De Facto Pedophile

January 6, 2010 4:46 PM

In Illinois, a political ad is airing on the radio. In it, former Republican Party candidate Andy Martin says current Illinois congressman Mark Kirk is a homosexual. Another ad claims Kirk is a "de facto pedophile." Jack Roeser, an Illinois businessman, is quoted in one ad as saying there is a "solid rumor" regarding Mark's sexuality. What says Roeser about Martin? "I have nothing to do with that SOB."
posted by d1rge (77 comments total)

So how did Kirk - and Dennis Hastert - cover up pedophilia? By not stopping Mark Foley's infamous affairs with underaged staffers.

That's a bit of a stretch. But, then, Martin has long been disbarred in Illinois.

If I can find a single person in Illinois that is 1) not certifiable and 2) believes a single thing that Andy Martin says, I'll let you know, but don't hold your breath.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:53 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes, unpopular fringe candidate is fringe and unpopular.

What happened to the "Trigona" part of his name? Is he trying to be more All-American or something?
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:55 PM on January 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Patrick Brady blasted Martin and the ad, saying, “The Illinois Republican Party disavows the statements made today by Mr. Andrew Martin in his statewide radio advertisements. His statements today are consistent with his history of bizarre behavior and often times hate-filled speech which has no place in the Illinois Republican Party. Mr. Martin will no longer be recognized as a legitimate Republican candidate by the Illinois Republican Party.”

Thank god.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 4:55 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Republican Party: Where did you learn these tactics? Who told you about this stuff?
Andy Martin: I.. I just... some of the guys musta...
Republican Party: Answer me! Who taught you how to do this stuff?
Andy Martin: You, alright! I learned it by watching you!
posted by stavrogin at 4:56 PM on January 6, 2010 [135 favorites]

I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole is considered a bigger character flaw than being gay.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:58 PM on January 6, 2010 [115 favorites]

Parties who use FUD have politicians who use FUD.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:59 PM on January 6, 2010 [4 favorites]

Hey, this is probably better than his 1986 Illinois Congressional campaign committee name: "The Anthony R. Martin-Trigona Congressional Campaign to Exterminate Jew Power in America." Yep, a man too out there for Florida.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:01 PM on January 6, 2010

INTERNET POWERHOUSE Andy Martin.
posted by boo_radley at 5:03 PM on January 6, 2010

Man, when did "asking a question" become as valid as "stating a fact" in political discourse? I know it's the paranoid style which dates back to the '60s at least, but damn if we haven't perfected it.

"Why hasn't Obama denied he's a Kenyan? Why won't he find the original birth certificate?"
"Why are there no amendments to the bill saying it won't euthanize seniors?"
"Why is the bill so long, what's hiding in it?"
"Why is the bill so short, don't we deserve a longer one for such an important issue?"
"Why hasn't the FDA proved they won't put chemicals in the water to control the population?"
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:03 PM on January 6, 2010 [6 favorites]

mudpuppie: "I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole is considered a bigger character flaw than being gay."

This should be a bumper sticker.
posted by brundlefly at 5:06 PM on January 6, 2010 [11 favorites]

I heard a rumor that Andy had stopped beating his wife but it isn't solid yet so I'm not going to repeat it.
posted by Babblesort at 5:09 PM on January 6, 2010

Andy Martin's Wikipedia entry:

In 1973 the Illinois Supreme Court refused to grant him a license to practice law in the state. It cited several instances of troubling conduct on Martin's part, including an attempt to have a parking violation thrown out because it had been "entered by an insane judge" and his description of an attorney as "shaking and tottering and drooling like an idiot."
(...)
His 1996 run for the Florida State Senate came undone when it was revealed that he had named his campaign committee for his 1986 congressional run "The Anthony R. Martin-Trigona Congressional Campaign to Exterminate Jew Power in America.

Jesus Christ. I'm gonna say your problems getting elected are bigger than being named "Trigona".
posted by boo_radley at 5:13 PM on January 6, 2010 [4 favorites]

oh, and what was that Crazy Lady Republican from Illinois who ran on a Crazy Anti-immigrant campaign?
posted by boo_radley at 5:14 PM on January 6, 2010

That's not an internet powerhouse. THIS is an internet powerhouse.

Seriously, you ain't seen a fringe campaign website until you've seen this alphabet soup. Plus, he's got some GREAT thoughts on race and history.

