The GOP Thinks You're Gay

One more of these stories and it becomes a "pattern." In Ohio, Republican Ken Blackwell (cue 10,000 left-wing bloggers e-mailing me stolen election theories) is running a (at the moment) losing campaign for governor against Democrat Ted Strickland. The Democrat is an ordained minister, and married, but he has no kids. You can guess the next part - a Blackwell consultant e-mailed Republicans and claimed Strickland was a big ol' queerboy.

The e-mail, obtained by The Dispatch, was sent to an undisclosed group of GOP supporters - with instructions to forward it to others - by Gary Lankford, whom the party hired in July as its "social conservative coordinator"... Among other things, the e-mail says Strickland married his wife, Frances, at 46, has no children and lives apart from her. It also links readers to an Internet blog that directly questions the sexual orientation of both Stricklands and notes accusations he is "soft on those who sexually assault children."

This is actually a slightlyclassier version of what North Carolina Republican Vernon Robinson (who's achieved a little fame for his "Twilight Zone" ad promising to kick illegal immigrants and faggots back across the border) did back in May. His opponent, Rep. Brad Miller, is an occasional poster on Daily Kos who's said nice things about chief blogger Markos Moulitsas. Robinson responded with the direct mail you can see part of in this post.

Brad Miller has gotten into bed with Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, a 35-year old musician who was raised in El Salvador before moving to San Francisco.

Kos is married and has a kid.

Brad Miller is a childless, middle-aged, trial lawyer whose ideological worldview was formulated when he joined the ranks of the hippie peaceniks and volunteered on Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign.

Miller is childless because his wife had a hysterectomy and can't bear children.

Gruesome stuff, sure, but at least it's keeping Robinson away from his hobby: Masturbating stray dogs in public parks, then smearing the spunk on young boys' faces. Hey, that's what we've heard.

Gubernatorial campaign in gutter? E-mail suggests it is [Columbus Dispatch]

 Do Robinson's charges stand up? [Raleigh News-Observer]

-- David Weigel