Posted on 07/16/2005 12:12:46 PM PDT by gopgen
Gay-rights opponent Santorum stands by outed aide
BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The senior spokesman for Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., Friday confirmed to a web log that he is gay.
According to PageOneQ, an online gay and lesbian publication, director of communications Robert L. Traynham, said that he was an "out gay man who completely supports the senator."
Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership has been an outspoken opponent of homosexual rights and a leading proponent of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Santorum, who was traveling in Pittsburgh, released the following statement:
"Robert Traynham ... is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among the congressional staff, as a communications professional. Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, but he is also a trusted friend confidente to me and my family. Mr. Traynham is a valued member of my staff and I regret that this effort on behalf of people who oppose me has made him a target of bigotry in their eyes.
"It is entirely unacceptable that my staffs' personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent's campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean spirited invasion of his personal life."
Mark Rodgers, chief of staff at the Republican conference, which Santorum chairs, said, "Robert is a tremendous employee and we're all for standing by him." Traynham's homosexuality was not news to the senator or his staff, he added.
In the online interview, Traynham defended his decision to work with the senator. "Sen. Santorum is a man of principle, he is a man who sticks up for what he believes in. I strongly do support Sen. Santorum.
Asked whether he supported Santorum's views on lesbian and gay issues, Traynham told PageOneQ, "Sen. Santorum is a family man. I have been with him for eight years and I am very proud to be with him."
The two-term senator is up for reelection next year. His expected Democratic opponent is State Treasurer Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Traynham began working for Santorum since 1997 as a press assistant and then deputy press secretary. He was press secretary for the senator's 2000 reelection campaign in Pennsylvania. Just prior to becoming communications director in the Senate office, Traynham served as director of communications for the Senate Republican Conference.
Traynham holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, where he currently serves on the Council of Trustees.
In supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would prohibit gay marriage, Santorum has equated homeland security with the sanctity of traditional marriage. He has referred to gay marriage as "messing with the basic family unit."
During an interview with The Associated Press two years ago about a challenge to the constitutionality of Texas's sodomy law, Santorum said that if the Supreme Court allows gay sex at home (which it ultimately did), "you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
On the marriage issue, Santorum also said: "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."
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© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
I agree with your post. God can, and does, change lives.
But there is the human will involved here.
The other poster claimed he, having only a small fraction of God's love, could love somebody out of homosexuality.
My point is that even with all of God's love at his disposal, the creator of the universe still cannot pull everyone out of that lifestyle.
rintense;pa mom;linkinpunk;MEGoody
Don't you think it's time to do something with your life other than advocating homosexuals in positions of authority?
OOOOPS, I forgot. You only do this PRIVATELY but in public you deny being an advocate. It's now wonder Santorum is your hero. He's a hypocrite just like YOU!
As a straight conservative, I've got better things to do with my time then hang out with a bunch of proud hypocrites. Tootles!
P.S. A gay forum would LOVE you! Consider hanging out there. They'll make you feel GOOD about your moral hypocrisy. I can only deal with so much LIBERAL logic and then I have to move on and thank God I don't have LIBERAL logic.
Don't you think it's time to do something with your life other than advocating homosexuals in positions of authority?
OOOOPS, I forgot. You only do this PRIVATELY but in public you deny being an advocate. It's now wonder Santorum is your hero. He's a hypocrite just like YOU!
As a straight conservative, I've got better things to do with my time then hang out with a bunch of proud hypocrites. Tootles!
P.S. A gay forum would LOVE you! Consider hanging out there. They'll make you feel GOOD about your moral hypocrisy. I can only deal with so much LIBERAL logic and then
I have to move on and thank God I don't have LIBERAL logic.
Don't you think it is time to do something with your life besides advocating that employers have control over ever aspect of an employee's personal life?
So much for your being a 'conservative.'
A "gay pep rally", eh? You are continuing to peddle irrelevancies - why don't you admit you just hate Santorum for no reason (probably you just think the guy has a funny sounding name or something) and you have no point at all? Otherwise, why all of this dancing around?
