Who's Homophobic Now? [left has started insinuating that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is gay]

Reasoned Audacity ^ | July 21, 2005 | CharmaineYoest

[John Jorsett]

John Roberts
Circa 1972ish
La Lumiere High School

Just a caution for my male readers: if there are any extant photos of you from the '70's in plaid pants, better get rid of them now. And it's not just the evidence of questionable fashion sense. Apparently now that's the goods on being gay.

Call it the Mary Cheney Strategy. Call it desperation. Some on the Left have started a "maybe he's gay" whisper campaign against John Roberts.

It started with Manhattan Offender in a post yesterday asking "How Gay is This Guy?" and then he quoted Wikipedia's entry for Judge Roberts. He zeroed in on some really damning evidence from Roberts' youthful past: the all-male boarding school, studying French and Latin (gasp!), being a wrestler and, oh the horror, participating in choir and drama.

So, it was only one silly post. Today, however, Wonkette picked up the ball and ran with it:

We're not making any conclusions here -- we wouldn't want to comment on an ongoing investigation -- we're just laying out the facts: He is a graduate of an all-boys Catholic school where, as a member of the wrestling team, he regularly grappled with other sweaty, repressed boys. That is when he wasn't the drama club playing Peppermint Patty, for God's sake.

What's that about Peppermint Patty?!? Yes, well, that's where the story starts to get interesting. That's a reference to a point raised in today's New York Times profile of Roberts, "Court Nominee's Life Is Rooted in Faith and Respect for Law," written by Todd Purdum, Jodi Wilgoren and Pam Belluck. In the midst of a very lengthy profile, Purdum, et.al. just throw in the little factoid that Roberts' yearbook records that "he played Peppermint Patty in the production of 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.'"

Did I mention that this was when he was in high school?

So maybe that snarky little bit is just there for a little color? Ann Althouse has picked up the story and she thinks otherwise:

I do think the NYT piece was subtly constructed to plant this idea. Just look at the series of photographs they chose: young John in plaid pants, young John with his boys' school pals, young John in a wrestling suit with his fellow wrestlers, John with footballers, and -- the final pic -- John smiling in an all-male wedding photograph.

I think she might have a point.

Of course it is the height of hypocrisy for the (allegedly) pro-tolerance crowd to start questioning someone's sexual preference. It's a strange and twisted tactic for those who are allied with the gay rights movement to try to make an issue out of someone supposedly being gay.

Who cares?

Well, that's just the point: they think we do. They think that they can undermine support for someone among conservatives if they can dredge up some sort of homosexual connection -- or, in this case, just the manufactured whiff of a question.

If it weren't so cruel and small, it would be funny. (It's not just the plaid pants. Some of the commenters on these other sites have been questioning the Roberts' marriage, and even referencing their adopted children. That's just beyond the pale.)

The Left didn't learn their lesson when they tried this with Mary Cheney and it backfired. John Roberts may have played Peppermint Patty back in the day, but here and NOW, the Left is playing Lucy with the football . . .

***

[rwa265]

I was a big Peanuts fan, too, sir. (Remember how Marcie always called Patty sir?)

I missed first kiss and flashbeagle. Lucky, I guess.

We had books of Peanuts cartoons that I would read over and over. My all time favorite was the "spring is coming" cartoon. It went like this.

Lucy (looking out the window): "Spring is coming."

Charlie: "He is?"

Lucy: "Not he is, it is."

Charlie: "It is what?"

Lucy: "It is coming."

Charlie: "What is coming?"

Lucy: "Spring is coming."

Charlie: "He is?"

Charlie: (smiling as Lucy is chasing him): "Someday, I'm going to drive that poor girl crazy."

[hosepipe]

Only a RINO would wear pants like that in the 70's...
Democrats were wearing flowers..

[rwa265]

What I meant was the gay community was the first to suggest tinky was gay. But when Falwell brought it up, the press was all over him. Your comment that "they can claim that even considering that as a possibility means that you are a homophobe" reminded me of how unfairly the MSM treated Falwell.

http://www.rightgrrl.com/carolyn/teletubbies.html

[LibertarianInExile]

70s? Heck, we can start with today's photos!

Senator Ken Salazar:

Teddy Kennedy and John Kerry (low hanging fruit):

Ben Affleck:

[LibertarianInExile]

I agree that we should want to know, since so many queers have a leftist bent...to their ideology, to their ideology! But geez, is there any reason to question in this situation if Roberts is straight? The man's happily married with two kids. If he's got a beard in Jane Sullivan Roberts, boy, did he go all out to find a pro-life beard.

I doubt that vetting this guy the Prez would miss something like that. Call me crazy, but I don't think he will be appointing any closet cases simply because Bush is, if nothing else, a committed family man.

That said, I find the whole situation entertaining as hell. This board is hurriedly apologetic for Roberts' illusory "homosexuality," with personal professions of "gayness" running rampant here to the point of making Jeff Gannon look straight. And DU is acting as if being gay is a negative. Where's the band playing "The World Turn'd Upside Down?"

[Southack]

Lets keep in mind that the Left also went on the gay-bashing warpath to "out" conservative White House pool reporter (and fellow FReeper) Jeff Gannon of Talon News.

Nude Photos - Jeff Gannon and the WaPost

[Lazamataz]

Southack, do you remember when we discussed political judo? Using the left's momentum against them?

This is such a time.

Every time this charge is leveled at John Roberts, calmly respond: "So, you are saying that being gay is a disqualifier to any elected or appointed office. Hey. I can get with that. Let's start a movement."

Hoist them on their own petard.

[Southack]

Kerry caused a stir on Wednesday night at the third and last presidential debate when he referred to Mary Cheney (search), an official in the Bush-Cheney campaign, while answering a question from moderator Bob Schieffer, who asked whether homosexuality is a choice.

"We're all God's children, Bob, and I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it's not a choice."

It was the second time Mary Cheney's sexuality had come up during the debates. In the vice presidential debate last week, Democratic Sen. John Edwards also brought up the vice president's daughter.

"I think the vice president and his wife love their daughter. I think they love her very much. And you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter, the fact that they embrace her. It's a wonderful thing," Edwards said.

[skr]

LOL!