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Jeff LeTourneau Ass-Kicking some liars from San Diego “who happen to be gay” in a shirt that he did not actually have the foresight to wear.
The OCGOP is practically quivering with excitement over the chance to accuse Democrats of gay-bashing:
OCGOP STATEMENT ON OC DEMOCRATIC PARTY VICE-CHAIR’S VERBAL ATTACK ON GAY VOLUNTEERS
ORANGE COUNTY – Republican Party of Orange County Chairman Fred M. Whitaker released the following statement after Fox News released video of Democratic Party of Orange County Vice-Chair Jeff LeTourneau verbally attacking gay volunteers who were collecting signatures for the effort to recall Democrat Senator Josh Newman:
“Jeff LeTourneau’s outrageous and unacceptable verbal attack against gay volunteers collecting signatures to recall Josh Newman is intolerance at its worst and we completely reject it,” said Chairman Fred Whitaker. “As Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County, I call on Jeff LeTourneau to resign as Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County. I also call on both the Democratic Party of Orange County and Senator Josh Newman to officially condemn Jeff LeTourneau’s vicious tirade. As a community, we must stand together and oppose this kind of intimidation – it has no place in civil society.”
To view the video footage published by Fox News of Jeff LeTourneau verbally attacking gay volunteers, please click here or click on the picture below
Letourneau was called over to the WalMart at the Fullerton-Anaheim border when he was told that gay volunteers from San Diego had come up here from San Diego to try to convince the local LGBT community that Josh Newman’s recall was in their interest. What seems to have driven LeTourneau into an even greater-than-usual fit of contempt over gay men (and it’s usually gay men) affiliating with the party of denying gays civil rights, of gay-bashing, of “restorative therapy,” of noted LGBT civil rights proponents “John and Ken,” and so much more — more from which wealthier gays and lesbians (etc.) can largely shield themselves, making being a gay Republican a sort of additional mark of class superiority — is one of the most brazen deceptions of the year.
Part of their pitch was to imply to the unwary targets of their message is that State Senator Toni Atkins, a lesbian who a year ago ended her term as Assembly Speaker, FAVORED the recall of her respected colleague Josh Newman. THIS lie was apparently too much to take — and LeTourneau freaked out in front of a conveniently (and my guess is intentionally) located videocamera. This is because — and you wouldn’t know this from the article — LeTourneau is arguably (I’d even say probably) the most prominent gay activist in Orange County over the past 25 years. He was the one with the guts to run against B-1 Bob Dornan 25 years ago, on a pro-LGBT and pro-AIDS care platform, not long before Loretta Sanchez was finally able to retire him.
Pretty important bit of context there for an accusation painting Democrats as gay-bashers, huh Fred?
GAY BASHING? This was an ASS-KICKING of some putrid, shameless liars. And it was richly deserved. Furthermore, Fred Whitaker is either THE most out-of-touch Republican in OC or he already KNOWS that LeTourneau is gay and just decided to leave that fact out of his statement because trying to deceive people about Toni Atkins just wasn’t enough for the GOP.
So: on behalf of no one but myself, I call on Fred Whitaker to resign from his position as OCGOP Chair because of the utter contempt that he has shown to the LGBT community by characterizing holding even LGBT people accountable for lying and making common cause with despicable bigots. (Of course, many of them there may consider that a qualification for office.)
Note, this is not to disparage some very good LGBT activists, such as our own Matt Munson, who remain in the GOP after conscientiously weighing the alternatives. It’s the lying about someone’s support in order to achieve a political objective that is what is filthy here, and I’ve never seen Matt (or various other LGBT Republicans) approach this level of gall.
This is normally where I’d put in the disclaimer that LeTourneau is my brother-in-law. Well, currently he is my estranged brother-in-law, because we are on opposite sides of the conflict over auditing the results of the California Democratic Party Chair’s race, where the state’s first “out-and-proud” LGBT party leader, Eric Bauman, has had himself declared Chair after an extremely questionable vote. I support LeTourneau’s conclusion in the “WalMart recall” instance that being gay is not a sufficient defense of someone who is a dishonorable, selfish, destructive liar. Jeff does not believe — indeed, I would say is incapable of believing — that Bauman fits an ethical bill not that dissimilar from the people he yelled at from San Diego. For those of us like him and me, who take politics seriously, that’s a damn good basis for estrangement. Maybe there will be some reconciliation after the independent external forensic audit of the vote that his buddy is trying to block. Incidentally, Jeff has NO IDEA that I had ever intended to write this — and probably won’t like it because of this paragraph and the next one.
