Matt Drudge, a Gay Who Backs the Gay Bashers, Part II
A
BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL
From the BuzzFlash Editorial Archives, Part
1 is HERE.
On July 13, we explained why we are re-running two June, 2000 editorials about Matt Drudge being a gay who supports people (Republicans) who bash gays. It's a syndrome that affects many Republicans, including elected gay Republican Congressmen and Senators who support Bush's anti-gay rhetoric and agenda. There are also people high in the Bush campaign apparatus, administration, and in the right wing think tanks and conservative values organizations who are gay.
One might wonder what makes them tick? Could you be gay and support an anti-gay President or political party? Could you be African-American and send money to the KKK? Could you be Jewish and support neo-Nazis?
We don't pretend to know what goes on in Drudge's mind. Maybe he's just the ultimate post-gay liberation gay: a gay in public denial who has the right to be a complete slimeball just like Karl Rove.
Drudge, like all of us, must be held accountable for his actions. His sexual orientation becomes an issue when it makes him a hypocrite. And Republican hypocrisy is our number one interest at BuzzFlash, because it is the defining characteristic of many people in Republican leadership and media shill positions.
Indeed, around the time that the White House committed national treason by outing a CIA operative (Valerie Plame) who specialized in tracking Weapons of Mass Destruction (in order to send a message to Joe Wilson and the intelligence community that the Bush Cartel was going to enforce its Omerta code at all costs, even if it meant betraying America), there was another curious leak and smear that bubbled to the surface of the mainstream press courtesy of Drudge.
Here's the background from a July 19th, 2003, Toronto Star story:
Last week, ABC's Jeffrey Kofman, formerly of CBC's The National, took a direct hit from the White House it seems, via the scurrilous Drudge Report.
That's because Kofman, a Toronto native now based in Miami, gave voice to American troops stationed in Iraq who spoke out against the war or rather the "peace" while calling for U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation.
Ostensibly incensed over Kofman's World News Tonight report Tuesday, which was repeated on Wednesday's Good Morning America, the White House had a dirty trickster tip gossip monger Matt Drudge to how the reporter was (Up against the wall!) "openly gay" and (No blindfold! No last cigarette!) Canadian.
And so, on Wednesday, for eight minutes, Drudge's headline screamed "ABC News Reporter Who Filed Troops Complaint Story Openly Gay Canadian," before being edited to read "ABC News Reporter Who Filed Troops Complaint Story Is Canadian."
So, at the apparent behest of the White House, Drudge "leaks" a slimeball headline that a Canadian reporter, who dared to air that some American soldiers were disgruntled with Rumsfeld, is gay! Yes, that's right, the only "news" in Drudge's headline was that the reporter was gay, which was meant to discredit him.
What if he had said "ABC News Reporter Who Filed Troops Complaint Story Jew"? There's no point to the headline except to, in essence, stir up the right wing white males by implying that the reporter is disloyal and untrustworthy because he's gay. How much more despicable can you get?
But it's the White House/GOP/Drudge scapegoating, gutter crawling nexus at work here. It happens so often, it has become acceptable for the mainstream press to consider discriminatory accusations as news. It starts with the GOP right wing conspiracy character assassination squad (during the impeachment wars, Ken Starr's team leaked like a faucet full of holes), shows up on Drudge, and ends up on the television news.
For the record, Drudge denies that he's gay. As a columnist who covers gay issues from time to time notes, "Cybergossip Matt Drudge may say that he is not gay, but one thing is clear, no matter his sexual orientation: hes a nasty faggot." (http://www.signorile.com/articles/nyp28.html)
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Originally Posted in June 2000
MATT DRUDGE, ARE YOU GAY? Part II
As detailed in a BuzzFlash.com report, last week Drudge played the "gay card" to intimidate New York publishers from printing "The Insane Clown Posse," a book allegedly focusing on the hypocrisy of the Kenneth Starr team and other right wing junk yard dogs. Drudge was successful in bullying and intimidating Tina Brown at TALK/Miramax, the publisher, to quash the nascent book before it even hit galleys.
During his week-long barrage of attacks on "The Insane Clown Posse," Drudge lambasted Talk/Miramax for daring to disclose personal peccadilloes.
In
his June 7 dispatch, Drudge wrote: "It can now be revealed
that the book
["The Insane Clown Posse"] not only digs deep into the
private sex lives and business dealings of major and minor Clinton
critics, but Connolly's [the author's] working manuscript also
features derogatory sex slurs against impeachment players.
Details too hot, even for the web."
Matt would have us think he was outraged by an author delving into someone's private life. He couldn't disclose the details of the book out of concern for maintaining a sense of propriety on the Internet.
Of course, on June 12th Drudge must have forgotten his prudish lapse, because the Drudge Report headline that morning read:
"Eszterhas Book Features Talking Bill Clinton Penis"
That's right, with a horribly unflattering photograph of the President just above the headline, looking as if he were sucking on a lemon. In Drudge's "exclusive" report on June 12th, he poured on the details:
"Eszterhas has created a character around President Clinton's penis, according to reports - a penis which will talk and express opinions in the book."
And a gratuitous catty statement:
"Eszterhas will appear live on NBC's TODAY to launch the book on July 18.
Hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer could ask the author why he did not explore Flowers' claim that the president liked to pleasure himself with her sexual aid."
Drudge revels in any gutter rumor about Clinton that he can hang his Fedora hat on. But, he transformed into a prude when it comes to his friends on the right wing. He charges the author of "The Insane Clown Posse" with slinging "derogatory sex slurs against impeachment players," of violating their "private sex lives." But Drudge only carves out a zone of privacy when his right wing pals are put under the microscope.
Drudge is like a kid at the edge of a lake on a hot summer day. Matt just can't wait to jump in, except in this case he's relishes diving into a scum pond - again and again and again. But only if the Clintons or Democrats are involved. Otherwise he's an indignant scold who won't allow others to even approach the murky slime.
So Matt, this weekend BuzzFlash asked you if you were gay or straight because of the harm that you are doing to the gay community by supporting the right wing agenda. Today, we ask, are you the outraged prude who was aghast as you read lurid tales in the draft of a book about the sexual shenanigans of the Kenneth Starr crowd? Or are you the reporter who writes blaring headlines and giddy accounts about the President's sexual organs?
Are you the prude or the voyeur, tell us which.
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL