As if the video "Gathering Storm" wasn't funny enough, now comes perhaps the funniest punchline of all from the right: former mayor and failed presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has begun a campaign to re-brand himself as the family values candidate should he run for Governor of New York.
I know you're probably laughing so hard that you nearly fell off your chair, but I assure you this is not a joke. I mean it is a joke, but not one that I made up.
In a recent interview with the New York Post Giuliani explained that he believes Governor David Paterson's support of gay marriage could prove to be a political albatross for the Democratic Party. According to Giuliani the issue "will create a grass-roots movement. This is the kind of issue that, in many ways, is somewhat beyond politics." He went on to explain that while he supports civil unions for gay couples, "Marriage," he believes, "both traditionally and legally, has always been between a man and a woman and should remain between a man and woman."
This coming from a man who believes so strongly in the sanctity of "traditional" marriage that he is currently giving it a third go round. The same man who lived with a committed gay couple after his second wife put him out for dallying with the woman who is now his third.
Here's the thing. I actually think that what goes on between consenting adults, politicians or otherwise (as long as no law is being broken) is absolutely none of my business. People marry. People divorce. All of which has no relevance to a campaign unless the candidate in question chooses to make it relevant, and sounding like a hypocrite is a really easy way to do that. As conservative blogger Danielle Crittenden said so eloquently during our recent appearance on CNN's Reliable Sources regarding the Obama cabinet's tax woes, [I'm paraphrasing], "If you're going to be the party that supports raising taxes, you should probably pay your own. Just as if conservatives want to be the party that espouses sexual morality they should probably avoid getting caught up in sex scandals."
Rudy Giuliani is entitled to whatever political beliefs he wishes. That's the beauty of living in a free country. But if you are the president of the NRA it's probably best not to run for president of the United States on a platform of gun control and with his attempt to make himself over as some sort of conservative family values candidate, Rudy is doing just that.
I didn't think it would be possible for another party to become more of a laughingstock in New York politics than the Dems already are between the Spitzer-Paterson-Kennedy-Cuomo-Gillibrand soap opera that has been playing out for the last year, but if Giuliani runs, the Dems might just end up with the last laugh.