Originally Posted By: the G-man
Interesting piece in the American Spectator, questioning whether the left's antipathy towards Rudy goes beyond mere political differences and into full-blown hatred....
Looking at the venom directed towards Rudy by some liberals, including our own MEM, I have to wonder if the Spectator isn't on to something.

For years, liberals have claimed their dislike of Republicans such as George W. Bush was based on him being too conservative, or that he wasn't smart enough.

Now, however, the frontrunner is an accomplished attorney, former big city mayor and definite moderate, who supports pro-choice and gay rights. You would think the left would be relieved at this. Instead, the attacks are perhaps, becoming even more vicious.


Case in point. Wall St. Journal columnist James Taranto has observed "[t]here's almost a year to go before the presidential election, and already the Angry Left is employing gutter tactics against the Republican front-runner. One ugly theme has emerged":

  • "Could the United States, for that matter, elect a cross-dresser? The Rudy Giuliani surge would be comic if its broader implications were not so grave."--James Carroll, Boston Globe, Oct. 29

  • "Rudy's acceptance of Pat Robertson's endorsement is equally foolish. Not only has it made utterly transparent that Giuliani isn't just a cross dresser but also a man capable of practicing the oldest profession as well as any Jezebel . . ."--Gloria Feldt, Puffington Host, Nov. 9

  • " Rudy Giuliani did Hillary imitations, complete with mincing steps and effete hand gestures, looking just like the cross-dresser we know him to be."--Stanley Fish, New York Times Web site, Nov. 11

  • "The old guard, Pat Robertson, has just endorsed the cross-dressing former mayor of New York to defeat what he called Islamic 'blood lust.' "--Andrew Sullivan, Times (London), Nov. 11


Taranto goes on to note

  • They make Giuliani sound like Boy George. In fact, as we've noted, he's more Monty Python, having donned a dress on a couple of occasions purely for comic effect.

    It's especially sad to see Andrew Sullivan, who styles himself a champion of gay rights, resort to a rank appeal to homophobia in order to score cheap partisan points.


Normally, when the left attacks a republican on things like this it is because they claim (as with Larry Craig) they want to show the republican to be a hypocrite, someone who opposes gay rights while living a lie. Here, however, the angry left is attacking a Republican politician who supports gay rights.

So why would they attack someone like this, especially when, as noted above, Rudy's "Cross Dressing" is obviously not serious or sexual, if it wasn't a question of personal dislike (as opposed to policy issues)?