I had absolutely no idea Ken Mehlman was gay, or existed

In Covering Ken Mehlman Story, MSNBC Anchor Acknowledges He Is Gay (Updated)
Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman’s coming out provided the media with an opportunity to review the GOP’s record on Gay Rights and explore the Mehlman’s role in crafting President Bush’s 2004 re-election strategy. On MSNBC, Mehlman’s revelation engendered an even more honest discussion when, during a segment with GOProud chairman Christopher Barron , daytime anchor Thomas Roberts — who is an Openly Gay anchor — discussed his orientation on air: ...

In Covering Ken Mehlman Story, MSNBC Anchor Acknowledges He Is Gay (Updated)
Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman’s coming out provided the media with an opportunity to review the GOP’s record on Gay Rights and explore the Mehlman’s role in crafting President Bush’s 2004 re-election strategy. On MSNBC, Mehlman’s revelation engendered an even more honest discussion when, during a segment with GOProud chairman Christopher Barron , daytime anchor Thomas Roberts — who is an Openly Gay anchor — discussed his orientation on air: ...

Ken Mehlman and the same-sex marriage debate
Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage have a new and unexpected advocate: Ken Mehlman, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and manager of President George W. Bush 's 2004 Reelection Campaign. This Story View All Items in This Story View Only Top Items in This Story This Story View All Items in This Story View Only Top Items in This Story Mehlman, now a Private Citizen and businessman, disclosed that he is Gay in an article published online Wednesday in the Atlantic. He said...

Mehlman: 'I understand people are going to be angry'
Source: CNN Washington (CNN) Former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman is responding to criticism of his role in a Bush political operation that called for a Constitutional Amendment banning same sex Marriage. "It was something about my life I was having a hard time accepting then and I can't change that," Mehlman said in a phone interview Thursday with CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, before adding "I understand people who are going to be angry." Mehlman told...

Ken Mehlman: Out
That Mehlman was Gay, though he says he "arrived at this conclusion about his identity fairly recently," was long an open secret, as he served as a high-ranking official for the institutionally Anti-gay Republican Party, during the years when the party and its executive in the White House supported and pursued a Constitutional Amendment to ban Same-Sex Marriage. Mehlman says he regrets not coming out sooner. He agreed to answer a reporter's questions, he said, because, now in private life, he...

Ken Mehlman Gay Revelation: GOP Shift on Same Sex Marriage?
Six years ago Ken Mehlman was running the re-election campaign of a president who sought a Constitutional Amendment to ban Same-Sex Marriage. '); } Now he's the nation's most prominent Openly Gay Republican and the latest member of the George W. Bush Administration to support extending Marriage Rights to Gays and Lesbians. Mehlman has been working as a Fundraiser and Strategist for the American Foundation for Equal Rights -- a group that supports Same-Sex Marriage and is suing to...

Ken Mehlman's Other Closet
Ken's Other Closet (photo: nolaclutterbusters) In his coming out interview , Ken Mehlman says he spent 43 years “getting comfortable with this part of his life.” That’s something that everyone does — Gay, straight, or anywhere in between — and for most people, it’s full of confusion, delight, doubt, bewilderment, fear and joy. On a personal level, Mehlman will no doubt live with less fear and more joy now that he’s come out — but the...

How Big Is the G.O.P. Tent?
As head of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007, Ken Mehlman was part of the party's leadership that stepped up Anti-gay efforts, in part to energize its Conservative Base for the 2006 Elections. Last week, he made an announcement that he is Gay and is working to support Same-Sex Marriage . Although the news made less of a splash than it might have in 2004, it did highlight the continuing tensions in the Republican Party between the strong social Conservatives and those more...

Poll: Most Young Voters Back Gay Marriage
The Washington Post reports that Gay Marriage is gaining support amongst younger voters. A growing number of Republicans are breaking with the Party’s traditional stance to publicly state their support for Same-Sex Marriage, a shift Strategists say stems as much from demographics as from the renewed focus on economics and the “Tea Party” movement. A solid majority of adults younger than 30 - about six in 10 - support the right of Gay and Lesbian Couples to...

Same-Sex Marriage and Public Opinion: Spirals, Frames, and the Seinfeld Effect
In the 1993 Seinfeld episode The Outing, a female reporter mistakes Jerry Seinfeld and his friend George Costanza for Homosexual partners. When her misunderstanding dawns on them, they vehemently deny that they are Gay, yet constantly punctuate their denials with the rote expression not that theres anything wrong with that! As Heterosexual men, Jerry and George are both keen to be taken for what they are, but theres more to it than that: they cant entirely inhibit...

A Thought From Get Equal
Get Equal is a group that has a Facebook page and supports Same Sex Marriage Rights. They had an interesting post today PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT Same-Sex Marriage -Dick Cheney -Ted Olson -Laura Bush and Cindy McCain -Glenn Beck -Ken Mehlman PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE Same-Sex Marriage -President Obama 4 response(s) to this topic so far. Have an opinion? Join the District TMV discussion on this topic now.

Palin Jealously is Such an Ugly, Hilarious Thing
Sarah Palin is is a mean, Racist, stupid conservative who is bad for women but who has, due to powers we are quite willing to attribute to witchcraft, inspired more women to get involved in politics in just a couple years than decades of our inspiring, sunshine and free ponies Feminism has and we just hate her. Oh, and we want a Sarah Palin, too. Far be it from me to school two such accomplished feminists on what women really want, but I will suggest that what women do not want is to be...

