In response to former Wyoming Senator
Alan Simpson's claim that the GOP party is homophobic, Glenn
Beck said he doesn't see it.
Simpson, a Republican who served 18
years in the Senate, made his remarks in an appearance on MSNBC's
Hardball.
Simpson said: “Then you got
homosexuality, you got 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We have homophobes
in our party. That's disgusting to me. We're all human beings.
We're all God's children. Now, if they're going to get off on that
stuff – [former Pennsylvania Senator Rick] Santorum has said some
cruel things, cruel, cruel things about homosexuals.”
“I'm not sticking with people who are
homophobic, anti-women, you know, moral values while you're diddling
your secretary, while you're giving a speech on moral values. Come
on, get off of it.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of
this page.)
During Tuesday's edition of The
Glenn Beck Program, the conservative celebrity argued that
Simpson's claims were groundless.
“Is it homophobic that many people in
the Republican Party have exactly the same opinion on gay marriage as
Barack Obama? Including me?” Beck rhetorically asked. “Does
that make him a homophobe?”
On Santorum, Beck played dumb, saying,
“What are you talking about? What did he say? You know, you can't
get away with just this generic, 'He said some cruel things, some
cruel, cruel things, awful, horrible, heinous, despicable things.'
What! What he say? Rick Santorum is not present for us to ask him.”
In 2003, Santorum created a firestorm
of controversy when he likened gay unions to “man on dog.”
Santorum “compared people in stable,
loving same-sex relationships to dog fuckers and kiddie rapists,”
gay
rights activist Dan Savage recently said. He “would make gay
and straight sodomy illegal, ban gay marriage and any other
protections for same-sex couples, and prevent loving same-sex couples
from adopting children who need homes.”
In January, Santorum, who is
considering a run at the White House, said
opposition to gay rights is “common sense.”