Here is one of whom I consider one of the most despicable people on the planet, Ari Fleischer, sounding remarkably sane and almost human (warning- Politico) while advocating that the House pass ENDA.
This is Odd
by John Cole| 34 Comments
This post is in: Because of wow., Gay Rights are Human Rights
Baud
IIRC, the Kochs don’t care about opposing gay rights either.
piratedan
@Baud: they’re equal opportunity oppressors….
Gin & Tonic
Ari’s just a whore. He may be pitiable, he may even be amoral, but I never thought of him as despicable.
Soonergrunt
Stopped clocks, blind squirrels, etc…
Anoniminous
He has to do something other than while away the hours, a’pissing on the flowers, and poisoning the rain. Otherwise his head he’d be scratchin’ while his thoughts were busy hatchin’ … another grift for gain.
Hal
It will cost jobs and people will bring lawsuits if they are fired for being LGBT. Therefor it makes more sense to simply treat some as second class citizens as a cost saving measure. At least that’s what Boehner thinks. I wonder how he would feel if people discriminated against the orange?
KG
See, more proof that W and all his minions are just RINOs and insufficiently pure! Burn them, burn them all!
Also, from the article:
I’ve done a fair bit of employment law over the years. A person losing their job because of their sexual orientation/race/creed/religion/disability is a fairly easy case to prove. Same with not getting promotions. But not getting a job because of it? Those are a hell of a lot harder to prove. Most employers won’t give you a reason why the didn’t hire you (some might give you a form letter saying how they appreciate your qualifications, but they found someone they think is a better fit/more experienced). It’s damn near impossible to prove, and I don’t think I’ve ever even talked to anyone that had a case on those grounds.
Still, no reason why sexual orientation shouldn’t be covered in non-discrimination laws. Hopefully this will be another win for the business/mainstream wing of the GOP rather than the Teahadis.
Big R
@Hal: What do you have against Dutch royalty?
ranchandsyrup
Ari’s just applying his Sadim touch to ensure that EDNA dies.
John O
Who gives a shit? The House isn’t going to pass ENDA. They’re nuts.
jibeaux
Ari Fleischer wants the Republican party to live another day, and is not dependent on voters for his job. This is the particular combination which is generally behind these rare bursts of honesty. He’s probably not even for the sharks-with-laser-beams moat at the border, either.
SmallAxe
Watch what you say and watch what you do Cole I’m telling you.
Michael G
@Gin & Tonic:
When he said Obama would negotiate with John Boehner if he was a mullah, that pushed him into ‘despicable’ territory for me.
http://www.mediaite.com/online/what-is-twitter-mocking-ari-fleischer-for-now/
Also when he accused Twitter of allowing Obama to tweet an extra nine characters, seemingly fully believing it, that earned him a whole new level of disrespect, too.
RP
I thought this comment was interesting:
A lot of people on the right don’t seem to get that stuff like this is the norm in corporate america.
kindness
Saying nice things about Ari Fleicher(?) and linking to Politico?
What have the critters done with John? There must be a pod person at the controls.
@Gin & Tonic:
You didn’t think much about him. He’s an awful weasel and I’m sorry to be saying that about weasels. Remember when he got up in that press conference and said (proudly) that the bush43 Administration would do NOTHING about mileage standards as driving gas guzzlers was an American heritage?
Groucho48
He obviously has someone in his family or close circle of friends who is gay. The only time right wingers show a spark of humanity is when one of theirs is affected.
burnspbesq
This ought to be an easy call for any sentient being. I’m not seeing a road-to-Damascus moment here.
David Koch
Fleischer works for hedge fund plutocrat Paul Singer, who’s son is gay.
It’s not as if Fleischer is doing it out of the goodness of his heart, rather he’s doing it out of the goodness for his bank account.
Yatsuno
@SmallAxe: E-mail him. Use all caps & swear a lot. Make sure you mention which commentors are annoying you & how the bog runs like crap. He LIVES for that shit.
kindness
@Yatsuno: Once I stop laughing I’ll tell you how not funny you are.
johnny aquitard
@Gin & Tonic:
Amoral people do incredibly terrible things to other people, cause horrible damage to people and they can do it without spite or prejudice, without regard for how it affects others but merely for their own self-regard. How is it they are not to be despised? How is such selfishness, such egomania, such lack of concern for others not despicable?
You do understand that sociopaths are amoral, don’t you? The worst examples of the human species are amoral.
Keith P.
“It’s a trick. Get an axe.”
Biff Longbotham
Just goes to show that even a stopped watch is right every now and then.
Frankensteinbeck
Sorry, the motivating principle of this bill is ‘You can’t be an asshole.’ That is exactly and specifically what the Teatards hate most. They want to be assholes. They’re disgusted that the government might help people, and seething with fury from a lifetime of the government telling them they can’t murder gays, run Jews out of town, beat their wives and children, or refuse to serve coloreds in their businesses. They can at least get some vicarious pleasure from watching big businesses be assholes to anyone they feel like. I predict the Teabagger Caucus will vomit bile all over this bill and Boehner won’t touch it.
johnny aquitard
@kindness:
I think obfuscating, stonewalling and spinning Bush war crimes and malfeasance in front of the world tops that by magnitudes.
raven
I don’t suppose anyone cares about two great college football games tonight.
SmallAxe
@Yatsuno:
Come on, that one couldn’t have gone over your head Yatsuno. You’re better than that.
Roger Moore
@RP:
FTFY. The fundamentalist wing of the party wants to be allowed to discriminate against gays, women, blacks, disabled people, and anyone else they don’t like. They no longer have the power to bully most big corporations into following along, but they damn well aren’t going to give up their own right to discriminate against anyone they choose without a fight.
Cervantes
@efgoldman: Marriott? Really?
Yes, really.
Matt McIrvin
Software and tech firms have generally tended to be way ahead of the governmental curve on giving domestic-partner health benefits to same-sex couples. They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts; especially in places like the Bay Area where more people have been out for longer, they know they’re leaving good staff on the shelf if they’re not welcoming to gay people. It’s good business.
Ramalama
@KG: I was patently denied a job because it was “clear” that I was “not a Republican”. I wore a dress. I was fit and very cute (emphasis on was, alas) in addition to having perfect job experience and references. It was for a fecking job in a mall, retail. I knew one of the managers. But the higher up did not like the fact that I didn’t wear makeup.
Maybe she had her gaydar on.
I have an uncle who got fired from 2 jobs for being gay – in the late 70s and 80s. He finally said screw it, loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly…Hills.
russell
ari fleischer can kiss my ass
russell
ari fleischer can kiss my ass
shortstop
@russell: You gotta give him a chance to do it before you ask him again. ;)