[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Pious Perverts See other Pious Perverts Articles Title: Thompson Offers Apology on Gay Comment [had flu, bronchitis, diarrhea] Thompson Offers Apology on Gay Comment By SCOTT BAUER The Associated Press Saturday, May 12, 2007; 5:52 PM LAKE GENEVA, Wis. -- Tommy Thompson cited a dead hearing aid and an urgent need to use the bathroom in explaining on Saturday why he said at a GOP presidential debate that an employer should be allowed to fire a gay worker. Speaking to reporters after giving an address at the state GOP convention, Thompson also said he was suffering from the flu and bronchitis and had been admitted to a hospital emergency room three days prior to the May 3 debate. Republican presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson speaks at the Wisconsin GOP state convention Saturday, May 12, 2007, in Lake Geneva, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Republican presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson speaks at the Wisconsin GOP state convention Saturday, May 12, 2007, in Lake Geneva, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash - AP) "Nobody knows that," Thompson said. "I've been very sick. ... I was very sick the day of the debate. I had all of the problems with the flu and bronchitis that you have, including running to the bathroom. I was just hanging on. I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom." Thompson said he thought he was being asked if there were enough laws already to address discrimination in the workplace. The question at the debate was, "If a private employer finds homosexuality immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?" Thompson replied: "I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be." This is not Thompson's first apology or explanation for the remark. The day after the debate, Thompson said he was sorry and that he had misinterpreted the question because he didn't hear it properly. But on Saturday, Thompson elaborated by saying he has lost hearing in one ear and that his hearing aid battery for the other ear had gone dead. "I didn't hear the question. All I was thinking about was getting off the stage," Thompson said. "I said it, I'm sorry, and it won't happen again but it's not my record. ... There's nothing discriminatory about me at all." That gaffe, as well as one in April when he told a Jewish group that earning money is "part of the Jewish tradition," have been a distraction for Thompson's campaign. Thompson told party faithful at the convention Saturday that he can still win. But others aren't so sure. "How many times is he going to say something that's completely offensive to the majority of Americans before people start to say, 'What's going on here?'" said Jason Stephany, political director for the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Thompson's gaffes may not have resonated much with the general public, many of whom don't even know Thompson is running, but they did hurt him with power brokers. Thompson raised just under $400,000 in the first quarter of the year, putting him far behind leading candidates such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney who raised $23 million and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani with $15 million. Thompson, 65, served as Wisconsin governor from 1987 to 2001 and was head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2001 until 2005. He established his presidential exploratory committee in December. ___ On the Net: Tommy Thompson for president: http://www.tommy2008.com Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 9.
#9. To: a vast rightwing conspirator (#0)
What is this screwball talking about?
There are no replies to Comment # 9. End Trace Mode for Comment # 9.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||