misinformation.
Is that too much to ask? {Never mind, I know the answer . . .}
Well, you know.. it seems to me that it's the whole self-righteous overly anti-gay politicians that end up being the "sexual compulsive" types. People try to hide who they really are so much that it ends up harming them in other ways.
... is sheilding a sexual predator of children from any scrutiny for YEARS ...
... so of course, the STORY is ... How BAD Democrats are.
At long last, has the public had enough of the Rightwing deflections, changing of subjects, and attempts at avoiding responsibility? FOX sure HOPES not ....
Ugh, Tammy Bruce. I mainly remember her from a few years ago when Fox was pimping her as a liberal to show that they were fair and balanced. With "progressives" like her, who needs conservatives?
Why are they using the term "homosexual" or "gay person" when describing a person who goes after someone underage of the same sex? The correct term is "pedophile." I am seriously sick of all these hateful commentators equating the two. Most gay people do not go after or rape someone underage, just as most men do not rape women all the time. I mean, what do we say about straight men who rape women? "Oh geez, straight men shouldn't have any rights"? They want to rape our women.
At least she's in favor of electing homosexuals into high ranking political office...ummm, er, ah-hem!
re: FOLEY"S FOOLYING AROUND, has driven these people nuts. They want an investigation to find out if Democrats had this information prior to the headlines. PLEASE, have an investigation..I'll bet the White House doesn't want that "I" word used anywhere. "Oh, that Clinton boy, we could never let him out by himself. Foley probably made him his idol. We think that Clinton dressed as a clergyman way back yonder". Brush Limbaugh, cousin of Rush said this in private. HONEST. This woman is just another money for hate person. P.S. As always, what about Jeff Gannon????