The Gay Old Party: The year the Right-Wing came out of the closet
REPUBLICAN PRIDE In 2006, the conservatives had an elephant in the room
The GOP might want to change its mascot from a dusty old elephant to a pretty, rainbow-colored unicorn. That way, legions of Republicans won't need to be dragged slapping and screaming from their closets. In 2006, Florida Congressman Mark Foley was busted for sending dirty IMs to male congressional pages. The fallout from the scandal is believed by many to have cost the Republicans dearly in the mid-term elections. Meanwhile, Bill Maher and Washington bloggers are naming others, including Idaho Senator Larry Craig (a founding member of the Singing Senators barbershop quartet along with former Senator John Ashcroft); White House chief of staff Josh Bolten; Florida Governor-elect Charlie Crist; California Congressman David Dreier; and former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman. (Each of them has denied the allegations.) In fact, it seems the level of gayness increases the further right you get on the political spectrum: New Life megachurch pastor Ted Haggard allegedly did lines of crystal meth off the ass of a male prostitute named Mike, and Denver's large Grace Chapel pastor Paul Barnes admitted that he has "struggled with homosexuality since I was a five-year-old boy." While Democrats may be Friends of Bill, Republicans are increasingly becoming Friends of Dorothy.
