Posted on 04/25/2015 10:30:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last night’s interview with Bruce Jenner by Diane Sawyer on ABC’s 20/20 turned out to be very revealing … in a much different way than many thought. By this time, a relentless series of media reports had made it quite clear that Jenner had embraced a transgender identity, at least privately. The big reveal turned out to be that Jenner also identifies as a conservative Republican:
When Sawyer asked if Jenner cheered when Obama became the first president to even say the word “transgender” in a State of the Union address, the 65-year-old replied that he “would certainly give him credit for that.”
“But not to get political,” Jenner continued, “I’ve never been a big fan, I’m kind of more on the conservative side.”
“Are your a Republican?” Sawyer asked in response, to which Jenner replied, “Yeah! Is that a bad thing? I believe in the constitution.”
“Do you think that would be an unsettling thing for some people in the conservative wing of the party?” Sawyer asked.
“I’ve thought about that,” says Jenner, adding that neither political party has a monopoly on understanding.
Tolerance? Not so much. Prior to the interview airing, progressives on Twitter offered lots of support for Jenner, and plenty of predictions about how conservatives would heap scorn on Jenner. After Jenner truly came out, their tone changed considerably, as Twitchy documented:
So any sympathy my mother had for Bruce Jenner evaporated once she heard he wasn't a fan of President Obama.
— Joel D. Anderson (@byjoelanderson) April 25, 2015
.@PerezHilton No, the real question is…what will liberals think of him now that he’s a Republican. GOP will be fine with it. @GayPatriot
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) April 25, 2015
@Leann_az @JayCaruso @GayPatriot @PerezHilton Mostly, we really don't care. Sorry to be iconoclastic.
— Scott (@FiveChels) April 25, 2015
It’s probably safe to say that most conservatives and Republicans didn’t really care much one way or another about the lifestyles of the Kardashians and Jenners before, during, or after this interview. They have found a way to prosper in the open market, and can use their money to use as they see fit within the bounds of the law. For the most part, we’d see this as none of our business, and it’s still really none of our business. As long as Jenner isn’t demanding that we participate in his transition, few if any of us will care.
That is actual tolerance, rather than the Enforced Participation Happy Inquisitions of Tolerance that progressives impose, continually demanding not just acceptance but celebration by all. It seems like Jenner understands that, too. Good. I’m with Kurt Schlichter on this:
Accept him, her, whatever as an ally in our campaign to destroy collectivism. #caring https://t.co/jocOAKHk1G
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) April 25, 2015
Oddly, ABC doesn’t, though. They’ve broken out the lengthy interview into several segments, but none of those highlight this particular reveal. Isn’t this worth promoting, at least for the novelty of it?After all, novelty is the reason for airing this interview in the first place. Speaking of which, Sawyer also asked him about whether this was a promotional stunt for the reality-TV show. Jenner insists it’s not:
ABC Breaking US News | US News Videos
I tend to take Jenner at his word on this point. It’s not going to do the reality-TV show any good to have him outside the stultifying progressive closet in Hollywood and out in the open as a conservative Republican. The reaction to his coming out proves that much.
Update: John Nolte slaps the “parochial” media:
The left-wing Huffington Post is even more confused than Ms. Sawyer. The Daily Caller’s Betsy Rothstein notes that HuffPo has saturated its site in overnight Jenner coverage without once managing to reveal his identity as a Christian Republican.
Newflash: Jenner didn’t get a brain transplant. …
Like most everyone else in America, legions of conservatives and Christians live and work, and dare I say, coexist just fine with their openly gay friends, co-workers, and relatives. America has come a long way in a very short time when it comes to recognizing the humanity of homosexuals, and that is truly a wonderful thing. And long overdue.
Where we disagree is on the political issue of same sex marriage, and despite what the media believes, holding the same opinion on gay marriage that Barack Obama did two years ago, and Hillary Clinton did 2 minutes ago, does not make one a Nazi.
Moreover, I personally don’t know of any Christian or conservative who doesn’t fully grasp the Biblical notion that sin is a verb, not a person. Like sex outside of marriage or lying, homosexuality is a sin, being gay is not. We are all sinners, and we are all children of God.
The mainstream media is positively drunk on its own sanctimonious ideas of diversity, inclusion and tolerance of different cultures and ideas. And yet this same mainstream media regularly displays a stunning ignorance when it comes to understanding a political and religious culture held by something like, oh, 100 million Americans.
It’s not a stunning ignorance. It’s willful blindness, and a bigotry all of its own.
Update: Steven Crowder writes, “Being a Republican is now more shocking than ‘transgender’.” Well, to the mainstream media and to progressives, yes it is.
The look on Sawyer’s face said it all..she expected Jenner to kiss Homo Obama’s ass but he wouldn’t..she asked as if being a Republican is like having the plague
Where will conservatism come into the picture when taxpayers have to pay for all those operations? (Fiscal? Social?)
Hey, he knows on some level that freedom is required, the Constitution is key, and there should be limits to government telling him what to do. What he wants to do with his freedom is something that appalls me, but if he is willing to give me the same space to be me that he requires for himself, then he is on the “right” track, IMHO.
I'm finished with the term conservative. It has no more real meaning then 'left' and 'right'
When you have 'conservative' being applied to Ayatollahs and hard core Chinese Communists,
or as indicative of being stuck in the past, unable to embrace progress, old and stale,
it's time to leave the term behind and choose one that better reflects the principles 'conservatism' embodies.
Looking over History from earliest times to the present certain revolutionary changes
in the way people think out the individual and government stand out.
Not to offer a complete list but as examples ancient Athens and Rome
marked significant departures from Authoritarian governments and promoted the role of the 'citizen' and of Law.
Closer to the present The Enlightenment was revolutionary with its focus on Reason and Individualism.
It led directly to the most significant revolutionary change in government and it's relation to the Individual in all of History...
'America' was born.
America with its bottom up structure, We the People are the rulers.
Government serves the People, the People are sovereign.
A Representative Republic was established.
The dangers inherent in Democracy were countered by the Rule of Law
and the explicit recognition of the inherent, unalienable Rights of Man.
Rights that can not be taken away at the whim of the majority.
Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Right to Property, to Free Speech, Religious expression and Free Association.
These and all the others constituted a Revolutionary change.
Something new had been born on Earth.
I think the essence of 'conservatism' as we know it is embodied in the principles and relationships underlying 'America'.
It is fitting, accurate and justified to refer to 'conservatism' as Americanism and to 'conservatives' as Americans.
Obviously I'm not using the terms Americans to solely denote citizens of the USofA.
There are quite a few citizens that I would not, in this sense, call Americans.
As a well, philosophic Americanism can be claimed by anyone in the world that embraces it's principles.
So we would have a term whose meaning is clear.
Let them call the Ayatollah or the ChiComs conservatives. It doesn't bother us, we're Americans!
As an added bonus the theftists and statists will be sputtering trying to claim to be Americans
without embracing the principles of philosophic Americanism.
Hilarity ensues.
Not a bad thing actually because they have gone through personal bad times, recovered and became responsible people. Jenner was a highly trained athlete so being a conservative was really not all that much of a surprise to me, Robert Downey, Jr, was a surprise because he was really a mess.
It’s supposed to indicate someone who wants to conserve something, such as the historical definition of marriage or smaller government, but these days the left and the MSM are trying to re-define it as anyone to the right of Rand Paul.
I don’t agree that Jenner is what the dictionary would define as a conservative. Republican, sure, these days, the Republicans are just the “Me Too” party.
Be nice, at this point I’ll settle for just (R).
Of course he’s mentally troubled... Having to deal with that wife and the idiot daughters would do that.... I’m surprised he’s lasted this long without going all crazy eyed Charles Manson on them.
Defining conservatism down, it keeps happening.
When I think of Jenner I don’t thing conservative or liberal . . . I just think “freak!”
I remember when Keeping up with the Kardashians started, they were all living together in a bungalow type house in Calabasas with an inviting wraparound porch. The American flag was always flying and seen from the driveway.
“He and his wife supported Romney in 2012.”
That would be, She and Her Wife supported Romney in 2012.
And watch the libs start with the gay/transgender put downs, now that it’s okay because this one says he’s a Republican.
In Massachusetts you can murder your wife and get a free sex change in jail!
IOW, that Biathalon Freakshow just blew out (ahem) any hopes of being used by either campaign.
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