Huh? Wasn't Jim Kolbe "openly gay" (and just as much a RINO as Tisei) when he won another term in Congress? Wikipedia says Steve Gunderson was an "openly gay Republican" Congressman too, though I don't think he was re-elected after he "came out". Perhaps this article means the first openly gay Republican to win an OPEN seat in Congress. More splitting hairs to create "historic" news, like that article a while back on the possibility "first openly gay President" of a country being non-news since Iceland already elected an openly gay prime minister, but technically she wasn't "President" so if a Republic elects one, it's news. Whatever.
>> He's every bit as much or more against DOMA as Tisei though, saying in the comments section of his website "I cannot willfully support a party that passed the Defense of Marriage Act.". So he's hardly the social conservative protest candidate. <<
Yeah, I'm not sold on Fishman. "Vote for the socially liberal Libertarian candidate because you don't like the socially liberal Republican" Uh-huh. They had a variation of this a couple years back, when they were encouraging disgruntled conservatives to vote for open-borders Libertarian candidates because some GOP candidates were weak on illegal aliens. You make a valid point he might be better than Tisei on economic issues, however. I don't know enough about the two to form an opinion on that one, though I'd be researching their records and statements thoroughly if I lived in the district.
>> Some people are gay. They aren’t all left wing loons. We need to distinguish between those who are, and those who just want to live an openly gay lifestyle but otherwise support conservative principles. <<
I'm not a single issue voter. Even if Tisei was a flaming homosexual and outspoken against DOMA, etc., but OTHERWISE a reliable conservative across the board (pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling, anti-illegal, anti-Islamic terrorists, lower taxes, smaller government, etc.) I'd have no problem voting for him over a Marxist RAT. That's not the case, though. Tisei is a RINO turd and appears to be quite liberal on numerous issues. We can hear the usual lecture about "the best we can get in that state" and "we have to support the lesser of two evils", but I would never knock on doors for this guy.
>> he’s a fiscal conservative <<
If Tisei and his fans are beating their chest screaming "FISCAL CONSERVATIVE!!!!" to voters, then I know he's not (see Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mark Kirk, etc.), Real "fiscal conservatives" don't need to advertise it, everyone already knows they're solid because of their past actions. Works the same way with any other type of conservative. (Paul Ryan doesn't need to scream "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE!!" during this campaign for us to know he is one)
>> Look at Sean Bielat in the 4th, very promising for a GOP pick up—so who do the Dems run vs him? JoeJoeJoe Kennedy. It’s tough. <<
If I could pick one Republican to win a house seat in Massachusetts, it would be Bielat. But yeah, not promising. MA sucks.
I’m sure they exclude Kolbe because he didn’t come out until he was already in Congress. Similarly, the media made a big deal out of Tammy Baldwin being the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress because she was already out prior to her first election.
Note to all, only the second quote (the one about Fishman) is from me. ;)
I don’t know how I’d vote in that district. I’ve been thinking Tisei is one of the few Republicans I’d rather see lose but just reading some comments by pro-Tierney idiots really (ticked) me off. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate democrats so much I’m tempted to support the RINO out of pure spite.
If I decided not to I guess I’d vote for the sucky Fishman just cause he’s the only other choice, as a big F you to both parties. Not voting or writing in some random conservative isn’t my style. When it looked like Luis Gutierrez was set to not have a GOP foe I was set to vote for the Green.
I wrote in “Dick Nixon” against an unopposed rat (City Treasurer I think) once. It really POed the election people cause the late President was not a registered write in candidate which you have to be here in IL. ;) I’m sorely tempted do something like that for every unopposed race rather than undervoting. Due to my youngish age and (same for entire adulthood) location I’m betting I’m one of the few people here who has never seen anyone but the rat incumbents on the ballot for State legislature.
FYI the GOP candidate running in the safe rat MA-5th is named....Tom Tierney. He should be running in the 6th!
RE: Kolbe (Evanston Native), he outed himself in ‘96 in order to beat Larry Flynt to the punch and was reelected 5 times till he retired (’96 was a huge landslide for him) . The traitorous SOB then refused to back the conservative who ran against Giffords for his open seat and stopped supporting the ‘08 candidate against her when that guy, a state senator, voted against gay marriage.
His Wikipedia page says he wanted to get rid of the penny. What a queer idea. You can’t make exact change impossible!!!
Tisei would be the first openly gay non-incumbent Republican. And I think only the second gay man in total. I think rat Cicciline in RI-1 was the first and all the others only came out later when forced to. He’s caught in a scandal and could lose even though the district is the more liberal of the 2 in the state. Tammy Baldwin couldn’t hide it if she tried so she was the first avowed homosexual non-incumbent.
The rather okay looking rat lady in the new AZ-9, in unfortunate event of her victory, would be the first bisexual. She’s not ugly enough to be a full on lesbo. First race between a Lindsey Lohan lesbian and a Black Republican! How interesting.