Trapped in the Political Closet
from The American Prospect
Paul Waldman
...(excerpt)
When it comes to the sad saga of Larry Craig, many have scratched their heads and asked, why risk everything for a quickie in a men’s room? Why would a man with so much to lose take that kind of chance? We might put it down to the awesome power of desire, the sexual urge written so firmly into the DNA of every cell in our bodies that it cannot be denied or suppressed for long, no matter what our political ideology or better judgment might recommend. But there is another explanation, one James Hannaham offered last week in Salon. “Most homosexual men spend our formative years in the closet, and once we come out, we tend to deny that closetedness has its pleasures -- and damned juicy ones, truth be told,” Hannaham writes. “Having a secret, perhaps double, life gives you a sense of importance, of life as drama, a sense you'll probably relish if you find yourself elected governor of New Jersey. Sex feels otherworldly, forbidden and scary, like you've gone so deep into the closet that you've arrived in Narnia.”
Most of our lives lack any particular sense of drama, sexual or otherwise. We go to our jobs, spend time with our families, pursue our particular happiness as the years go by without wondering whether tales of our exploits will be recounted in admiring tones or biographers will spend years plumbing the complexities of our time on the earth.
And even senators, despite the trappings of drama -- the proximity to power, the deference with which they are treated, the fact that they walk each day into an office decorated with pictures of themselves on the walls -- experience, in truth, little drama to speak of. What do senators do? They talk, and they listen, and then they press a little button to register their opinions, and then they talk some more. This isn’t to say they can’t accomplish great things, but most of their days are not charged with adrenaline, danger, or the flush of victory and the risk of defeat.
The Republican Party of which Craig was such an honored member can abide many things -- dishonesty, incompetence, corruption, even a taste for prostitutes. All manner of sins can be forgiven, so long as the sinner proclaims his fealty to the cause. But there are some lines that may not be crossed. Over the last few years they have invested so deeply in anti-gay bigotry that they had no choice but to cast Craig from the Republican temple, and right quick. The party is running on culture war fumes. If there’s one thing they’ve worked to make sure the public knows, it’s that the GOP is the party that hates homosexuality, and if you do too, you’d better not cast your ballot for anyone else.
(The entire piece is here.)
Paul Waldman
...(excerpt)
When it comes to the sad saga of Larry Craig, many have scratched their heads and asked, why risk everything for a quickie in a men’s room? Why would a man with so much to lose take that kind of chance? We might put it down to the awesome power of desire, the sexual urge written so firmly into the DNA of every cell in our bodies that it cannot be denied or suppressed for long, no matter what our political ideology or better judgment might recommend. But there is another explanation, one James Hannaham offered last week in Salon. “Most homosexual men spend our formative years in the closet, and once we come out, we tend to deny that closetedness has its pleasures -- and damned juicy ones, truth be told,” Hannaham writes. “Having a secret, perhaps double, life gives you a sense of importance, of life as drama, a sense you'll probably relish if you find yourself elected governor of New Jersey. Sex feels otherworldly, forbidden and scary, like you've gone so deep into the closet that you've arrived in Narnia.”
Most of our lives lack any particular sense of drama, sexual or otherwise. We go to our jobs, spend time with our families, pursue our particular happiness as the years go by without wondering whether tales of our exploits will be recounted in admiring tones or biographers will spend years plumbing the complexities of our time on the earth.
And even senators, despite the trappings of drama -- the proximity to power, the deference with which they are treated, the fact that they walk each day into an office decorated with pictures of themselves on the walls -- experience, in truth, little drama to speak of. What do senators do? They talk, and they listen, and then they press a little button to register their opinions, and then they talk some more. This isn’t to say they can’t accomplish great things, but most of their days are not charged with adrenaline, danger, or the flush of victory and the risk of defeat.
The Republican Party of which Craig was such an honored member can abide many things -- dishonesty, incompetence, corruption, even a taste for prostitutes. All manner of sins can be forgiven, so long as the sinner proclaims his fealty to the cause. But there are some lines that may not be crossed. Over the last few years they have invested so deeply in anti-gay bigotry that they had no choice but to cast Craig from the Republican temple, and right quick. The party is running on culture war fumes. If there’s one thing they’ve worked to make sure the public knows, it’s that the GOP is the party that hates homosexuality, and if you do too, you’d better not cast your ballot for anyone else.
(The entire piece is here.)
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