home

Bill Richardson: Larry Craig "Did a Terrible Thing"

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 01:22:00 AM EST
Tags: Bill Richardson (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson has had his problems with expressing his views on gays. Today, in commenting on Sen. Larry Craig's resignation, he stepped in it again.

I remember him fondly. But he did the right thing (by resigning). He obviously did a terrible thing.

Wow. I'd expect that comment from a Republican, family values guy, but from a progressive Democrat? If that's how he views gay sex, he's going to have an even bigger problem with the gay community than he did before.

< Sen. Larry Craig Lawyers Up | Weekend Open Thread >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Bill Richardson: Larry Craig "Did a Terrible Thing" | 26 comments (26 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    Because (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 01:17:39 AM EST
    of Republican social and moralist beliefs, many gays stay closeted. That results in them retreating to public places like restrooms to get a tryst. It's not offensive to them, it's unfortunate they can't all be out in the open. For a closeted, gay person, whose to say it's "terrible" given our societal perception of gay sex as a whole?

    When gays can come out of the closet, free of bigotry, then bathrooms might not be needed. Until then, they have every right to find the kind of companionship they desire wherever they can, without so-called progressives tearing them down for "doing a terrible thing."

    Sex in Public Places is not a right (none / 0) (#5)
    by cmpnwtr on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 02:18:49 AM EST
    On what legal precedent are you basing this right, for individuals to engage in sexual relations in public places? It is certainly not a constitutional right. Is it a right exclusively for gay people? So if I understand this correctly, you are advocating that designated public places, rest rooms, etc. be a place of sexual relations, for gays, straights, whomever. And whoever uses those facilities (even children) have no right to any protection from exposure to other persons' sexual behavior, and laws providing protection against such behavior, whether it be gay or straight sex, are to be disregarded. Strange understanding of law and ethics for someone who is an officer of the court.

    Parent
    I guess you were never a teenager (none / 0) (#10)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 08:39:20 AM EST
    when the only sex I could get was in some sort of semi public parking sparking spot that the whole town was well aware of and on different nights of the week contained many cars.  

    Parent
    Big difference between a parking space and (none / 0) (#11)
    by jerry on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 09:28:12 AM EST
    a restroom.

    The makeout sites are usually available primarily to car drivers, and semi-public, and specifically not where children will be.

    And in fact, what you've never seen the movies where the cop comes up to the couple in the car making out and tells them to move along?

    And you're right, people know where the makeout spots usually are, and so they can avoid them.  People can't avoid using the restrooms, and they don't know where the sex restrooms are.

    Parent

    So you're okay with a publicly "known" (none / 0) (#14)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 10:23:04 AM EST
    gay makeout spot in every town America?  Somehow I think that if such a thing was okay in our society the bathroom "problem" would diminish.

    Parent
    Gay makeout site, or makeout site? (none / 0) (#15)
    by jerry on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 10:44:47 AM EST
    Uh, what's wrong with the same parking spaces in the hills overlooking the city that everyone else uses?

    The issue is making out vs. public sex.

    Anyone in the hills having sex gets arrested.  People making out may get a flashlight lighting up the fog.

    What do I care who is parked up on Mulholland Drive?  

    People having sex in public have a hard time saying they have some need to be closeted.

    And really, Muholland Drive vs. the Airport restroom?  That's really a non-obvious choice?

    Parent

    I'm somewhat socially retarded right now (none / 0) (#17)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 12:01:27 PM EST
    I've been in the deep South for two plus years and tend to reflect what I live around I think where this social issue is concerned.  Everyone has an agreed social blindness about hetroparking but homoparking could be a problem and if homos park next to hetros what if someone starts getting ideas and stops liking the opposite sex because of that?  Seems to me that people where I live actually think like that.

    Parent
    I'm not sure who "them" is (none / 0) (#13)
    by jerry on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 09:58:59 AM EST
    Gays, or just closeted gays?

    I'm also not sure you have any data for your claim that a significant proportion of gays or closeted gays feel that sex in a public restroom is necessary.  

    My reading of comments in various blogs the past week (not a valid method of data collection) pretty much confirms my belief that NO ONE, gay, straight, closeted, out, feels as you do.

    It's also a pretty bizarre argument that closeted gays that desire to stay closeted are forced to use public restrooms in one of the nations busiest airports to engage in an activity the claim they don't want to be associated with.

    P.S. Jeralyn, would you consider increasing the amount of space we can use for comment subjects?

    Parent

    since sen. craig didn't engage in sex of (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by cpinva on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 02:02:42 AM EST
    any kind, you all are way off the mark. frankly, it isn't even at all clear to me he actually committed any infraction of the law. unless being fidgety in public is now illegal.

    that he dealt with police & prosecutors, without benefit of legal counsel, was incredibly stupid. for that reason alone he should resign, the man obviously lacks judgement.

    is he gay? i haven't the slightest idea. it would seem he's kind of admitted to being so, but that isn't at all clear either, since he's also denied it vehemently.

    as for richardson, he's already reached his level of incompetence.

    This isn't about his being gay or not (none / 0) (#7)
    by kovie on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 04:11:56 AM EST
    Not among non-wingnuts, at least. What it is about is his breaking the law by soliciting sex--gay or straight--in an illegal and inappropriate manner in a public place, AND his allegedly being gay despite having made a career of gay bashing.

    That this WAS an alleged solicitation for gay sex is clearly what brought him down in party that can ill afford to offend its dwindling homophobic wingnut base. But that's not what bothers the rest of us about his behavior. His being a hypocritical lawbreaker who engages in creepy public behavior is.

    Which is precisely the reason that we believe that Vitter should step down as well. But, of course, he's NOT gay, so all is ok in wingnutland.

    Parent

    Actually, did he solicit sex?? (1.00 / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 02, 2007 at 10:47:40 PM EST


    Parent
    Did he plead guilty? (none / 0) (#25)
    by kovie on Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 03:12:30 AM EST
    Did the cop lie? Did he not go through a series of well-known steps that indicate the solicitation of sex? Has this not happened to him before?

    No, none of this prove that he absolutely DID solicit sex, but this appears to pass the reasonable doubt test for me. Informally, of course. A trial would obviously require poring through the evidence and testimony carefully.

    One is certainly welcome to believe Craig. Who knows, maybe he WAS framed, or a victim of a huge misunderstanding. But the evidence is not his friend here. And even Craig disputes Craig, or else why did he plead guilty?

    Was he, um, tortured?

    Parent

    So.... (none / 0) (