The amazing comic book adventure of Brent Rinehart

July 19, 2008 12:05 AM

Meet Brent Rinehart: Conservative Republican. Active Christian. Roads Scholar. NOT a homosexual pedifile. [PDF] The controversial mix of comics and politics are back in the news this week. So are Oklahoma's homophobic politicians, with the amazing comic book adventure of Brent Rinehart.

Brent Rinehart is an Oklahoma County Commissioner in a tough reelection campaign. He is facing felony campaign finance charges, with the trial starting in September. Now Rinehart wants the world know his side through a self-written comic book.

What's the REAL story? Rinehart is a victim of a vast conspiracy, consisting of the state attorney general, homosexuals, liberal good ol' boy politicians, homosexual scout leaders, a greedy sheriff, toga-clad homosexuals and (of course) Satan himself. The full comic -- which I highly recommend -- can be downloaded here [PDF].

posted by Dirjy (81 comments total)

Rhodes scholar?
posted by Daddy-O at 12:16 AM on July 19, 2008

I bet he goes to Landover Baptist Church, too.
posted by joedan at 12:23 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Pedifile?
posted by Jilder at 12:24 AM on July 19, 2008

Heterosexuals never use homosexual pedifiles for pedicures. Germs.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:26 AM on July 19, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oklahoma?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:27 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

He's running against the liberal good ol' boys in OKLAHOMA??!! That's like running against the leprechauns and unicorns.
posted by Daddy-O at 12:27 AM on July 19, 2008

He's a mani, not a pedi.
posted by bukharin at 12:28 AM on July 19, 2008

That comic was fucking insane. And ugly. This ignorant, hateful fuck goes to all the trouble of penciling, writing and lettering his very own hate comic, only to send it out uninked? With almost no panel borders? How am I to properly absorb his bigotry when it's so hard to read, huh?

It's amazing how many things this comic proves Rinehart terrible at. He can't spell. He can't draw for shit. He doesn't know what a pedophile is, or what letters the word contains. He's clearly not considering speech balloon placement when laying out his panels. I'm pretty sure this nub's not fit for public office, Oklahoma.
posted by EatTheWeek at 12:35 AM on July 19, 2008 [7 favorites]

Do the terms "liberal" and "good ol' boy" even really go together? Like "latte-sipping Republican," it suggests someone mixed up their stereotypes.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:38 AM on July 19, 2008 [4 favorites]

If his comic had been in xkcd's style, I'd have contributed!

But THE DEVIL told me not to[o]!
posted by orthogonality at 12:43 AM on July 19, 2008

Solon and Thanks writes "Do the terms 'liberal' and 'good ol" boy' even really go together? Like 'latte-sipping Republican,' it suggests someone mixed up their stereotypes."

I think "good ol' boys" in this context means "the established powers that be". I've heard it used that way in political contexts before.
posted by orthogonality at 12:44 AM on July 19, 2008

I see. That makes more sense, thanks.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:47 AM on July 19, 2008

I don't know, I think I'd be pretty gay if my mom were trying to shove me back up into her uterus to protect me from Satan's pitchfork, too. vis a vis page 4
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:56 AM on July 19, 2008

This guy is like Bizarro stevis!
posted by Bromius at 12:58 AM on July 19, 2008 [4 favorites]

He makes some good points about the proposed jail expansion programme though. In equally significant political news, St Briavels Parish Council is delighted to report that it has successfully achieved Quality Council Status!!
posted by Abiezer at 1:09 AM on July 19, 2008

This guy is like Bizarro stevis!

Actually, I'm pretty sure this was posted at the bottom of the stevis thread.
posted by ghost of a past number at 1:24 AM on July 19, 2008

He ask's to many questions!
posted by aubilenon at 1:46 AM on July 19, 2008 [3 favorites]

Did you know homosexuals practice anal sodomy? Is there another kind? Is this the 19th century? I have questions.
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:49 AM on July 19, 2008 [2 favorites]

I just love the fact that in the here and now Republicans actually have to reassure us that they are not pedophiles as a plank of their campaign.

Zeitgeist indeed.

Vote Mcain: Never fucked a toddler.
posted by sourwookie at 1:50 AM on July 19, 2008 [13 favorites]

ugh. McCain. Sorry. Phone typing.
posted by sourwookie at 1:52 AM on July 19, 2008

sourwookie writes "Vote Mcain: Never fucked a toddler."

Vote Vitter: dressed like a toddler to fuck prostitutes, but never fucked a toddler.
posted by orthogonality at 1:53 AM on July 19, 2008

Roads scholar. Not Rhodes.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:20 AM on July 19, 2008

Acrobat crashes when I try to open this pedifile.
posted by fire&wings at 2:22 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Did you know homosexuals practice anal sodomy? Is there another kind? Is this the 19th century? I have questions.^{^}

In America there is more than one sodomy, yes. For example:

Moseley 's conviction grew out of a dispute with Roberts, now his ex-wife, the mother of their two children, ages 2 and 3. In February 1988, after Moseley had visited his estranged wife's home, she filed a sexual assault complaint. He was arrested on two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated oral sodomy and two counts of aggravated anal sodomy.

posted by Auz at 2:27 AM on July 19, 2008

ok, this is kinda funny: the nutcase misspells pedophile as pedaphile in the comic book. Clearly we're in some kind of spelling quantum tunneling event here.
posted by telstar at 2:30 AM on July 19, 2008

is he really the good-government homo-hater he makes himself out to be?
posted by geos at 3:47 AM on July 19, 2008

Has nobody noticed that this guy knows his market and how to appeal directly to it? Scoff if you will, if he doesn't get convicted (see the second link) before the election he will surely do well.
posted by donfactor at 3:53 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

This guy is like Bizarro stevis!

Actually, I'm pretty sure this was posted at the bottom of the stevis thread.

Actually, I used Mirror Universe stevis.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:59 AM on July 19, 2008

Agree, donfactor. My laughter turns to tears when I realize this shit gets people elected.

Thanks for the post, btw.
posted by Rykey at 4:05 AM on July 19, 2008

Who's the love interest? Is that you, Pauline?
posted by flabdablet at 4:19 AM on July 19, 2008

IANAA, but how are comics good campaign material? What kind of demographic is he targeting with this actually?
posted by Anderson_Localized at 4:19 AM on July 19, 2008

I am really really creeped out by comics in which every "good" character has a DEATH-RICTUS-LIKE GRIN in every panel.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 4:25 AM on July 19, 2008

Hey guys, this comic is really inspirational. There's a big ol' barn out here, so let's put on a show!

There are hundreds of gays in the meadow,
There are hundreds of gays in the meadown
The gay porn is as high as an elephant's eye,
And a man's hairy hand's creeping right up my bare thigh

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
All our politicians are gay

All the hustlers are standing like statues,
All the hustlers are standing like statues,
They call out their price as they see me cruise by,
But a little brown asshole is winking it's eye

Oh what a beautiful morning...

Here in OK-la-homo, where the queers go whipping folks in chains,
Where the pedifile's feet,
All sure smell sweet,
And we shoot crystal meth into our veins

Ok-la-homo, here we sit my honey lamb and I,
Sit alone and talk,
Watch a chicken hawk,
Offering the kiddies apple pie

And when we say, wow-yippy-i-oh-i-ay,
We're saying Kiss my behind, Oklahoma,
Oklahomo's are OK!
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:36 AM on July 19, 2008 [6 favorites]

He voted to keep the Cross at the fairgrounds.
So he's ok.
posted by Dizzy at 4:45 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why doesn't he just come out of the closet now instead of wasting all this money on a public campaign to prove he's straight when he's clearly not? Prison will get that crap out of his system.
posted by mds35 at 5:03 AM on July 19, 2008

solon and thanks writes: Do the terms 'liberal' and 'good ol" boy' even really go together?

orthoganality writes: I think "good ol' boys" in this context means "the established powers that be".

That's probably a mistake though. I think "old boy network" is the term you're maybe looking for...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:20 AM on July 19, 2008

Otherwise...

Meet Brent Rinehart

Actually, I'd rather not.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:21 AM on July 19, 2008

flapjax at midnite writes "That's probably a mistake though. I think 'old boy network' is the term you're maybe looking for..."

Nope, not down South (and in some more rural regions of the North). Yes, "old boys' network" is also used, but it's not uncommon to hear about "the good ol' boys in the State Capitol" or "on the State (Party) Committee".

The meaning (denotation) is pretty much the same, but with a slightly different connotation. I guess it's less of the "they went to the same (right) schools and help each other out" (though many probably did, and do), more of "they have the sames customs/mores/practices and so they understand each other and how business gets done".
posted by orthogonality at 5:33 AM on July 19, 2008

Isn't a scholar of the road a hobo?
posted by inturnaround at 5:34 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow, he's terrible. And boring. At least with Jack Chick I usually get to the end.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:44 AM on July 19, 2008

I hear you, orthog. Thanks for the elucidation.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:54 AM on July 19, 2008

> Has nobody noticed that this guy knows his market and how to appeal directly to it? Scoff if you will, if he doesn't get convicted (see the second link) before the election he will surely do well.

Yeah, rubes love this kind of shit. For a Canadian example, see: Diane Haskett. She may not have written and drawn her own gay-hatin' comic book, but she successfully appealed to the same sort of crowd.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:01 AM on July 19, 2008

“Though the book's content has stirred up scandal and been widely condemned by politicians in Oklahoma, Rinehart is unrepentant, misspellings aside.

‘I'm proud of it,’ he tells ABCNews.com. ‘It's a novel way to tell a story about the last three and a half years. It's informative, entertaining and a good read.’

‘That's not the first storm that I've stirred up since I was elected to office,’ says Rinehart, explaining that ‘in my opinion, there are a lot of people who in their campaign material, it's the same old 'Blah, blah, blah.' I wanted to do something different.’

The book's targets were outraged at their depictions.

[Oklahoma Attorney General Drew] Edmondson issued a statement saying, ‘A drowning man tends to thrash about.’

And the attorney general's spokesman added, ‘That's the nature of being in a prosecutorial office. People don't like it when you file charges against them.’

…Rinehart admits that the book is ‘edgy at times’ but claims that it is not bigoted or homophobic. ‘What you do in the bedroom is private, but when it comes to public policy, that's a different matter. When they make it [like adding rules making sexual orientation one of the forms of discrimination outlawed in Oklahoma City schools] public policy, that's where I get a little irate.’’’ ^*

posted by ericb at 6:16 AM on July 19, 2008

Wow, that was awful.
posted by arcticwoman at 6:36 AM on July 19, 2008

...but how are comics good campaign material? What kind of demographic is he targeting with this actually?

1) People who best digest information in comics-sized chunks (i.e., far too many American voters)

2) People who like terrible layout, egregious spelling errors, and subpar artistic imagination.
posted by Rykey at 6:43 AM on July 19, 2008

> People who like terrible layout, egregious spelling errors, and subpar artistic imagination.

Less that they like spelling errors, more that they don't notice.
posted by ardgedee at 6:52 AM on July 19, 2008

ericb writes "Rinehart admits that the book is ‘edgy at times’ but claims that it is not bigoted or homophobic. ‘What you do in the bedroom is private, but when it comes to public policy, that's a different matter."

That's frankly pretty amazing progress, to hear this from a bigot (who moreover thinks God endorses his bigotry) in a rural state, given that the Stonewall riots in NYC (and the official persecution that provoked those riots) occurred less than forty years ago.
posted by orthogonality at 7:15 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

10 years old. The drawing, the spelling, the logical content is that of a 10 year old. Anyone older than that who would create something like this then release it to the public, at least here in Seattle, would be considered retarded.

Please, Brent, the state has resources to help you.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:15 AM on July 19, 2008

Please, Brent, the state has resources to help you.

"[Fellow Republican County Assessor Leonard] Sullivan said the comic is further proof that Rinehart is a troubled man.

'I've really encouraged him on more than one occasion to get professional help. He really needs it,' said Sullivan, who is not depicted in the comic.

Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth, who is gay and often disagreed with Rinehart while serving as a county commissioner, said he is no longer surprised by Rinehart's attacks.

'It's typical Brent Rinehart subterfuge to distract from his bad job performance and likely criminal misdeeds,' Roth said." ^*

posted by ericb at 7:26 AM on July 19, 2008

> That's frankly pretty amazing progress

"What you do in the bedroom is private" is also used to tell homosexuals to never publicly display affection, declare partnership, live together, or demand benefits and legal protection.

It's not progress, it's a codification of discrimination.
posted by ardgedee at 7:45 AM on July 19, 2008 [7 favorites]

I may not have very high standards, but I vow that I will never vote for anyone who uses the term "anal sodomy" in his campaign literature.
posted by leftcoastbob at 8:10 AM on July 19, 2008

left coast bob: what if the candidate is in favor of the practice?
posted by dismas at 8:16 AM on July 19, 2008

Nope, not down South

Oklahoma isn't in the South.

to hear this from a bigot (who moreover thinks God endorses his bigotry) in a rural state

Oklahoma County ain't exactly rural, being the 84th most populous county in the US.

10 years old. The drawing, the spelling, the logical content is that of a 10 year old. Anyone older than that who would create something like this then release it to the public, at least here in Seattle, would be considered retarded.

This explains why they stole our Sonics. I think someone should send David Stern a copy, just so he understands what he's getting in casting aside Seattle for this media market.
posted by dw at 8:25 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

From fark, but I couldn't help but be amazed at the contrasting... everything between Rinehart's comic and this politician's comic.
posted by Benjy at 8:32 AM on July 19, 2008

Good gravy. I've seen better art, better spelling and better political commentary in Tijuana bibles.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2008

I think a Roads scholar is someone who practices reading on billboards and street signs.

Give the guy a break. Sure, he's under investigation for fraud and could well end up in jail, but it's not like he's kissed a man.

Of course, once he's in jail...
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 8:45 AM on July 19, 2008

And now I realize I was *way* beaten on the Sean Tevis comic. Oh well.
posted by Benjy at 8:47 AM on July 19, 2008

dismas: I can't quite see a candidate coming out and saying that they are for anal sodomy; there's no reason for it. Gay rights? Fine. Marriage equality? Perfectly acceptable. But specific sexual practices mentioned in campaign literature? Way too much information.
posted by leftcoastbob at 8:56 AM on July 19, 2008

No one's mentioned this George Wallace Comic from the 1960s?
posted by delmoi at 8:56 AM on July 19, 2008 [3 favorites]

He seems to be on the right side of treatment of prisoners and the expansion of the prison industry which probably isn't very popular in some parts. Which goes to show that even bigots aren't one-dimensional TV villains twirling their mustaches and cackling.
posted by Justinian at 9:10 AM on July 19, 2008

Justinian- I'd go on to say that he looks like he COULD be a good example of a fiscally conservative public servant, and he should focus on that... but half of this thing is gay bashing.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 9:24 AM on July 19, 2008

Based on history, it's safe to say this guy is (A) a closet homosexual, just like all the other homo-hating Republicans; (B) suppressing urges to diddle children, hence the pedo-scare stuff.

The Republican party seems to mostly attract those people who hate parts of themselves and take it out on others. Weird.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:27 AM on July 19, 2008

Benjy: "Oklahoma County ain't exactly rural, being the 84th most populous county in the US."

That's a pretty useless stat since "county" isn't any kind of set geographical size. The same chart with population density might tell you something about how rural it is. Clicking the links, the density of Oklahoma county is 932/sq mi (for comparison, the 85th most populous, Cobb Georgia, has a density of 1,952/sq mi).

Anyway, sort of pointless tangent, but I thought I'd mention it.
posted by malphigian at 10:13 AM on July 19, 2008

Difference between Rhodes Scholar and Roads Scholar? Rhodes Scholar can spell. That and maybe a bit less paranoia about good old boys being out to get him. Did it ever occur to a certain Roads Scholar that he might just be insufferable?
posted by Cranberry at 10:19 AM on July 19, 2008

I'd go on to say that he looks like he COULD be a good example of a fiscally conservative public servant

As mentioned, he's facing state campaign finance charges. Last week, in a separate matter, the IRS moved that he be fined and jailed for failure to comply with a federal investigation. (Story here) Mr. Rinehart is not likely to be in office a hell of a lot longer, comic or no comic. He's going to be out a fortune in campaign signs, though - things are freaking everywhere.

Response to comic itself - sheeeeiiiit that boy's loco. Possibly plumb loco.
posted by ormondsacker at 10:38 AM on July 19, 2008

Also, here's another good write-up on the Rinehart situation, pre-federal-charges and pre-comic, by local GLBT political blogger James Nimmo. Includes some info on Rinehart's campaign manager (who carried a gun in his boot because "gays were after him"), thoughts on the all-pervasive good ol' boy cabal, and a charming little photoshop of Rinehart as Freddie Mercury for some reason.
posted by ormondsacker at 11:05 AM on July 19, 2008

He can't be this kind of Roads Scholar because he's not a faculty member at Ohio State (thank the lord. I'm a student there.)

Some googling came up with this:

"The Roads Scholar Program, which began in Oklahoma on 1993, is an educational series designed specifically for County Commissioners, County Road Foreman, and other County Road employees. The program consists of nine courses, totaling 120 hours of training, and is designed to provide employees training related to road and bridge maintenance, construction, and repair. Courses offered in the program include Aggregate Road Maintenance; Excavation Safety; Testing for Soil Properties; Traffic Control; Basic and Advanced Surveying; Equipment Maintenance; Project Management; and Plan Reading."
posted by Solon and Thanks at 11:14 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

almost no panel borders?

Hey, Eisner did stuff with no panel borders.

Of course he could draw, and understood lettering, and storytelling, and wasn't utterly hateful and insane.
posted by Artw at 11:14 AM on July 19, 2008

Oh wow - a coloring book... And a woman with a brain outside her head.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:55 AM on July 19, 2008

Boy, that Satan sure is a jerk. I'm voting Rinehart!
posted by Flunkie at 12:52 PM on July 19, 2008

I bet he could easily sell a notebook of his drawings for a villa in France, if only France wasn't overrun with sodomite pedafiles.
posted by Dave Faris at 6:12 PM on July 19, 2008

The Roads Scholarship is one of the more prestigious scholarship awards in existence, along with the Martial and Fallbrite Scholarships.
posted by grouse at 6:13 PM on July 19, 2008

It's amazing how many things this comic proves Rinehart terrible at. He can't spell.

Not only that, but he misspells "pedophile" two different ways on two successive panels.
posted by krinklyfig at 8:49 PM on July 19, 2008

Ah, "Art by Shane Suiters." Looks like he probably did the lettering, too, which likely means they gave him some copy and he just whipped it up. He even signs the last panel. That's some quality doodles, so you gotta sign it, right? The Rinehart campaign paid for it. I wonder if the art was volunteer or commissioned.
posted by krinklyfig at 8:58 PM on July 19, 2008

Maybe Brent Rinehart did a Ron Paul and just put his name on it without reading it.
posted by Artw at 9:15 PM on July 19, 2008

He spelled 'pedophile' two different ways in the same comic.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:23 PM on July 19, 2008

If only there were some way we could circle around and give him a big ol' Nelson Muntz pointing finger Ha-Ha.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:54 PM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

That's a pretty useless stat since "county" isn't any kind of set geographical size. The same chart with population density might tell you something about how rural it is. Clicking the links, the density of Oklahoma county is 932/sq mi (for comparison, the 85th most populous, Cobb Georgia, has a density of 1,952/sq mi).

Travis County, Texas has a density of 985/sq mi. I don't think anyone could argue it's rural anymore.

Noble County, the county directly north of Oklahoma County, has a population of about 34K. I don't think you could argue it's not rural, even if you left out the 43/sq mi density.

Point being that Oklahoma's not as rural as used to be. 3.6M people live in Oklahoma; about 1M of them live in the city limits of Tulsa or OKC, and another 1.2M live in the Tulsa or OKC metropolitan statistical areas.
posted by dw at 11:10 PM on July 19, 2008

"With all precincts reporting, Republican Dist. 2 Commissioner Brent Rinehart finished third in a three-man race."
posted by ormondsacker at 12:02 PM on July 30, 2008

Oh, man, now I really want to HA-HA him!
posted by five fresh fish at 5:26 PM on July 30, 2008

What part of his plan do you think didn't work?
posted by Artw at 9:26 PM on July 30, 2008