There is no basis for debate when arguments are based on lies. You lost before you started.
Go back and read my first post on this thread. I am not "accepting" the lifestyle, what I am pointing out is the wrong-headed idea that all homo's are a monolithic block dedicated to the overthrow of family values. That is how the MSM wants to protray them, to help their cause. I have stated unequivocally that I believe what the bible says, that it is a sin.
The veiled attack on my beliefs has not gone unnoticed. I expected better, and I am somewhat disappointed.
Folks interested in the health and improvement of American culture understand and believe divorce is not acceptable.
But if we were to take a poll of Republicans/conservatives on the issue, I think we'd find a pretty large number of them, maybe even a majority, have either been in a divorce or feel divorce is a "necessary evil".
Most definitely. Some, like you, have the right attitude of repentence and thus credibility. Too many do not, which causes everyone, especially children, to suffer.
Excellent insight served up. Thank you, wideawake.
The article doesn't say, but if I had to guess I'd say he's probably not chaste.
A good point.
I have been divorced , doesn't make it right.
You have yet to document a single lie, liar.
But since you can't, just come back at me with another insult. I know it's the best that you can do.
( o )
Should a Baptist church be forced to hire an atheist as the church secretary?
Besides all the foolish PC rules that override common sense these day, hiring for positions in the areas of religion and politics should be free of 'don't ask, don't tell' type rules. You are propogating a set of beliefs, why shouldn't you be able to be sure that you hire someone who is aligned with you and reject those who aren't?
National security just might fall within that realm too. I don't think that we should be hiring Muslims and commies for postitions in the Defense Dep't or munitions factories.
"To: Concerned:
Very well put, I must say."
by pa mom
BTW, Thanks pa mom! Looks like nmh disagrees with you and me:
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(1) - I HAD STATED: "Senator Santorum is an elected public official. His staff is NOT."
NMH RESPONDED: "His staff and their PRIVATE life is as PUBLIC as that of Santorum. It's just the way it is."
No, that is NOT the way it is. I repeat...a person on Senator's staff is NOT a public person.
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(2) - I HAD STATED: "I am about as pro-life and anti-sodomite-lifestyle as one can get, yet I have no problem with Santorum's stance. (BTW, I prefer to use the Biblical term for such behaviour.)"
NMH RESPONDED: "SO, why do YOU defend it?"
I DON'T defend sodomite behaviour. I DO defend Santorum's stance. He did, and said, exactly the RIGHT thing.
BTW, how do you KNOW what Santorum KNEW when he (or possibly a high-level staff person) hired him?
Also, how do you KNOW whether someone is a sodomite or not? Just by seeing what they wear? By hearing their voice? By being in their bedroom? By you ASKING them what they do in their bedroom and them TELLING you what they do there---and you BELIEVE them, even though you didn't SEE them in their bedroom and they could be putting on an act to make you THINK they are sodomites, KNOWING it disgusts you?
Please, NMH, please tell us how you KNOW---for SURE---that someone is a sodomite.
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(3) - I HAD SAID: "I used to work as a sales person with someone I strongly suspect was a sodomite. We worked together, however---as a TEAM---extremely well and we were the TOP two in sales in the store."
NMH RESPONDED: "It's YOUR choice who YOU frequent with. My Bible tells me to SEPARATE from them. From a secular perspective you are KNOWN by the company you keep and defend. So much for you as a moral example.
Let me guess...you don't "frequent" with ANY sinners? That would be a neat trick...Tell us how you do it. I'm going to have to recheck the version of my Bible...I thought it said that we are ALL sinners and fall short of the Glory of GOD.
NMH, I didn't "frequent" with the guy...I will repeat what I said: "I used to work as a sales person with someone I strongly suspect was a sodomite."
I didn't socialize with the man---I worked in the same store he worked at. I wasn't in a position to hire or fire employees. And again, unlike you, apparently, I don't have any clairvoyant abilities to KNOW if someone is a sodomite---I just strongly suspected it.