If there is balance in the universe, this and Doctor Bronner's are two sides of the same coin. One for hippie crazy, the other for neocon crazy. What's scary is that most of his views are normal for a neocon, just really distorted and amplified. He doesn't mince words so much as splatter them on the internet.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:14 PM on January 6, 2010

Tim: His own PR release called him an internet powerhouse.
posted by boo_radley at 5:15 PM on January 6, 2010

Oh, shoot. I missed that.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:16 PM on January 6, 2010

> The Anthony R. Martin-Trigona Congressional Campaign to Exterminate Jew Power in America

Well, he's more honest about his motivations and political objectives than the average candidate, you gotta give him that.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:17 PM on January 6, 2010

This guy is the male Orly Taitz. Why is anyone giving him publicity, including us? Flagged.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 5:18 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Stupid foreigner question: can't Kirk just sue for libel? You know, the whole insinuating pedophilia thing kinda sounds degrading to a person's character.

Also, liking the "republikittens" tag.
posted by Sova at 5:19 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

or slander, defamation, what have you...
posted by Sova at 5:20 PM on January 6, 2010

foxy_hedgehog: "This guy is the male Orly Taitz. Why is anyone giving him publicity, including us? Flagged."

As what?
posted by brundlefly at 5:21 PM on January 6, 2010

It's worth noting that Martin is a well-known crackpot. And also a former Democratic Party candidate. He's a perennial fringe candidate for a wide variety of offices.

Also note that Kirk is a Republican, so we're well into 11th commandment territory here.

I think the entire thing is summed up by this quote from a NY Times article about Martin:
He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of “moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.”
posted by mr_roboto at 5:22 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

[From the Wiki quoted by boo_radley] His 1996 run for the Florida State Senate came undone when it was revealed that he had named his campaign committee for his 1986 congressional run "The Anthony R. Martin-Trigona Congressional Campaign to Exterminate Jew Power in America.

When Sidhedevil said it, I didn't follow the link - just automatically assumed her comment included hyperbole/humor. I can't...I still...

It was real. Wow.
posted by bunnycup at 5:22 PM on January 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

No one takes this guy, or Orly Taitz seriously. They just get their egos puffed up, which makes them funnier.

Besides, I think Orly Taitz has done more than anyone else to prove that Obama was born in Hawaii. I mean, she invokes Godwin, she uses irrelevant evidence, and files lawsuits that have no relation whatsoever to US law.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:23 PM on January 6, 2010

Stupid foreigner question: can't Kirk just sue for libel?

American politicians tend not to respond to off-the-wall personal attacks, as it draws attention to the attack and turns it into a sideshow. Plus, but the time any lawsuit has moved through the courts, the election will be long over.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:24 PM on January 6, 2010

This guy is the male Orly Taitz.

Just think of the beautiful, completely bugshit babies they could have.
posted by Evilspork at 5:26 PM on January 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

American politicians tend not to respond to off-the-wall personal attacks, as it draws attention to the attack and turns it into a sideshow. Plus, but the time any lawsuit has moved through the courts, the election will be long over.

But surely if he lodged a case he could have the adverts taken down temporarily, then drop the case after the election?
posted by Sova at 5:27 PM on January 6, 2010

Stupid foreigner question: can't Kirk just sue for libel?

Defamation cases by public figures are very difficult in the USA, and Kirk is a public figure. This is a feature rather than a bug.
posted by Justinian at 5:28 PM on January 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

No one takes this guy, or Orly Taitz seriously.

O rly? Trust me, there are plenty of people who really believe the birther conspiracy out there.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:28 PM on January 6, 2010

But surely if he lodged a case he could have the adverts taken down temporarily, then drop the case after the election?

Judges are very reluctant to enforce prior restraint on first amendment cases. This is also a feature and not a bug.

The USA has many problems, but our strong first amendment protections are one of the good things.
posted by Justinian at 5:29 PM on January 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

I wonder if we will take the upcoming DSM-V as an opportunity to bring the clinical definition of pedophilia in line with the vernacular definition; the eccentricity between the two only continues to widen. And then, of course, there is the law: if sex between two consenting parties of age 16 years or higher constitutes an act of pedophilia, then pedophilia is legal throughout the European Union and in many US states.
posted by kid ichorous at 5:31 PM on January 6, 2010

On the other hand, it seems like Roeser is getting his just desserts. If you're going to go on a radio show trying to smear a candidate, you had better have the balls to stick up for what you say there. Now that this piece of shit realizes he's lying down with nutbars like Martin, he wants nothing to do with it. Poor baby.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:31 PM on January 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Parties who use FUD have politicians who use FUD.

