The audience stole the show yet again at a Republican debate. The most cringe-worthy moment of last night's event came when the crowd booed a gay soldier serving overseas in Iraq.
Soldier Stephen Hill posed a question via YouTube to Rick Santorum, addressing the repeal of DADT. Hill said he's had to "lie about who [he] was" just to serve, and wondered if candidates would "circumvent" progress that's been made on LGBT rights in the military. Jeers could then be heard throughout the auditorium in Florida.
Santorum mumbled something about how the DADT repeal injected "social engineering" into the military. He just breezed right over it, and he wasn't alone. You could practically hear crickets chirping in that auditorium — candidates just stood silent and did not respond.
Right after the debate, Jon Huntsman, perhaps the most moderate candidate out of the Republican crop, called the boos "unfortunate." And a rep for Rick Perry one-upped that response, saying it was "very unfortunate." Unfortunate indeed.
Santorum, let's be honest — not a gay-friendly candidate, today said he didn't hear the boos at the time and expressed disappointment. "I condemn the people who booed that gay soldier," said Santorum. "That soldier is serving our country, I thank him for his service to our country. I'm sure he's doing an excellent job. I hope he is safe, and I hope he returns safely, and does his mission well."
This scene had me missing Republican nominee John McCain in 2008 — at least he had the guts to correct one misguided little old lady, who said she couldn't "trust Obama" because "he's an Arab."
Show some guts, GOP. The soldiers — both gay and straight — who are fighting our wars certainly do.
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If this happened at a dem debate we would never hear the end of it. Once again these folks show why we should never elect another republican again for anything!!
(double comment -- sorry!)
Is "gay soldier Stephen Hill's" rank classified information? And what real soldier appears on national television in an ill-fitting t-shirt? With what division or battalion is "gay soldier Stephen Hill" serving? Many critical questions remain unasked and unanswered.
None of that matters! Only the response of the crowd and lack of response to the crowd by the candidates is what matters.
And it make a differance in what manner? You show your disrespect by your conually calling "gay soldier."
larry74: I am emulating the media, none of whom appear to know gay "soldier" Stephen Hill's rank. Why is that?
And yes, Momus2009, any progressive would think that the only thing that matters is Mr Hill's orientational infallibility.
dylan, What he wore was critical? Wow. And what his rank is has no bearing on the subject whatsoever. Nice try.
Who gives a crap whether he's gay or not? You dem-a-turds must just walk around thinking of your weiners all the time. I don't run around making an issue that I'm heterosexal. Who cares? The guy just wanted to be seen on TV, that's all. It's nothing new. And as far as the crowd not reacting the way you think they should, what do you want them to do? The candidates are Republicans and there are much more important issues that need to be addressed instead of going to the United Nations and taking the time during you speech to tell the world they need to champion gays. That's the kind of nut job we have as a president.
T-rex are the most disrespectful humans alive. This kind of response just goes to show what you should expect. You see it every time the bone head opens his mouth. Why would you expect them to display any kind of dignity, when they do not even know what the word means. These people set a bad example for the children of our future they are always using as an excuse for who they are trying to protect. I see it as abusive behavior.
No, I don't think booing was appropriate for anyone that serves or has served this country in the military. I served in the military and I don't care if the guy is straight or gay that pulls me out of harms way and I wouldn't hesitate to pull a straight or gay soldier out of harms way. If you want to show some of the liberal compassion why don't you say something about how bad it was when the Vietnam soldiers came home and many with you mentality spit on them and called them baby killers. I know what dignity means and I know what ignorance means as well.
That is what the GOP have begotten. A crowd that would let a man die because he did not have insurance, a crowd that shows to have no human pathos, much like psychopaths, and a crowd that feels not a shred of gratitude for someone who have raise themselves and said "send me, to risk my life for my country". I wonder is the GOP base, the one that are in the bottom 80% of the population know, that those in the top 20% would not step forward when it is time to risk their lives, even though it is them who benefit the most from the wars.
Google: Bush joking about not finding weapons of mass destruction.
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Honai? Really. A new brand of car - or no spellcheck - or not having a clue. Pick one. So you're rehashing 40 year old crap? Why not go back to the Civil War while you're at it.
afrommi...