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(4) - I HAD SAID: "He NEVER said a word about what he did in his bedroom or with anyone he might have been involved with. In fact, I have NO idea IF he was seeing anyone because he NEVER mentioned it."
NMH RESPONDED: "You don't have to. Santorum KNEW. But that didn't stop him for using the homosexual to HIS advantage - SELF GAIN, now did it?"
Again, I ask...HOW do you KNOW that Santorum KNEW what the man did in his bedroom before the man was hired? The way to know is for Santorum (or whoever hired him) to have ASKED him BEFORE HIRING and for the man to have TOLD Santorum (or whoever hired the man)---and then the man could have made up that he was or was not a sodomite. Really, the ONLY way to KNOW---for SURE---is to WITNESS the behaviour. Then, there is NO question.
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(5) - I HAD SAID: "THE KEY is that it is NOT what people do in their BEDROOM that offends people so much---it is what they do and FORCE you to see IN PUBLIC!!! "
NMH RESPONDED: "Excuse me but it's what's done when no one is looking is what is MOST telling about the person. Take your LIBERALtarian compartmentalization nonsense and put it where the sun doesn't shine."
Please see my responses to #2 and #4. If they keep their behaviour in their BEDROOM instead of at the WORKPLACE (or other public venues), no one would have to WITNESS it or even have to know about it, and they could therefore not claim special privileges BECAUSE of their CHOICE of BEDROOM activity.
Oh, and I wouldn't think that GOD would be pleased with the language you just used to describe where I could put my purported beliefs. =/;o)
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(6) - I HAD SAID: "To me, it really makes NO difference whether you are FORCED to see PUBLIC indecency by two sodomites, two heterosexuals, a pedophile and their victim or anyone participating in indecent behaviour IN PUBLIC---I don't want to see ANY of it!"
NMK RERSPONDED: "To OTHERS, it DOES. Yes, put your head in the sand when confronted with it and maybe it will go away."
I don't think you understood my point. My point was that sexual activity---heterosexual OR homosexual---does NOT belong in the public view. I don't want to have to witness ANY promiscuous sexual activity in public---heterosexual OR homosexual.
As far as that bedroom goes again, unless we are THERE, NONE of us REALLY KNOWS what someone else does in THEIR bedroom. I wasn't condoning such behaviour---I was saying I don't want to have to WITNESS promiscuous sexual activity---heterosexual OR homosexual---IN PUBLIC, and I have no interest in VISITING their bedroom to confirm what anyone else does there.
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(7) - I HAD SAID: "Let me ask you: If you had a sales business, i.e. your business DEPENDED on sales volume, and a sodomite was a fantastic salesperson and in fact, was the TOP salesperson in your sales force, wouldn't YOU want to have the VERY BEST PRODUCING SALESPERSON work for YOU??? I sure would! And apparently, Senator Santorum thinks the same way."
NMH RESPONDED: "There are plenty of STRAIGHT people around to chose from. I'm not as COMPROMISED as YOU. Santorum is a HYPOCRITE for SELF SERVING reasons."
Again, how do you KNOW---for SURE---what someone does in their BEDROOM? And please explain what effect what someone does in their BEDROOM has on the quality of WORK they do. Although employers would HAVE to ASK, be TOLD and BELIEVE a prospective employee's answer, the KEY POINT here is that an employer shouldn't even KNOW what a person does in their BEDROOM---such topic has NO BUSINESS even being discussed in the workplace!!!!!
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(8) - I HAD SAID: ""BTW, we ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of GOD!" NMH RESPONDED: "Yeah, and YOU REVIL IN IT and DEFEND IT!"
Wrong again, nmh. Not even close!
No. Should a Baptist church be forced to fire someone who is 'outed' not of their own accord after they have worked for the Baptist church for several years?
"You are propogating a set of beliefs, why shouldn't you be able to be sure that you hire someone who is aligned with you and reject those who aren't?"
Indeed, so please tell me where the Senator ever said that homosexuals didn't have the right to have jobs. Remember, this individual was 'outed' against his will. He was keeping his sexuality secret (as it should be in the workplace). Someone else forced the information out into the open.
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