Hey, can you blame a guy if it tastes better than regular sour cream in the 7 layer dip?
posted by carsonb at 5:35 PM on January 6, 2010

stavrogen you have it the wrong way around, otherwise on target.
posted by Max Power at 5:37 PM on January 6, 2010

Well, the Illinois Republicans have disowned him.

Illinois Republican Party stated that, "Mr. Martin will no longer be recognized as a legitimate Republican candidate by the Illinois Republican Party."[7]
posted by stavrogin at 5:43 PM on January 6, 2010

Roeser noted that he doesn't condone anyone talking about their sexuality in public, being a heterosexual bragging about his conquests or a homosexual marching in a gay pride parade. Both are "just plain nuts. Such things should be kept private."

Um... right. Because taking part in a demonstration which bucks public shaming of one's sexuality by declaring it openly is somehow socially the equivalent of locker room conquest bragging. Hrm.

Something tells me he hasn't thought through his positions very thoroughly and is mentioning this man's rumored homosexuality because Roeser is, himself, a bigot who doesn't realize his own homophobia.
posted by hippybear at 5:45 PM on January 6, 2010 [4 favorites]

So, about this Kirk fellow. Other republicans seem to hate him (beyond the crazy one); is he as moderate as all that?
posted by hackly_fracture at 5:56 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

...Flagged. As what?

other
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:57 PM on January 6, 2010

Something tells me he hasn't thought through his positions very thoroughly and is mentioning this man's rumored homosexuality because Roeser is, himself, a bigot who doesn't realize his own homophobia.

No, I'm pretty sure Jack Roeser is well aware that he doesn't like LGBT people. He's a pretty classic hard-right reactionary fascist type (he's also just ancient; an actual living WWII vet). He was just saying something that would be palatable in the mass media.

I think it says something positive about where our society is that even those on the hard right try to avoid making explicitly homophobic statements.
posted by mr_roboto at 6:00 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

So, I'm running for elected office and it turns out I might, uh, need some legal advice...
posted by clockzero at 6:03 PM on January 6, 2010

This guy is the male Orly Taitz.

I thought Orly Taitz was the male Orly Taitz. Wait...that's not an Eastern European drag queen doing performance art? I'm so disappointed now. And scared.

Well, the Illinois Republicans have disowned him.

Which was both the right and the politically wise thing to do. But as a foreigner unfamiliar with all the intricacies of US politics, I have to wonder why Martin's record as a disbarred lawyer, vexatious litigant, virulent anti-Semite and conspiracy theorist was not enough for them to distance themselves before this awful anti-gay stuff arose. Poor Illinois Republicans! They thought he'd turned over a new leaf, and he goes and disappoints them like this!

Frankly, I feel a little sorry for people like Martin and Taitz. I am not a mental health professional, and if I were one I wouldn't diagnose people based on their media appearances. I hate it when people call their political opponents 'crazy' - you can believe some pretty wild shit without being insane. But reading through the catalog of bizarrerie that is Martin's Wikipedia page, one is forced to wonder if the man is not 'crazy' in the most literal sense of the word. The paranoia in his comments about Jews is really extreme. And yet he is given legitmacy by the Republican Party and conservative media oulets - he appeared on Fox News to discuss his conspiracy theories in 2008! I can't help thinking that this is a damaged person who has been made use of, to his own detriment and the detriment of American culture. Awful as he is, the fact that 'sane' conservatives don't seem to have been able to bring themselves to totally eject him from respectable circles is more worrying.
posted by eatyourcellphone at 6:11 PM on January 6, 2010 [6 favorites]

mudpuppie: I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole is considered a bigger character flaw than being gay.

No, no, no... See, in the '90s, we (and by "we", I mean "Republicans") replaced "an asshole" with "not politically correct". Because while it's certainly not okay to be "an asshole", it's perfectly fine, even admirable, to be "not politically correct". It means you're bucking the system. You're an outsider, a maverick.

So, to FTFY:

"I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole not politically correct is considered a bigger character flaw than being gay."