While you at it go to Youtube and watch this video:
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_68oow06Nw
Remove space between // and www after copy/paste.
JennyQ....
During a 1972 trip to North Vietnam, Jane Fonda propagandized on behalf of the North Vietnamese government, declared that American POWs were being treated humanely and condemned U.S. soldiers as "war criminals" and later denounced them as liars for claiming they had been tortured.
You are a perfect example of the idiot's we've raised over the last 20 years.
You claim compassion for a gay soldier and yet you show no compassion for tortured vietnam vets that were spit upon arriving back in the USA after fighting for your freedom to make your stupid remark. Perfect example of a lib-a-turd at it purest form. You have you priorities mixed up.
If you don't believe this is true, since you probalbly are such a myrmidon, you can check it out on snopes.
Not just the GOP has idiots in it but both sides. Yes, these idiots should have been escorted from the debate and who knows were they? See examples of our finest below. I don't think we support these idiots and I have to say that I don't see the GOP saying similar about Obama (thank God).
On August 4, 2000, when Bush won the Republican nomination (but before he was
president), Craig Kilborn on CBSs The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
ran a graphic of the words SNIPERS WANTED under George Bush as
he gave his acceptance speech.
On July 11, 2007, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams gave the keynote
speech to the International Womens Peace Conference in Dallas, Texas, and said
(to laughter and applause from the audience), "I mean right now, I could kill George Bush, no problem."
Bill....
You can see you are a reasonable person, but you have to remember, "The two people you don't want to get into an argument with is a liberal or a drunk, because neither one has any sense.
Wait a second. I agree that the crowd was totally into execution, but I did not hear boos for educating children. Maybe I'm wrong, but I heard cheers for educating the children.
The boos were for Perry and him granting in-state tuition rates at Texas Universities to illegal alien students.
Momus...
You are correct and a lot of people, maybe including yourself disagree with me in that a child brought over here on his or her parents back and spent his or her entire childhood growing up and graduating from an American school is already home. Secure the borders, take away the reasons for coming here, but don't punish the children that have grown up here, not at this date.
I laughed my ass off when I heard those morons booing the dude. It just goes to show you how people really feel.
Only bigoted morons feel that way. I will guarentee you, on a battle feel it makes NO differance, just as it makes NO differance in any other setting. Ever hear of "all men are created equal?
Momus, you're right - they are idiots, but it certainly didn't make me laugh. Sad time in our country.
What was it this time the Tea Republican Party audience at the GOP debate cheered for? The fact that Grandma would have to eat dog food, and not to be able to get her medication or go to the doctor, if they have their way and destroy Social Security and Medicare. It wasn't bad enough that these people cheer when it was mention that under Perry, Texas has executed over 200 people. And then they cheer when the question was brought up what were we to do with a 30 year old who didn't have health insurance, but got in an accident and he needed medical care, or we to let this 30 year old died? And that audience said yes. Now these same Tea Republican people are booing a gay marine who was in Iraq serving our country. And this marine who was out there putting his life on the line for this country, so that those Tea Republicans can have the freedom to sit there and boo him. What a bunch of Americans they are. Not one of those Republican candidates, who is always questioning President Obama loyalty to this country, not one of them said a dam word about what that audience did. What a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!
A.Darton...
By the way, Obama was the one who took $500 billion out of Medicare, not the Republicans.
The Republicans do not want to destroy Medicare. All Obama wants is your vote. He would do anything for your vote. You're fooling yourself if you think you really mean anything to him other than your vote.
What about spitting on returning VETs from Vietnam and calling them war criminals? Does that do anything to you? Well, the same people that have been Obama's friends throughout his life did that and they weren't Republicans, I assure you. Let's champion the gays all over the world is what Obama spent his time during his speech to the United Nations. What a idiot. It's such a disgrace!!!!!!!!! Isn't it?
Does anyone know Mr Hill's rank? Anyone?
They just said he had finished his service during the debate. It doesn't matter whether you're gay or not. It just matters if you can pay your rent, house payment and put food on the table for your family.
Under a democratic president, I was most disappointed when the legislation of "don't ask don't tell"was decided. Why should one be denied the honor of serving their country because of a bunch of bigots. No one should have to lie about their lives. I'm proud of the new legislation, while we have another democrat in office, that did away with this deception.