Mehlman and Marriage
It was somewhat amusing to hear, in Marc Ambinder’s account of how Ken Mehlman , the former Republican National Committee chairman, came out to him, that Mehlman is particularly sorry about not getting enough Gay votes for the Republican party. He thinks he could have—for one thing, they all could have “formed common cause with Republican opponents of Islamic Jihad, which he called ’the greatest Anti-gay force in the world right now.’ ” Is opposition...

Mehlman's announcement was no big deal -- and that's a big deal
The reaction to former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlmans announcement that he is Gay has been resoundingly muted. Most Republicans and Conservatives seem neither surprised nor scandalized. The few criticisms that have emerged seem half-hearted and strained. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council sees confirmation that the Republican establishment is ambivalent on conservative Social Issues, which contributed to the GOPs electoral failures in 2006 and 2008. Anyone who believes...

In Mehlman Matter, Gay Left Blogger Prefers Principle to Revenge
Twice in blogging about Ken Mehlman’s coming out, I wrote that there would be some “ decent Gay lefties ” who would not go for this good man’s jugular, treating him instead him with decency and “ dignity despite disagreeing . . . on matters political. “ Due to my busy schedule these past few days, I haven’t been able to check the blogs as much as I would like so am grateful for readers like Eva Young of Lloydletta’s Nooz who alerted me to one...

David D. Burstein: What the New York Times Missed About "20-Somethings"
The millennial generation might just be the most talked about generation around. Everywhere I look there's another article, about millennials, written by a member of an older generation, pointing out our deficiencies, challenges, and problems. In fact it seems we millennials are one of the most popular targets for criticism, concern, and curiosity at the moment. The most recent piece of this kind is a major New York Times article from last weekend, " What Is It About 20-Somethings ," by Robin...

Fox News Ignores Ken Mehlman's Coming Out, Runs Zero Segments On Story
When Judge Vaughn Walker struck down Proposition 8, Fox News barely mentioned the story and its most prominent conservative commentators ignored it entirely. Yesterday, after the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder reported that former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman — who had orchestrated President Bush’s gay-bating 2004 re-election campaign — was coming out as gay, Fox News remained similarly mum and as of this posting has yet to run a single segment on the story. A Wonk Room review...

Gay Conservatives -- What Else Is New?
This must be a slow news week because many media outlets are reporting that Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican National Committee (2005 to 2007) and President George W. Bush's Campaign Manager in 2004, is Gay. Mehlman, who came out publicly in an interview with The Atlantic's Mark Ambinder , admits it took him longer than it should have to feel at ease acknowledging his Sexual Orientation. "It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life," Melhman said. He...

How Ken Mehlman's 'open secret' stayed hidden (The Upshot)
Ken Mehlman says he only recently concluded that he's Gay. The media seems to have reached that conclusion years ago. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz is one of several Journalists to quickly follow up on Mehlman's announcement Wednesday by saying it's been an "open secret" in Washington for years. "This is no longer really a media climate that tolerates open secrets ," wrote Politico's Ben Smith shortly after the News broke. But just because everyone "knows" something doesn't mean they...

Ken Mehlman, Do Something Useful: Speak Truth to Power.
( - promoted by Pam Spaulding ) I'm not privy to what Ken Mehlman did or did not do secretly while working for the Republican Party and the White House.  Nor am I privy to his soul.  And I'm not privy to hearts of those he caused agony, suffering, depression and anxiety to, or to those were were fired or beaten up partly as a result of the Campaigns he waged.  And I have no idea what, if anything, he could possibly do for those hearts to forgive him. Still, Mr. Mehlman ...

Mike Signorile, LCR's Clarke Cooper talk Mehlman on John King USA
The debate was Civil and revealing about the media and its handling of the professional self-outing of Ken Mehlman. John King disclosed that he is friends with Mehlman. Clearly he had some inside knowledge about whether Mehlman just recently came to the conclusion he's Gay. Yet as a reporter he failed to engage that topic at all. Here is the video; the transcript is below the fold . King: I want to read you something, I had a phone conversation with Ken today and I should disclose to our...

Bush's GOP chairman comes out of the closet. Can he change the gay marriage debate?
Ken Mehlman is Gay. Lots of people thought so, but nobody knew for sure until Mehlman began telling friends and family in recent months. Now it's public: Mehlman has given a full interview to the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder.

Former RNC chair: Yep, I'm gay
Mehlman, who was Campaign Manager for President George W. Bush in 2004 and then RNC chairman after Bush’s re-election, told The Atlantic in an interview published online Wednesday that he came to the conclusion he is Gay recently and wanted to talk about it publicly because he wants to become an advocate for Gay Marriage . He also thought questions would arise when he participates in an upcoming Fundraiser for the group challenging California’s ballot measure opposing those...

Gay marriage-backing billionaire David Koch comes to Tea Party
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Although insisting to New York magazine last week he had "never been to a Tea Party event" - and distancing himself from the movement's Racist fringe - he expressed sympathy for the Grassroots anti-Washington rebellion that has shaken politicians from both main parties. "(The Tea Party) demonstrates a powerful visceral hostility in the body politic against the massive increase in government power, the massive efforts to socialise this...