GOP Senator's Campaign Site Links To Gay-Stereotype Comedy Vid
Spoof or goof?
Sen. Jim DeMint, a very right-wing South Carolina Republican up for re-election in 2010, might want to hire some new people to do his campaign Web site -- the current one links to a YouTube of a homemade comedy sketch stereotyping gays.
The Palmetto Scoop discovered that DeMint's site has a link at the bottom to their Webmaster, a company called Under The Power Lines:
Clicking through on the company's link then takes the reader to a YouTube channel featuring three guys who do dirty comedy, with the current top entry about an effeminate gay man literally coming out of the closet:
Late Update: Well, that was quick. DeMint's campaign has hastily changed the link to the right one, another organization called Under The Power Lines that actually built their site.
I think this is just a 3 or 4 on the Craig-O-meter - it is pathetic but the connection between the Republican senator and the gays is like 2 or 3 times removed.
July 1, 2008 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm at work so I watched the video with the sound off. I don't think I missed anything.
July 1, 2008 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
If they are going to offend gay people they should at least be funny.
Sad. I'll stick with Red State Update.
July 1, 2008 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah...
I'll give you that the video is derogatory and not funny-- but to try to connect this video to Sen. DeMint is a bit of a stretch...
July 1, 2008 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Same here -- this is pretty weak. It's only slightly better than than the typical wingnut "ZOMG ZOMG!!!! some commenter at DailyKos said [insert dumb, illterate text posted by obvious troll here], which proves that Kos is a racist Commie."
July 1, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this the same Under the Power Lines that Heath Thompson is associated with? Heath Thompson is a Republican oppo dude, is also on the website of Scott Howell & Co., of swifboat fame, as well as Tom Daschle attack ads, Max Cleland, you name it.
July 1, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep. See Michael Luo's piece, New York Times, Sept. 11, 2007.
July 1, 2008 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well maybe this isn't so meaningless - that bit of information is rather interesting, really.
July 1, 2008 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed that this is pretty much meaningless. It's clearly just a mistaken link. The UnderthePower Lines.com site is just a front for a group of college kids at ECU who do these lame sketch comedy bits. They don't have anything to do with the "Under The Power Lines" webmaster/political media group (http://politicalnetroots.com/). They just linked to the wrong URL on Demint's site.
July 1, 2008 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it may have been confusion because there is a political consulting group called Under the Power lines link: http://politicalnetroots.com/ lines and their YouTube Channel link goes here: http://www.youtube.com/user/firsttuesdaystrat a few seconds of clicking would have had you guys not repeating what looks like a bogus story. PS you guys are great most of the time in my book.
July 1, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do we have to say it's degrading? I mean I guess it's over the top but honestly I'm really not offended.
July 1, 2008 6:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ditto TIKITEEMBO. The ones being made fun of in the video are the oblivious high-fiving frat boys. The "gayness" is caricature, but then that is the point - that they don't get it. Getting the link wrong on the website is just incompetence.
July 1, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. The whole thing just reminds me of a spoof movie and taken in the right context it's just that. Granted it was on a very right wing republican's website, but if they were really going to be making fun of gays, I'd expect much worse. Were's the alluding to child molesting and broken down marriage? Pointing this movie out just seems like it's reaching to play the discrimination card.
July 1, 2008 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The original link was better.
July 1, 2008 7:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Late Update: Well, that was quick. DeMint's campaign has hastily changed the link to the right one, another organization called Under The Power Lines that actually built their site.
Hahahahahahahaha
July 1, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Slow news day? cshearer has got something though. Worth following up.
July 1, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Can't believe this actually passed the editorial sniff test. With so much else going on in the world, I kind of can't believe that the generally high-minded TPM even bothered with this non-story. Moreover, it was even hyped up as if this was somehow 1) intentional and 2) gay-bashing when it is neither.
July 1, 2008 9:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
"The Palmetto Scoop" is owned by Rick Quinn and Associates, a political consulting firm based in Columbia, SC -- whom the author of the post, Adam Foegle, works for. They are a rival company to "Under the Power Lines" (another Columbia-based political consulting firm). Under the Power Lines is employed by Jim DeMint, Quinn/The Scoop work for Lindsey Graham, Rep. Joe Wilson etc. This is another case of paycheck bloggers using their sites to attack rival candidates and consultants.
The two firms have been bickering for months over heated contests in the S.C. statehouse between their respective clients. TPM should have checked into this before linking to the Quinn attack post.
July 2, 2008 1:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
haha that video was great! they were quoting home alone 2
July 3, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink