Friday, September 30, 2005
Why Were The Conservatives So Strongly Opposed to David Dreier as Temporary Majority Leader?
When House Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted, Speaker Denny Hastert announced that Rep. David Dreier (California) would serve as Majority Leader. Later in the day, Hastert announced that Dreier would share those duties with Rep. Roy Blunt (Missouri). By the end of the day, Dreier was out, and Roy Blunt was Majority Leader.
The various published stories on Hastert's about-face cited Blunt's personal plea for the job and a revolt by conservatives against Dreier.
Although nothing has been mentioned in the mainstream media, I cannot help but wonder if one of the reasons the ultra right wingers fought against Dreier had something to do with the persistant rumors and stories about his homosexuality. Swing State Project, which provides campaign and election news on key races around the country, posted an interesting piece this week about how the recent attention Dreier is receiving may rekindle the stories.
It's sad, but many Republicans really believe that homosexuality is simply a sinful lifestyle. I feel sorry for Dreier. His whole life is being a Member of Congress. He knows that if he comes out, he will lose it all.
The various published stories on Hastert's about-face cited Blunt's personal plea for the job and a revolt by conservatives against Dreier.
Although nothing has been mentioned in the mainstream media, I cannot help but wonder if one of the reasons the ultra right wingers fought against Dreier had something to do with the persistant rumors and stories about his homosexuality. Swing State Project, which provides campaign and election news on key races around the country, posted an interesting piece this week about how the recent attention Dreier is receiving may rekindle the stories.
It's sad, but many Republicans really believe that homosexuality is simply a sinful lifestyle. I feel sorry for Dreier. His whole life is being a Member of Congress. He knows that if he comes out, he will lose it all.
