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Title: EXPOSED: Romney Campaign Silenced Gay Spokesman To Avoid Confronting Hate Groups, Misled Reporters
Source:
thinkprogress.org
URL Source: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/ ... d-reporters-grenell/?mobile=nc
Published: May 3, 2012
Author: Ali Gharib
Post Date: 2012-05-03 12:15:32 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 136
Comments: 4
When presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s openly gay foreign policy spokesman resigned under pressure from right-wing anti-gay groups, the campaign sought to minimize the perceived damage by noting that Richard Grenell had not actually started yet on the job. When a CNN anchor asked campaign spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom about Grenell, the top aide prefaced his remarks by saying: “First let me correct you. He wasn’t two weeks on the job. He was scheduled to start on May 1.” Other Romney-friendly media, vaguely sourcing the campaign, addressed Grenell’s departure the same way, implying that he left the job before he’d started it. When the Washington Post reported that Grenell was “kept under wraps,” Washington Examiner’s Byron York pushed back: The only problem? Grenell could well have been set to officially become an employee of the Romney campaign on May 1, but he’d already started working for the team. As Andrew Sullivan reported last night and the New York Times later confirmed, Grenell helped organize a Romney campaign conference call to pre-empt Vice President Joe Biden’s foreign policy speech last week. Sullivan reported that after Grenell’s voice was not heard on the April 26 call, which he’d helped set up, people started to ask questions: Sources close to Grenell say that he was specifically told by those high up in the Romney campaign to stay silent on the call, even while he was on it. And this was not the only time he had been instructed to shut up. The Times added information to Sullivan’s story, also noting that the call was the “biggest moment yet for Mitt Romney’s foreign policy team”: It turned out [Grenell] was at home in Los Angeles, listening in, but stone silent and seething. A few minutes earlier, a senior Romney aide had delivered an unexpected directive, according to several people involved in the call. “Ric,” said Alex Wong, a policy aide, “the campaign has requested that you not speak on this call.” Mr. Wong added, “It’s best to lay low for now.” b on May 3, 2012 at 11:45 am Eric Fehrnstrom (L) and Ric Grenell When presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s openly gay foreign policy spokesman resigned under pressure from right-wing anti-gay groups, the campaign sought to minimize the perceived damage by noting that Richard Grenell had not actually started yet on the job. When a CNN anchor asked campaign spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom about Grenell, the top aide prefaced his remarks by saying: “First let me correct you. He wasn’t two weeks on the job. He was scheduled to start on May 1.” Other Romney-friendly media, vaguely sourcing the campaign, addressed Grenell’s departure the same way, implying that he left the job before he’d started it. When the Washington Post reported that Grenell was “kept under wraps,” Washington Examiner’s Byron York pushed back: But Romney campaign officials say strongly that they did not keep Grenell under wraps or in any other way discourage him from taking the job. First, they point out that at the time (last week) in which Grenell was supposedly being held back, he was not yet an employee of the Romney campaign. Like a number of other new hires, officials say, Grenell was getting ready to move to Boston to begin work May 1. Romney officials fully anticipated he would begin his public role as spokesman then. The only problem? Grenell could well have been set to officially become an employee of the Romney campaign on May 1, but he’d already started working for the team. As Andrew Sullivan reported last night and the New York Times later confirmed, Grenell helped organize a Romney campaign conference call to pre-empt Vice President Joe Biden’s foreign policy speech last week. Sullivan reported that after Grenell’s voice was not heard on the April 26 call, which he’d helped set up, people started to ask questions: Some even called and questioned him afterwards as to why he was absent. He wasn’t absent. He was simply muzzled. For a job where you are supposed to maintain good relations with reporters, being silenced on a key conference call on your area of expertise is pretty damaging. Especially when you helped set it up. Sources close to Grenell say that he was specifically told by those high up in the Romney campaign to stay silent on the call, even while he was on it. And this was not the only time he had been instructed to shut up. The Times added information to Sullivan’s story, also noting that the call was the “biggest moment yet for Mitt Romney’s foreign policy team”: It turned out [Grenell] was at home in Los Angeles, listening in, but stone silent and seething. A few minutes earlier, a senior Romney aide had delivered an unexpected directive, according to several people involved in the call. “Ric,” said Alex Wong, a policy aide, “the campaign has requested that you not speak on this call.” Mr. Wong added, “It’s best to lay low for now.” It’s no wonder Grenell felt the need to resign from the campaign. The newly revealed information only bolsters his reasons: the campaign was clearly seeking to mislead the media to downplay Grenell’s departure. “It’s not that the campaign cared whether Ric Grenell was gay,” an anonymous Republican told the Times. “They believed this was a nonissue. But they didn’t want to confront the religious right.” If Romney campaign can’t stand up to a bigoted special interest on personell issues — for what they clearly thought was the best man for the job — how could a Romney administration be expected to make the politically tough decisions needed to successfully govern the country? But Romney campaign officials say strongly that they did not keep Grenell under wraps or in any other way discourage him from taking the job. First, they point out that at the time (last week) in which Grenell was supposedly being held back, he was not yet an employee of the Romney campaign. Like a number of other new hires, officials say, Grenell was getting ready to move to Boston to begin work May 1. Romney officials fully anticipated he would begin his public role as spokesman then.
Some even called and questioned him afterwards as to why he was absent. He wasn’t absent. He was simply muzzled. For a job where you are supposed to maintain good relations with reporters, being silenced on a key conference call on your area of expertise is pretty damaging. Especially when you helped set it up.
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#1. To: Ferret (#0)
it is so sad that yet another zionist homo will be denied his day in the mormon cultist's shadow because romney needs to pander to the so-called conservative republicans. lol! What a true circus this nation has become.
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
It turns out that Romnay is also an Israeliphile who is prone to doing the wishes of that "shitty little country". It matters not that we get Romney in the White House. We need to get rid of Obummer. "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
I haven't seen anything that tells me about Grenell's positions on the Middle East but it appears that other Republicans are insisting on manipulating whom their Presidential candidate can talk to, and basing this on the person's private life rather than his political positions. If Romney lets these people order him around now about who he can consult, we can expect the same kind of outside interference if Romney gets the White House. Romney's unwillingness to stand up to this interference has probably already cost him some votes. Oddly enough, Grennell has some track record - and some of it the sort of thing that would justify giving him the push, but it wasn't the reason he was pushed out. Back in 2002, when Grennell was a Bushitter at the UN, he was publicly rude to the Mexican representative while the Bush Administration was trying to get Mexico on board for a war against Saddam. More recently he's been blogging insults about political types he disagrees with, including some very snide anti- woman remarks about Hillary Clinton and (surprise!) outspoken gay news analyst Rachel Maddow. But it wasn't his rudeness that got him kicked out of the Romney campaign - it was his own sexual orientation. And Romney didn't say even a word in his defense. Romney caved immediately to the Evangelical wing of the Republican/Teabagger contingent .... as if they might have gone over to Obama if he didn't!
Romney reminds me of the stupid parents of the child in this video. When one sees a threat to something dear to them they act. I wouldn't of allowed the lioness to act out her blood lust and been amused by it. I'd of grabbed my kid and left that area quickly. I see no entertainment value in being smug having faith the glass won't break. Romney is detached, cold, and doesn't have passion or the fire in the belly for the job for the right reasons. I don't trust him. I'm hoping for a miricle at the GOP Conventio giving Ron Paul the nomination.
#2. To: Ferret (#0)
(Edited)
#3. To: Ferret (#0)
(Edited)
#4. To: Shoonra (#3)
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