And presto-chango, now Martin's statement is above reproach and WINS VOTES! Wasn't that easy?
posted by LordSludge at 6:23 PM on January 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

Andrew Martin, of all people, should be more understanding that people outside "societal norms" (for lack of a better phrase) deserve equal rights and respect.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 6:34 PM on January 6, 2010

Another stupid foreigner question:

Aren't there any openly gay congress members, senators, etc.? If no, would this sort of thing go away if there were? If so, do these nutjobs follow them around saying "he's gay! he's gay!" or is it the secrecy that they find (or think others will find) so worthy of shrieking about?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:42 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

What's funny about Sidhedevil's link above is that Martin describes himself as "pro-gay rights."

I find that rather unlikely.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 6:42 PM on January 6, 2010

Just as the revolution eats its own children, so do Republicans end up strangled by their own Frankenstein monsters.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:45 PM on January 6, 2010

Aren't there any openly gay congress members, senators, etc.?

Yes, there are two openly gay and one openly lesbian members of Congress: Barney Frank (D-MA), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

There are no openly gay or lesbian members of Congress from the Republican Party.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:47 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Aren't there any openly gay congress members, senators, etc.? If no, would this sort of thing go away if there were? If so, do these nutjobs follow them around saying "he's gay! he's gay!"

There are. They're almost all Democrats. As such, these nutjobs don't really have to follow them around saying "he's gay! he's gay!", because they can just follow them around and say "he's liberal! he's liberal!" Which is almost exactly the same thing in their minds(both are destroying America), and rallies to their side anyway those conservatives for whom those two pre-existing conditions are not tautological by calling attention to the sin they can all believe in.
posted by Errant at 6:58 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

From the PR release:
Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
ContrarianCommentary.com
Mr. Martin uses "Internet Powerhouse" frequently.
posted by swell at 6:59 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

this awful anti-gay stuff

The Republicans don't object to the awful anti-gay stuff, only to the target.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 7:16 PM on January 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

It's good to pass rumors before they're solid. Hurts less.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 7:19 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

My question: How the hell did the stations agree to air the ads? If I were to try go to get something similar aired ("Senator Susan Collins Enjoys Threesome Trysts with the Japanese Mafia!") I would expect them to laugh me out of the building, and rightly so.

I bet he designed that website all on his very own.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:33 PM on January 6, 2010

Just think of the beautiful, completely bugshit babies [Taitz and Martin] could have.

He's gonna have to fight Orly's ex-law clerk (and sometimes lover) Charles E. Lincoln III for that privilege.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:41 PM on January 6, 2010

I did a post about this guy a while back with some more background.
posted by enn at 7:42 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

My question: How the hell did the stations agree to air the ads?

In the Youtubed news report that was linked by d1rge, the newscaster says that stations are not allowed to edit or censor candidates' advertisements. So perhaps they were obliged to play these ads?

Listening to that report again, I was struck afresh by the fact that Kirk is also in the US Navy - and of course we all know the attitude of the American armed forces to homosexuality. So Martin is attempting to endanger two of Kirk's job. What a multi-tasker!
posted by eatyourcellphone at 8:23 PM on January 6, 2010

dunkadunc: My question: How the hell did the stations agree to air the ads?

IANAL, but I believe they are legally obligated to provide (equal?) air time to candidates for public office, even if they do not agree with it. IAFC and I will say that I heard WGN radio morning host John Williams immediately after the ad and mockingly stated "... and I'm John Williams and I'm a homosapien." Almost everyone here thinks this ad is a waste of time.
posted by newper at 8:31 PM on January 6, 2010

Another ad claims Kirk is a "de facto pedophile."

but not de jour?
posted by Afroblanco at 8:38 PM on January 6, 2010

No one takes this guy, or Orly Taitz seriously.

The majority of Republicans think that the birth certificate issue is a legitimate one. In addition, the majority of my (Democrat!) relatives are birthers. In my relatives' case, it's because "The President is a ni--*bong!*". Anyway, a very large minority bordering on a majority of the People take -- well, maybe not O RLY, but her "issue" seriously.

Well, the Illinois Republicans have disowned him.

Headline tomorrow: Head of the IL Republican party ousted in Tea Party revolt
posted by dirigibleman at 10:07 PM on January 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

From The Smoking Gun has a letter from Martin
The Chicago man credited with launching the Barack Obama-is-a-Muslim smear campaign once pledged to "exterminate Jew Power in America," and claimed that "Jew babies are fed with subsidized American taxpayer money," and that Jews were "schooled in blood sucking and money grubbing from birth." Those anti-Semitic statements (and many, many others) were contained in a 1986 fundraising letter circulated by Andy Martin
posted by quarsan at 10:35 PM on January 6, 2010

Metafilter: Sin we can believe in.
posted by hattifattener at 11:10 PM on January 6, 2010

The Illinois Republican Party: keeping people like Rod Blagojevich firmly in office for three decades.
posted by koeselitz at 12:00 AM on January 7, 2010

I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole is considered a bigger character flaw than being gay.

I'm really looking forward to the day when being an asshole is reason enough to keep people from voting for you.
posted by krautland at 2:52 AM on January 7, 2010 [2 favorites]

There has been at least one gay republican rep.
posted by drezdn at 5:35 AM on January 7, 2010

I thought Orly Taitz was the male Orly Taitz.

You know... I've been noticing more of this "She's a MAN, baby!" point-and-laugh schtick around here over the past couple of weeks, and it's not really helping anything. Let's not do this, ok?
posted by backseatpilot at 5:45 AM on January 7, 2010 [13 favorites]

this is why i hate being an illinois republican. the right wingnuts come out in the primary and push for their candidiates, which get nominated ... and then go on to be asses in the general election. kirk is the front runner in this race--and he's a moderate.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 5:58 AM on January 7, 2010

I hate Illinois Nazis.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:28 AM on January 7, 2010 [3 favorites]

IANAL, but I believe they are legally obligated to provide (equal?) air time to candidates for public office, even if they do not agree with it.

Nope, they're not. Reagan did away with the Fairness Doctrine decades ago.
posted by hippybear at 8:14 AM on January 7, 2010

The Chicago man credited with launching the Barack Obama-is-a-Muslim smear campaign once pledged to "exterminate Jew Power in America," and claimed that "Jew babies are fed with subsidized American taxpayer money," and that Jews were "schooled in blood sucking and money grubbing from birth."

Lovely. I especially like the part where he denies the Holocaust, but points to JOSEF FUCKING MENGELE as an example of what "Jew doctors" are supposedly doing to unborn babies.
posted by zarq at 8:39 AM on January 7, 2010 [2 favorites]

There has been at least one gay Republican rep.

There have been two, to my knowledge: Steve Gunderson, whom you link to here, and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ).
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:00 AM on January 7, 2010

There has been at least one gay Republican rep.

There have been two, to my knowledge: Steve Gunderson, whom you link to here, and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ).

Wait! What about Larry Craig, Mark Foley, Ed Schrock...

Oh, I see. You mean, the ones who are brave enough to state they're gay from the outset.
posted by hippybear at 9:21 AM on January 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

One of the first allegations in the TV news clip is that he "surrounded himself with homosexuals". That's an interesting visual image. How does he see to drive?
posted by ob at 9:32 AM on January 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, I see. You mean, the ones who are brave enough to state they're gay from the outset.

Obviously all the guys you mention publicly they're not gay or bi. I have no idea whether any of them privately self-identify as gay or bi, or which would be an accurate description if they were able to be honest with themselves and others about their sexualities.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:42 AM on January 7, 2010

Sorry, should have said "the guys you mention have stated publicly that they're not gay or bi."

Despite the whole sleeping-with-people-of-the-same-gender thing.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:43 AM on January 7, 2010

One of the first allegations in the TV news clip is that he "surrounded himself with homosexuals". That's an interesting visual image. How does he see to drive?

Silly, if contemporary media has taught us anything, the Gays (TM) ride in limos or the back of vans waiting for the right moment to spring out and give some unsuspecting person (or their home) a makeover.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:57 AM on January 7, 2010

Yeah, yeah, I know what you meant.

Still... actions > words
posted by hippybear at 9:57 AM on January 7, 2010

Kirk used to be moderate, but he's been hewing closer to conservative GOP talking points since he announced his Senate run. That's not a terribly great idea in a state that usually elects centrists to statewide offices, but there aren't any real stars on the Democratic side, either. At the very least, things should be interesting, although I don't know that anything could match 2004, with special guest stars Seven of Nine and Alan Motherfucking Keyes.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:32 PM on January 7, 2010

According to a Seattle paper that oughta know, there are now 445 openly LGBT elected officials in the US.

And speaking of upcoming voters, there are now 4,700 Gay-Straight Alliances in US high schools, up from 700 ten years ago.

If you believe the figure of 3% for gays in the population, then a 'representative' number in Congress would be 16. That would be about 13 lurkers.

If you've followed the newspaper stories from the past few years, then about 10 of those are GOP. Most wearing out their wingtips stalling.
posted by Twang at 4:07 PM on January 7, 2010