Charlie Crist Isn't Gay, Okay?

Florida's bachelor Governor Charlie Crist is getting married, and to a woman, too. That's how badly he wants to be vice president. I hope John McCain is happy now.

I hope Crist isn't making a mistake by trying too hard. Men don't want anything they can get too easy. On the other hand, men lose interest quickly.

Of course, the human heart is curved like a road through the mountains, so what do I know? Maybe it's love. And maybe it's just a joyous coincidence that Crist has found it at exactly the same time that McCain is looking for a running mate.

Sometimes things just work out.

It's like that federal ban on off shore drilling. When Crist ran for governor in 2006, he supported it. Now John McCain wants it repealed and (weird!) two weeks ago, Crist realized that he did too.

Florida is a swing state -- Haha! Get it? -- and Crist has a popularity rating of something like 70%. He also gets a lot of the credit for delivering the state to McCain in the primaries. There's only one nagging thing keeping him from being the obvious choice for the vice presidency: He comes off kinda gay.

But then, suddenly last Thursday, after thirty years of the single life, Crist discovered that he couldn't live without a woman named Carole Rome, a divorced mother of two. It sounds improbable to me, but then so did the Sex and the City movie. If those nice monsters can find love, why not?

Maybe it's not all politics of the most ghastly, obvious, self-hating, the fix-is-in, trick-the-rubes kind. Maybe I'm too cynical. Maybe love is real and coincidence is an illusion. Luck -- who said that? -- is believing that you're lucky.

Maybe what we're smelling is the powerful odor of synchronicity.

--

Here's the part that Tennessee Williams would have really liked: Gov. Crist's intended, Carole Rome, inherited - and runs -- one of America's oldest Halloween costume companies. The woman marrying the gayish governor from the sultry southern state actually makes beards.

Comments

[mergina]

He is only bisexual.

[Vern58]

I am afraid the fatal signs point against it. On the 10 point Kinsey scale he has to be an 8 to 10
10 is exclusively homosexual 5 bisexual 0 straight. And there are undefinable signs that only a Gay Man would be able to see.

[Crozier]

A bisexual is one who has psychosexual attraction and orientation to both sexes. The bisexual is not to be confused with a homosexual with a beard for social or political deception.

[sublingual]

I would look forward to a McCain presidency if it includes the awesome spectacle of outing a sitting vice president. I would like to see how the GOP makes that disappear. Would Good Time Charlie suddenly realize that he "wants to spend more time with [his] family"?

[westcoastsc]

Please, the scars to America and the world from the last administration are too great to make this joke. Well, I hope you are joking.

[Ndw]

Or you could just mind your own business & let people live their own lives, without you inserting yourself into their bedrooms??? There's a thought. I mean, that's the 'far Right' that does that, isn't it? Whether or not the guy is super-secret gay is really, quite frankly, none of your business. And if he wants to marry a woman, that's his business, too.

[gurukalehuru]

If he's running for vice-president as a representative of a party whose main platform plank is "it's bad to be gay," then yes, it is our business. And his feeble efforts to conceal his gayness are our business, too.

[recruitgal]

I completely agree - except when the person involved is a public figure in a party that is massively anti-gay, and is pretending to be straight to win a place on the ticket.

[MajorKong]

Sorry, after the Right's 17-year obsession with Bill Clinton's penis "mind your own business" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Best be careful what kind of precedents you set next time.

[pfc1369]

Wrong.

This is a man seeking power.

He is not entitled to ordinary privacy.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Hmmm! He could have been a politician in Portland, OR or as it is sometimes called "Little Beirut in the People's Republic of Oregon where we just elected Sam Adams, the first out gay mayor of any major metro area, almost exclusively BECAUSE he IS gay!

[Gracehoper]

You seem a little crazy.

[KarateKid]

Rock Hudson was once married "to a woman", too. Her name was Phyllis Gates. So, what does Crist prove by marrying a "woman"?

[punkingale]

And they stayed married exactly three years. Elton John was married to Renate for three years. George Clooney was married to Talia for three years. Is that the most these guys can tolerate?

[wmbear]

INTERESTING...

If a gay man in a gay marriage were ever elected President (not that I'm holding my breath) would his spouse be called the "first laddie"?

[KarateKid]

First.......no, I'm not going there.

[majorteddy]

First Nookie!

[orangepetal]

Who cares, what a cheap shot. I thought you we're not supposed to descriminate against people because of their sexual orientation. Dems are acting more homophobic daily.
If he says he is not gay stop tormenting the guy, didn't he just help further preserve the natural beauty and ecology in the everglades.

[mookworthjwilson]

If he was gay and out then he wouldn't get the ragged on. It's guys like him who do one thing in their personal life, and are antigay in their public life, that get criticized, and or mocked. I feel that this is justifiable. It's republicans who discriminate against out gays.

[BadCompany]

LOL.
He's gay!
Who said anything about discriminating against him?

[jbatch]

I think the reason Dems might have an issue with this, orangepetal, is that if it's even partly true, then he is the biggest hypocrite in the world, not to mention cruel and incredibely (and frighteningly -- even pathologically) ambitious to boot.

Yes, now that I think about it, that's probably our concern, not homophobia, as you inexplicably surmise.

[TN60]

Like "orange petal" LOL He must hang out along the South Beach route :-)

[gurukalehuru]

We're not discriminating against him for his gayness. It's all about the lying. Gee, orange petal, didn't you learn anything from the Clinton impeachment?

