Ken Mehlman, the chairman of President Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, significantly improved his image in my eyes today, by telling Salon, that he personally apologizes to peop
le who “were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved.” According to Mehlman:
“I can’t change the fact that I wasn’t in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally,” he said
Now he’s gone a step further:
“At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” Mehlman said. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful.”
Mehlman had begun to make amends by helping to pass marriage equality in New York and in Maryland. Still, many of us remained critical because something serious was lacking which was a genuine apology. It is important for the sake of history that people are named and held accountable — so the same mistakes will not be repeated in the future. The anti-gay marriage fights in 2004 were psychologically damaging to our community, not to mention the wasted millions of dollars we unnecessarily spent to fend off the hateful amendments. To truly begin the healing process, it was critical that Mehlman fully owned up to his role in fomenting hate and causing harm.
Today’s comments were extremely important and will help melt much of the ill will that still exists around Mehlman. I am glad that he took this critical step and look forward to working with him in the future on securing equality for LGBT people.
The problem is he talking out both sides of his mouth. He is co-chair of a fund raiser raising money for none other tham John Boehner who is spending taxpayers money to defend DOMA. To me that is the definition of a snake playing both sides. Mehlman is just afraid of being a pariah in the gay community. He wants to have his cake and eat it too.
I agree that his comments matter.
It sounds like he wants me to believe that he went silent every time anti-gay animus spiked during strategic planning sessions in 2004, but now wishes he had spoken up in some fashion.
That’s not the way things work, at least in my experience, though.
As a closeted gay man, intimately, excruciatingly familiar with the ins-and-outs of homophobia, Mehlman brought potent awareness and skills to the table of any 2004 Republican strategy meeting.
If it turns out that Mehlman’s internal homophobia led him out of silence, and he actively, directly, contributed to, strategized on, brainstormed about, how to demonize LGBT people in 2004, his apology strikes me as incomplete and insincere.
If he’s still a ‘practicing’ member of the GOP lifestyle, he’s still helping the enemy.
Apologies and atonement are not the same thing.
Dubya was a political scumbag. He was just like the current crop of losers: kiss religious a*s so they will like you enough to vote you in. Unfortunately, being one of them, he did try to make good on his promises by chumming the waters just enough to keep the holy sharks circling. At least one of them has enough brains to see he was in really bad company.
I don’t get it. Is he for real? He’ “sorry” for shitting on LGBT people and throwing them under the bus and yet he is fundraising for the slimiest slime ball of them all John Boehner, the adulterer who is spearheading the campaign to defend DOMA on behalf of Congress. Turns out he gave money ($2400) to Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri as well (another arch homophobe). With friends like this we don’t need enemies.