Republican Jackass of the Week

Rob Portman, Regressive republican of Ohio.

Sit down, kids, Uncle RadioVegan is going to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, Rob Portman was a good little Regressive republican. He did as he was told. He didn't use thought, common sense, logic or an ounce of empathy. He vehemently opposed same sex marriage. He voted to amend the US Constitution to ban same sex marriage. He voted to prohibit adoptions by same sex couples. He was an automaton.

In other words, he was a perfect little Republican.

And then his gay son came out of the closet.

And now, suddenly, he's in favor of same sex marriage, and all the rights that come with it.

"I've thought a great deal about this issue, and like millions of Americans in recent years, I've changed my mind on the question of marriage for same-sex couples," he wrote.

Translation? "Now that I know my son is gay, I don't want to inflict upon him the disgusting institutionalized discrimination and hate that I was gleefully willing to inflict on millions of other Americans."

Just like Dick Cheney, these people only care when it concerns them. Dick, the far rightwing criminal war monger who lied us into the Iraq war, is only a Liberal on one issue: same sex marriage -- because his daughter's a lesbian.

Richard Lawson, of the Atlantic: "Rob Portman's sudden conversion perfectly illustrates the flippant, careless cruelty of the positions he once held. Until gayness in all its complexity and simplicity was staring him right in the face, in the shape of a person he helped create, Portman ultimately did not care about any of the country's [millions of] gay people. He did not value their love, or the love they might have for their children. He didn't think them deserving of simple rights because he figured their relationships inferior to his own."

Now, you may be thinking, "But, but, but, didn't President Obama's stand on the issue change?"

Yes, but President Obama never legislated against anyone or tried to Constitutionally remove anyone's rights. He was always, at the very least, in favor of civil unions as well as gay adoptions. His move endorsing same sex marriage was just the next logical step forward.

So, yes, it's good that Rob Portman finally has gotten on the right side of history. But it's too bad he had to do it the hard way, exposing himself to be the huge hypocrite that he is -- as well as being our Regressive Republican Jackass of the Week.