[Rockwell]

I'm a gay man. And in my book its not a cheapshot to point out hypocrasy like this. If he was out or even stayed in the closet, fine. But he's a Republican, gay basher who's grabbed the first faghag he can find to cover his butt and make him pallatable to the republican haters.

You tell me whose destroying the instituation of marriage, republicans or democrats?

[jsinclair]

I'm sorry for Crist.

He's gone to so much trouble and it's STILL going to be Pawlenty.

[wmbear]

FUNNY, ISN'T IT...

Suppose McCain DOESN'T pick Crist as his running mate. Now Crist is stuck in his marriage, a state that someone who was a bachelor (gay or no) as long as he's been isn't likely to find terribly compatible. I'll feel SO sorry for him (snicker, snicker....)

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

LOL!

[majorteddy]

Romney. Another hypocritical moment for McCain. He's got to suck up to the two men he hated the most, George Bush(to raise money for him) and Mitt Romney , whom he trashed in the primaries.

[ladeyday]

I could have used a job like that when I was raising my son without child support. She has it made financially now & he's not a bad looking guy to NOT wake up next to every morning.

[majorteddy]

And he won't wear her out!

[zendem1]

First of all, Charlie Closet will not be McCain's running mate because he'll be Jeb Bush's running mate in 4 years. This is all just advance preparation. He'll have to knock her up, though to really comeplete the full circle of b.s.

[BardEric]

NO MORE BUSHES!!!!!!

[ladeyday]

That's exactly what Charlie says. Well, except for maybe Jeb

[4wehttam]

"Charlie Closet"

LMAO!!!!!!

[gurukalehuru]

He can have a surrogate to do that for him.

[Annette]

I wonder which one of them will move out of state?

[Cynth]

Congratulations, you crazy kids!

BTW, does this mean his stance on gay marriage will widen?

[BeeClone]

Very clever, wide stance lol

[Cynth]

Thanks! ;-)

[ApplesnOranges]

Wide Stance! Hmm.. Didnt Sen. Larry Craig do the same thing? Marry a woman that already had children? Funny

[Titonwan]

Maybe not, but his legs will :)

[BardEric]

So will his ***CENSORED***

[dm10003]

this isn't the most obvious political beardification, but this is one of the most hilarious. think ron reagan jr. he had to marry a fellow dancer and leave that career. maybe to keep his secret service protection? but he's getting outspoken lately.

[4wehttam]

I absolutely LOVE ron reagon jr. He CANNOT be a republican, how can he be. He is sooooo awesome and nice and tolerant and fair and honest and.......­..........­...well, you get my point.

[punkingale]

And they're still married.

[omaro]

As a fellow-member of the Seattle community with Ron Reagan, Jr. and his wife Daria, and an admirer of Ron's public life, I must speak up: Ron Reagan has been a consistent advocate of liberal/progressive causes (including gay rights) for his entire adult life, while maintaining love and respect for his parents. He is a Democrat. You have to give it to Ronald and Nancy Reagan: they seem to have brought up not one but two children who are unabashed and outspoken liberals.

As long-time members of the Hollywood community, the elder Reagans had many gay friends and seem to have been entirely comfortable about that, although they were of a generation that just didn't talk about such things publicly, period. Not all Republicans are homophobes.

I don't know the details of the Ron-Daria marriage and I'll bet you don't either. I'm guessing that you're putting together "ballet dancer" and "childless" and coming up with "gay." Being somewhat familiar with the dance world, where there is indeed a high representation of gay men, I have also seen the larger dance community, including its heterosexuals (and yes, there are even male heterosexuals in the world of dance) express exceptional solidarity and support for gays, who naturally number among their friends.

I know of no examples of hypocrisy on this subject by Ron Reagan, Jr., and thus I think his name has been injected unfairly into this discussion.

[sisterdebmac]

Only one problem with the UK --- it's the most surveilled country on the planet. If you lived in London, you'd be on camera from the moment you walked out of your flat in the morning until you returned there at night. Is that how you want to live?

[ObamAtomic]

He(Crist )choose the wrong woman,Harriet Myers better choice,I see feather ......Humor!

[ObamAtomic]

Florida is a grab state, Crist has a popularity rating of something like 35%. or maybe lower,Florida Panhandle is where Crist is somewhat popular,70% on popularity was last year on may 2007,Florida is on shambles,Floridian can care less what his sexual preferences are.We are disgusting to see him inches close to McCain rear end all the times,traveling around the country while unemployment is growing ,schools closing,fire stations closing,child care on trouble,art classes canceled ,roads to be repair,that is the situation on Florida,

Crist,McCain and the Republicans are damaged on Florida.
McCain chances to win Florida are slim,Crist,wont help McCain at all!
How can he be popular? What has he done?

[ONETINSOLDIER]

mc cain will win florida,crist is about 65% favorable

[PensacolaTiger]

BS, just pure BS. The latest poll has Crist at 43% and dropping.
http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/580784.html

[ObamAtomic]

HAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHA­HAHA! Sublime! Booty Clap! Awe!
I quote........ *mc cain will win florida*..­..........­.....hahah­ahahaha!..­.....
*crist* Awe! translation;65% unfavorable.
That is only35%fav­orable,,,,­less,,,,, going down steady ,.nuff!