By the way: Chumley is correct that I abstained on the vote to have DPOC write each of Orange County’s 34 cities to demand that they each raise a gay pride flag on the pole outside of each of their City Halls for 40 days (May 22-June 30, aka 1/9th) of every year until the sun swallows us all — because I did not think that the plan was as yet fully baked. (There was one other abstention as well, reportedly from Avelino Valencia.) The problem was that we had not thought through the consequences of making those flag polls “public forums” (nor of the consequences of saying that City Councils should be able to pick and choose who got such a privilege) and we had not considered that it turned out that in Anaheim the demand was in fact illegal per their Municipal Code — a fact that former Council member Jordan Brandman apparently KNEW at the time that last year’s vote took place and seems to have prevented Staff from warning the Council of the problem at the time — which, over the intervening year, was supposed to have been fixed but never was. (Brandman was gone, but Kris Murray was around to carry the ball — which she dropped … and blamed Staff.)
Chumley has wondered whether I voted against the resolution because “he wrote it.” (He’s listed as its final — somewhere between fifth and seventh — author.) Not as such. I voted to abstain because it was a half-basked bit of pandering by “summer soldiers” in the war for LGBT rights that would likely have been improved by another month’s gestation. Now, the fact that it was a half-baked bit of pandering may very well have had something to do with Chumley’s participation in the project — but I would have had the exact same reaction has his name not been at the tail-end of the author’s list.
Chumley also helpfully suggested the alternative possibility that perhaps I was just anti-LGBT (or as one of his anonymous ringwraiths said without so much as Chum’s tut-tutting in response, “hates gays”), apparently because listening to the actual substantive argument I made against the motion at the time would have imploded his head or something. Nope, I’ve been a gay-rights (as we used to call it) proponent for about 40 years now — and I’m secure enough in my position that I think that I can tell their advocates (the real ones, not the panderers) when and how they are fucking up in a given instance. So, in other words, Chumley shares something with Fred Whitaker — a penchant for accusing people of gay bashing out of context — aside from common belief in a corporate subsidy based economic program and an utter contempt for the poor. Except Whitaker hides his contempt better.
This is your Weekend Open Thread on what Chumley endearingly calls “your closeted blog.” (I think, from context, that he meant “cosseted.” As in “you don’t have enough anonymous commenters there supporting your ideas from a deniable distance!) Talk about this past weekend — Eid Mubarak, cowpokes! — and the upcoming week and whatever else strikes your fancy, within reasonable bounds of discretion and decorum.
“This was an ASS-KICKING of some putrid, shameless liars. And it was richly deserved. ”
False.
No one deserves to be spoken to like that. Shame on you.
I agree with Ryan. (Shocker, I know.) I adore Jeff, but I think he stepped over the line here. To begin with, he set back his own side of the argument into the bronze age, because apparently, he thinks it is OK to attack the dignity of other citizens by using their sexual orientation as a weapon, as long as one shares that orientation? The N word is not OK just because a black person uses it. Hateful messages are ALWAYS hateful, it doesn’t matter whose mouth they come out of. So Jeff erased a lot of work arguing people should not be debased for their orientation, as well as making it harder for anyone to understand the issues behind an admittedly (and disgustingly) misinformation based campaign. Jeff should have stuck to the facts and argued against the misleading idea the signatures will repeal the gas tax. He failed. Who the Hell wants to listen to anything Jeff has to say on the matter after seeing that? I thought better of Jeff, and I am horrified that his gut reaction was to engage in the hateful words he has taken such a strong stand against for years.
Likewise, I don’t understand the following; “Letourneau was called over to the WalMart at the Fullerton-Anaheim border when he was told that gay volunteers from San Diego had come up here from San Diego to try to convince the local LGBT community that Josh Newman’s recall was in their interest.”
When are we going to put the labels away and treat each other as PEOPLE? How is a recall for or against the best interest of LGBT citizens any differently than any other group? Are gay men more harmed by the gas tax or Newman’s presence than other citizens? How?
While the GOP moves closer to viewing all Americans with equal dignity (a glacially slow motion, I know) it is the LEFT that keeps playing the division card by separating populations with hyphens.
Why couldn’t straight activists talk to LGBT voters with the same intelligent and fact-based points? It is as disgusting as saying white people will only listen to, or vote for, other white people. And why did an LGBT activist on the other side of the fence have to be sent to chase them off? Straight activists couldn’t argue the fine points of the issue? So only LGBT folks can speak with and be influenced by others in the LGBT community? Or do we fear accusations of bullying? And yet y’all mock Pence for refusing to have dinner alone with a woman who is not his wife.
Also, when did the WalMart at the Fullerton-Anaheim border become a hotbed of LGBT activity?
Full disclosure to further anger the demi-deity Ronald Reagan shrine set up in the corner of my front parlor at the Ward Money Pit and Gardens (visit the gift shop);
I support efforts to roll back the gas tax but I detest the way my party is picking off Newman like the weak gazelle on the outer ring of the herd while leaving those who concocted the gas tax to remain in office. If we want to go after the gas tax then DO IT but using the issue as leverage to reverse the supermajority is eroding what sliver of credibility my party has left with many constituents who are so sick of the GOP lying and pandering until elected then reversing themselves into a Chumley-fest of “incentivized” economic development schemes, that they voted for freaking TRUMP in a gnaw-your-arm-off-to-free-yourself move that SHOULD leave the GOP reeling at the rejection of their “leadership” so no there is NOT any wiggle room in the “Trust Me” account to AGAIN lie to voters about what those petitions are about. GET A CLUE, the thin ice our Republican brethren have been skating on with hot blades has been cracked and ice water flowing through the fissures for some time. WHY would they balance a live elephant on top of it NOW when it is so much easier to be straight with people and go after the gas tax directly? And by straight I don’t mean non-gay.
Now go ahead and kick my ass, twisting my words to suit whatever message folks want to put in my mouth. It seems to be the theme this week.
Ryan and Cynthia: RIGHT ON!!!
+100000
I don’t give a fuck if it comes from a lefty or a righty. Hate is hate. Lickspittle leftists like Gustavo and Paul will apparently never understand that, but thank God you both do.
Ryan,
Jeff is a LIBERAL gay man so he feels its his perogitive to judge others while condemning othets for the same thing.
This is what we call a hypocrite.
If Jeff had set those guys on fire I would not feel a bit of sympathy for them. Fuck the GOP.
Pretty sure that makes you a horrible person, Paul.
If that was a joke, it wasn’t funny.
Agreed, not funny. If not a joke, utterly unacceptable.
Paul, I am part of the GOP.
But please, continue to fuel the bonfire by lumping all people into one big circus tent, so it is easier to condemn them in defense of your own views. I have had it up to my eyeballs with the claims that “ALL” of anyone must be one way or the other. I did not buy into the argument that ALL Bernie Sanders supporters are Godless Socialists out to deny us the rights to the fruits of our labor in some effort to support equal outcomes in the name of equal rights. Nor did I believe all establishment Dems backing Hillary Clinton were just trying to maintain a stranglehold on your party to benefit their own self-interests. But then I also think I can disagree with O’Bama’s policies and not be a racist. And I have had my online ass beaten for posting a pic of Michelle Obama in the White House, wearing a designer gown and looking fierce in an Annie Leibowitz portrait, while talking about waking up every morning in a house built by slaves. The reality of that and the historic significance of it gave me goosebumps, but I was treated as a traitor to my party affiliation for the ability to see that contrast and its social meaning, because we have devolved as a society to the point that disagreeing with someone’s political views means we must hate and wish the utter destruction of that person, granting justification for character assassination and personal attack. But please tell me about how you represent the values of tolerance and inclusion.
BTW—the reason I evolved from the homophobic, evangelical bigot I once was to a slightly better but still a-work-in-progress type Christ-follower over the years is because of my exposure to a loved one who showed me the extreme harm that comes to good people who are denied equal access to marriage and the legal rights and dignity that come above and beyond that afforded by domestic partnership. That gay man is THE most football-crazy, HYPER-CONSERVATIVE human being I have ever met, he defies every stereotype (seriously, we cracked up together at the idea that the gay men need help decorating) yet he never hides his gay identity, he is simply himself, a guy who loves sports and wants government the F out of his way and also happens to love and share a life with a man (who I also adore) and that opened my eyes to the fact that the “gay agenda” my church and friends opposed with such passion was nothing more than denying this person I love so much the right to have the man he shares his life with at his bedside when it looked like he would not last the night. That was an eye opener, that every stereotype and label actual denies the humanity of those who are lumped into the defining type. I swore I would celebrate every person as individuals that represent the variety of views and life experiences that make us unique and one-of-a-kind human beings, and I can love them or hate them as individuals, instead of covering others with one great big wide brush dipped in the paint of the ugliest shade represented by those who happen to share one or more elements of our life views, but in no way represent the totality of who we are as people.
(deep breath.)
Fuck the GOP? Paul, I am the GOP. My husband (was?) the GOP. My kids are still the GOP. The GOP is not a faceless entity, it is the collection of many like me who want smaller less intrusive government because we believe we have a better idea of how to spend the money we make than the government does and we sure do a more efficient job with it than government imagined. Instead of raising your voice how about you improve your argument. Tell me precisely what policy or viewpoint makes your blood boil and we can discuss it, I am likely to agree with you more than you think. Many of us Republicans don’t march in lockstep with the party leadership’s defilement of what was once our platform. But to simply level the argument you don’t care if people are set on fire is not helpful and it doesn’t make me want to hear much of what you say in more rational moments.
Wanna try that exclamation again, sir?
Cynthia, I don’t consider you, and all the open minded conservatives I have met in this blog and in district/city council meetings, in the streets, as being the GOP.
You’re a part of the it , friends that to me are quite different of what Jeff says to your OC party chairperson in the OCW quote :
” I remind you that your party has enshrined the oppression of virtually every marginalized community into its platform. When the Republican Party begins to treat all people with the dignity and respect that they deserve, perhaps then we can talk.”
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/republicans-cry-crocodile-tears-over-oc-dem-vice-chairs-yelling-at-gay-gopers-8208196
I admit to only reading the paragraph about fuck the GOP. You write like Greg which is way too long and way to broad to digest. But yeah, you are surrounded by a collection of assholes who need to go fuck themselves. I am not the kind of guy that can watch the damage this Hate Group (The GOP) and then apologize for someone taking a shot at them after theyve spent their whole existence in the 20th century to today trying to criminalize people like Jeff. Fuck em.
Paul you should retact that comment.
Wishing political advesaries to be set on fire does nothing to seperate you from the guy who shot up the congressional baseball game.
You should know better and the publisher/editor here should speak LOUDLY and FIRMLY against such threats of violence.
Paul, despite my belief expressed below that you were ineffectually talking smack, you shouldn’t put us in the position of having to defend you like this. So, I agree with the anonymous miscreant that you should avoid threats of violence here.
I disagree with the anonymous miscreant’s implication that your “wishes” do not leave you separated “from the guy who shot up the congressional baseball game.” Two big things leave you separate from him: firing a gun and hitting someone with bullets. I’m confident that you’ll keep it that way.
As the price of publishing this: the first two components of the anonymous miscreant’s ISP address will also be published so that others can compare them to their own likely suspects: 75.104. Additional comments from the ISP will lead to more revelations.
Hey asshole, Ill consider it when you retract and stop taking pot shots at me over at the Trolls blog. Chicken shit punk come introduce yourself to me at the next DPOC and we can talk about it outside.
I didnt wish them to be set on fire you idiot I said if they were on fire I would not shed a tear. Big difference dummy.
I don’t understand why everyone including Greg tells the story without mentioning that this was not just some gay Republican “volunteer” that Jeff yelled at, it was Carl De Fuckin Maio!
Maybe some of y’all would still say he didn’t deserve to be yelled at like that, and disagree with Jeff that any self-respecting gay should not be a Republican, but still, it was Carl De Fuckin Maio!
The former SD councilman, current talk radio superstar, and originator of this damn recall against the “slowest gazelle.” And has a record of ridiculing democrats for their defense of gay rights. This is ALL KINDS OF CONTEXT which everyone including Greg leaves out. On toppa the fact this San Diego weenie and his spouse are sitting in front of a Fullerton Walmart telling us who our senator should be. Seems a lil relevant.
No, it was not. Had ANY of those issues been brought up, that would be a legit argument for them to have, and I would support Jeff calling him on it. But Jeff went right for the sexual orientation argument, which is exactly what I thought all of us were trying to band together to STOP. Jeff used his orientation as the attack, and there is no excuse for that. I don’t care who he is.
It was “within the family,” so the idea is that different rules apply.
I disagree. Indeed my family is the LAST that would be subjected to that form of verbal abuse. For him to say someone is not worthy to be part of a family because he felt betrayed is the ugliest of statements, ESPECIALLY from someone who beats the drum of inclusion and making sure LGBT brothers and sisters are NOT treated as less than equal partners in our society.
It is NOT OK to be abusive on this level by saying the target was somehow deserving. I think the abusive words are being excused because of who the speaker is, now who the recipient was, and while I respect Jeff enough to overlook complete and total disagreement regarding political views, I always listened respectfully (and sometimes learned something new) from him because his words came from a place of respect for the community and a passion for ensuring that ALL voices are offered equal consideration. Now I am told some are less worthy of that equality than others based on their message or their personal viewpoints, and there is a disconnect there I cannot ever condone.
Jeff went off the deep end, I suspect by anger fueled by a sense of betrayal from one he believes should be having his back, and I get that. His words reflected the sense of backstabbing he must have been feeling at that time. To support that hair trigger reaction with justification is not acceptable. Please stop, you lower yourselves with this argument.
“Within the LGBT family” — as it was intended to remain, given that he clearly did not know that he was being videorecorded. It’s just like Blacks, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, and various Christian denominations (down to the individual church) etc. are considered privileged to be able to criticise the group from within the group in a way that would be considered objectionable if it came from outside of the group.
As I’ve said above — and I have not discussed this with him — I expect that his anger stemmed in large part from these bastards from San Diego filching the good name of Jeff’s friend and ally Sen. Toni Atkins (of San Diego) and representing her as in agreement with their attack his friend and ally Josh Newman. THAT really was repugnant. Someone — was it Jordan? Lucille? Lodge? — did something similar last year, as I recall, in strongly implying that Tom Tait favored them over the candidate whom he was in fact endorsing. Personally, I think that that justifies some invective. Not THIS invective, perhaps, but some choice words, loudly expressed.
I’ve heard differing reports as to whether the person Jeff was yelling at was DeMaio himself, although my understanding is that he was there. That’s why I omitted it from this report. I think that I mentioned it in a previous one, but by know I forget what I’ve written where.
The only thing worse than Jeff’s meltdown was his self serving defense in the OC Weekly.
Jeff Letourneu DOES NOT speak for gays, for Democrats or anybody his fucked up self.
Thanks Jeff for letting YOUR personality setting back legitimate debate ten years.
I’m letting anonymous comments on this item so that everyone else can enjoy the anonymous attacks. For the record, I disagree with the above.
But, as the price: the first two components of the ISP will also be published so that others can compare them to their own likely suspects: 66.159. Additional comments from the ISP will lead to more revelations.
Am I the only only onewho is troubled by the increased rhetoric coming from the left recently?
Here, and elsewhere (OC Weekly) “progressive” activist, Paul Lucas describe setting Carl DeMaio on fire, and follows by saying “FUCK THE GOP”. In another article, the OJB republishes a pictured threat against Assembly Speaker Rendon, meanwhile the nations capitol is reeling from a deranged soul vowing revenge against Republicans.
Don’t you see what is happening here? Who is going to be the adult in the room here? Not Jeff, certainly not Greg, Paul is out and we know Vern and Donna are willing to back up their activism with violence.
The OJB is close to being branded the anarchist blog. Would, Dr. Bill, Mirvette or any of the reasonable far left condone this violent streak. Seriously if I were Lou Correa, I would have my security detail checking you guys out.
Tone down the rhetoric and put Lucas in the corner, this is the second such threat of violence he has made on this blog. When somebody get’s hurt, look in the mirror
I’m letting anonymous comments on this item so that everyone else can enjoy the anonymous attacks. For the record, I agree with Ryan’s, Ricardo’s and Cynthia’s responses to Paul’s comment. I didn’t feel the need to add to their reactions, but since some anonymous asshole wants me to, there you go. Paul is given the blustery overstatement and I don’t consider anything he has said to be a credible threat.
The part about a threat against Rendon is tripe. The part about Vern and Donna engaging in violence is tripe. As for labeling us “the anarchist blog,” some lying blockheaded idiots will say anything they can think of against us, so this would happen anyway, without being true.
If you were Lou Correa, you would have already had your “security detail” escort one Democratic political blogger from your office, while the person whom he verbally (at a minimum) assaulted was taken upstairs by staff for a “tour” to get him out of that *actually* threatening blogger’s way; after which the person in question came downstairs and stayed at the event in question for hours. So, anonymous canker sore, go complain to THAT blogger about violence.
But, as the price of publishing this: the first two components of the ISP will also be published so that others can compare them to their own likely suspects: 162.17. Additional comments from the ISP will lead to more revelations.
Jeff Letourneau mans up and apologizes for words that are inconsistent with who many of us have believed him to be. Perhaps it is time to stop defending the indefensible and move on?
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/republicans-cry-crocodile-tears-over-oc-dem-vice-chairs-yelling-at-gay-gopers-8208196
Anonymous assholes is how Diamond describes people basically agree with what Ryan, Ricardo and Cynthia publicly stated and say you agree.
Because of peoples choice of words and exercising a choice to avoid retribution in a thread about retsliation and violence on a blog run by someone who brags about “deep research” into strangers identities, you drop to pauls level and call people names.
Its no secret you and I don’t like each other. Online or in person. I think you are jealous of us in the party who can coexist, despite differing opinions.
Keep dividing and supporting violence.
I don’t know who the hell you are “in person,” because you’re too cowardly to say.
The rest of this tripe doesn’t really warrant rebuttal.
45.26.113., this time. 75.104.65., last time.
why dont you just print out the whole IP adress?
Oddly enough, it’s slightly related to the reason I don’t comment approvingly about setting people on fire.
For the record I’m against setting anyone on fire.
Over at the Lib OC, one of Dan’s anonymous attack dogs has, I think, crossed the line.
“…Donna and Vern have proved willing and capable to gather angry crowds of anarchists to the streets and DESTROY private businesses and community property (while wearing masks. Hows that for anonymous cowardice Greg?)…”
What the hell fever dream is that? Does this weenie think we organized the riots of July 2012? My contribution was more along this line: http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/08/it-hurts-my-mind-mathew-sims-vandalized-t-shirts-outlet-lets-shop-there/
Yep, that’s right – I and this blog organized people to spend hundreds of dollars at one of the vandalized/robbed shops. You’re welcome.
Then this dipshit slanders a whole community of goob people and an entire Mexican state: “…Earlier, Congressman Correa attended an event on Anna drive. An event for an official of a Mexican State. A state that is on the US STATE DEPARTMENTS watch list. A state known for NARCO TERRORISM. Anna drive home to felons, child molesters, unidentifiable aliens and anti police terrorists. This is dangerous….”
Also I don’t remember anyone on this blog ever “joking about killing police.” In fact I just got back from a wonderful meeting with Deputy Chief Julian Harvey.
That blog is really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days. Some of these commenters need to go seriously take a good flying f–k.
Lucas is right. History will speak, and it won’t be pretty.
Thank you.