Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, December 29, 2009
Homo / News / Hetero Speaking of the Leaders of the GOP and Their Inability to Impose Their Own Values On Themselves
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Karl Rove—who helped get George W. Bush reelected by putting all those anti-gay-marriage/defense-of-traditional-marriage amendments on all those state ballots in 2004—just got divorced.
Karl Rove and his wife, Darby, were granted a divorce last week," said Perino. "The couple came to the decision mutually and amicably, and they maintain a close relationship and a strong friendship. There will be no further comment, and the family requests that its privacy be respected.”
Some families are more deserving of respect than others. Karl's (broken) family? Respect. My (intact) family? Attack.
UPDATE: Glenn Greenwald over at Salon writes...
Rove obtained his divorce under Texas' "no-fault" divorce law, one of the most permissive in the nation. That law basically allows any married couple to simply end their marriage because they feel like it. Texas, needless to say, is one of the states which has constitutionally barred same-sex marriages, and has a Governor who explicitly cites Christian dogma as the reason to support that provision, yet the overwhelming majority of Texan citizens make sure that there's nothing in the law making their own marriages binding or permanent—i.e., traditional. They're willing to limit other people's marriage choices on moral grounds, but not their own, and thus have a law that lets them divorce whenever the mood strikes. That's the very permissive, untraditional and un-Christian law that Rove just exploited in order to obtain his divorce.There's debate and dispute among various Christian theologians and sects over whether divorce and re-marriage are permissible and, if so, under what circumstances. But what is clear is that the attribute of permanence is every bit as much of a part of "traditional marriage" as the need for a man and a women—hence, the vow before God of "till death do us part" and "that which God has brought together, let no man put asunder." The concept of "no-fault" divorce is certainly repugnant to most Christian and traditional understandings of marriage. Yet those like Rove who have devoted endless efforts to barring gay citizens from marrying on the ground that our laws must enshrine Christian concepts of "traditional marriage" continuously take advantage of laws that enable them to end their own marriages on a whim, and even enter new marriages with their so-called "second, third and fourth wives," which only seems to intensify their "traditional marriage" preaching.
Greenwald also points out that this was Rove's second marriage—and second no-fault divorce.
1
Rove loved using gay marriage as a wedge issue, taking every opportunity to exploit and exacerbate homophobia for votes. He also loved using the personal lives of his opponents as fodder for smear campaigns. And now he requests respect for his privacy? Ha ha ha ha ha.
2
This is Karl's 2nd divorce.
It was probably the Abstinence that did them in.
I'm sure he'll be come a regular now at the DC Eagle.
It was probably the Abstinence that did them in.
I'm sure he'll be come a regular now at the DC Eagle.
4
Dana Perino probably has the worst, most thankless job in the world: Bush family spokesperson. They must have a picture of her blowing 50 dudes or something.
5
The cheapening of marriage by the people claiming the moral high ground should be no surprise. Morality is always for the other guy. It's just one of the reasons religion is such a farce.
6
@3 Am I reading that wrong or are you suggesting that people should have MORE cognitive dissonance?
7
@6, if I understood correctly, yes, they should when faced with two incompatible ideas and don't see anything wrong with supporting both of them
8
Obviously America-hating Republicants don't deserve to get married.
We should reserve that for stable couples, like ... gays.
We should reserve that for stable couples, like ... gays.
9
You know Karl Rove is an atheist too, right? This line of attack doesn't do anything to Republicans except help convince them that their party is a big tent.
11
Being the GOP, the only surprise here is that Rove's wife hadn't been in a disfiguring car accident or wasn't in a hospital bed dying of cancer when he divorced her.
15
5/Vince: "The cheapening of marriage by the people claiming the moral high ground should be no surprise. Morality is always for the other guy. It's just one of the reasons religion is such a farce."
Contrary to that broad brush you're wielding, morality is not "always for the other guy." I'm sure there are plenty of religious people who are hypocrites, who oppose same-sex marriage on the (absurd) grounds of "protecting marriage" but then cheat on their spouses or abuse them. But I'm equally sure there are plenty of religious people don't cheat on their spouses, treat their spouses with love and respect, and have marriages that last. And there are, believe it or not, religious people who support same-sex marriage. In a couple posts on SLOG, I've referenced a Charles Blow column in the NY Times where he pointed out that one-third of Catholics and Protestants in California voted AGAINST Proposition 8.
Contrary to that broad brush you're wielding, morality is not "always for the other guy." I'm sure there are plenty of religious people who are hypocrites, who oppose same-sex marriage on the (absurd) grounds of "protecting marriage" but then cheat on their spouses or abuse them. But I'm equally sure there are plenty of religious people don't cheat on their spouses, treat their spouses with love and respect, and have marriages that last. And there are, believe it or not, religious people who support same-sex marriage. In a couple posts on SLOG, I've referenced a Charles Blow column in the NY Times where he pointed out that one-third of Catholics and Protestants in California voted AGAINST Proposition 8.
16
@6 - i meant the comment in the way @7 explained it (thanks) - they seem utterly unaware of their incompatible values.
17
Re: the request for privacy -- I request the right to marry my husband legally in the United States. When they start respecting my requests, I'll start respecting theirs.
18
@16 - I was the one in need of correction - confusing symptoms and causes. Perhaps I had Orwell's "double-think" in mind. Apologies.
20
Hey Dan,
I live in Austin, and Rove just moved into a house a few blocks away from me. We think he's here to help with Kay Bailey Hutchinson's campaign for governor. She's a really scary person, getting helped out by a really scary person. She's a lot more conservative on 'family issues' than our current sad-sack governor, Rick Perry, is. Just thought you'd be interested.
I live in Austin, and Rove just moved into a house a few blocks away from me. We think he's here to help with Kay Bailey Hutchinson's campaign for governor. She's a really scary person, getting helped out by a really scary person. She's a lot more conservative on 'family issues' than our current sad-sack governor, Rick Perry, is. Just thought you'd be interested.
21
Frank Sinatra fathered 3 children yet was granted an annulment from his first wife to marry his fourth wife in the Catholic Church, so this really isn't that shocking.
23
He said "till death do us part." He's not dead yet.
On an up-note; Good afternoon Darby, I hear congratulations are in order.
On an up-note; Good afternoon Darby, I hear congratulations are in order.
24
i can't imagine the horror of having to wake up every morning to see that fat, piggy little face staring back at me...
the horror.
the horror.
26
Not too different from Nevada where you can legally pay for straight sex, and get arrested for gay sex.
28
@15 You quote me but then you act like you didn't read what I wrote. Sure there are people who have good marriages. And sure there are people who are moral. And as for religion, well, we'll just have to disagree.
29
P.S. And in a rare example of the Bush Whitehouse being on target, G.W. called Rove "Turd Blossom".
30
Vince, I did read what you wrote: "Morality is always for the other guy. It's just one of the reasons religion is such a farce."
You're asserting that one of the reasons religions is such a farce is that, for religious people, morality is always for the other guy.
I'm saying that assertion is simplistic and untrue.
You're asserting that one of the reasons religions is such a farce is that, for religious people, morality is always for the other guy.
I'm saying that assertion is simplistic and untrue.
33
Rove is likely homosexual. And that scene in Bush Family Fortunes with Kay Bailey as a reporter covering Bush's campaign--is a historical nugget!
35
Trying to keep up and catalog each example of blatant GOP hypocrisy is like trying to catalog all the stars in the sky, and pick out one as the best example. After a while, there's just too many to choose from.
@4. Y'know, I've never thought about it in those terms, but you're probably right. And damn you for putting that image in my head. I've never become aroused when looking at her before, but you've probably made it so I never won't ever again.
@4. Y'know, I've never thought about it in those terms, but you're probably right. And damn you for putting that image in my head. I've never become aroused when looking at her before, but you've probably made it so I never won't ever again.
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