Republican commish candidate Kruse melts down on gay rights
August 19, 2008 at 10:27 am by Wayne GarciaBeen covering politics or in it for nigh on to 25 years in Florida and I have never seen anything like last night’s candidate forum at the Metropolitan Community Church in Tampa. Don Kruse, who is running in the primary against anti-gay rights Commissioner Brian Blair, showed up to speak to a storm-dwindled audience of about 35 people at the event co-sponsored by Equality Florida.
A few days ago I asked in a blog post, “What does somebody have to do to lose newspaper endorsements to Blair?” Last night I might have received my answer.
So let me set this up: I was a panelist at the forum, along with EF Executive Director Nadine Smith and moderator Chris Krimitsos of The Bleepin’ Truth on public access. It was later in the evening that Kruse’s turn came, and he was solo on the stage, as Blair did not show up to the gay-friendly event.
So I asked the first question: Given Blair’s anti-gay record (voting against gay pride displays, criticizing the anti-bullying Day of Silence in public schools), where did Kruse stand on gay rights?
Kruse started in explaining that he wanted some enlightenment from the audience. “Educate me,” he said. Then he veered to the issue of hate crimes. Crimes are crimes, there are no distinctions of shades of right or wrong depending on the skin color or sexual orientation of the victims involved. “They are crimes against humanity,” he said.
Smith cut in at that point and reminded Kruse that we were talking about gay pride recognition and discrimination and not hate crimes, and Kruse continued to say that was why he was at the forum, to learn about why we need specific protections in place. He then continued to talk about how he didn’t like giving any kind of special distinctions to wrong, that wrong was wrong, nobody should get discriminated against.
So I piped in and asked him pointedly, “If you were elected and on the board, and a commissioner, let’s say Rose Ferlita, would move to repeal the ban on recognizing gay pride events, would you vote to repeal it?”
Kruse demurred. “I think it wasn’t passed legally,” he answered in explaining that he wouldn’t say how he would vote now because the prohibition was wrong in the first place. Somebody should have sued to undo it, he said. (The somebody who did sue, Joe Redner, walked in shortly after that.) Would you file a lawsuit to undo it? Kruse again dodged and starting questioning why county funds should support gay events. Smith then explained that the policy did not stop or spend funds, that no funds were involved, that it was only designed as a hateful slap in the face to the gay community, one that the county has not delivered to any other community in the county. Do you find the policy offensive, she asked him. “Yes,” he said. After we asked again how he would vote on a repeal motion, he finally conceded he would vote it down “the way it was structured, yes.”
“I’m standing before you because I think it was wrong in the first place,” he told the increasingly confused audience.
Then the wheels went off the track. Phyllis Hunt, the pastor of the MCC, asked from the audience whether Kruse would vote to restore protections based on sexual orientation to the county’s Human Rights Ordinance (the Republican majority on the commission stripped those protections out a decade ago). Kruse didn’t answer directly and again launched into his plea for why special protections were needed for anyone, that discrimination was wrong against everyone and that they are “crimes against humanity.” By this time, he was becoming very loud and very emotional, crouched at the corner of the stage, nearly pleading with the audience to understand his point of view. “This is a very difficult thing,” he said, then discussing his revulsion at pedophilia (while acknowledging that he was veering off-topic and the pedophilia had nothing to do with gay rights) and that he hated the idea of anyone being harmed or molested and that if anyone did that to his family he would put a gun in the mouth of the perp and “I could pull the trigger myself.”
Hunt parried with him about the need for protecting LGBT people who are losing jobs or being denied housing simply because of their sexual orientation. By this point, Kruse’s voice was near a scream as he declared, “I don’t want more laws on the books. I want less laws.” By this point, he had thrown in a curse word and a “frickin’” and many in the church’s sanctuary started getting visibly upset. “It’s got to be crimes against humanity, and we’ve got to get together,” Kruse pleaded.
Kruse later apologized to Hunt and others for getting so worked up and using inappropriate language, and he stayed until the end of the forum to talk to people. Give him points for showing up and engaging voters, as opposed to the many incumbents who are working on their Rose Garden strategy of laying low.
During the questioning/meltdown, Smith told Kruse that his views were “wrapped in ignorance” and offered politely to meet with him to educate him. Kruse accepted her offer.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:51 am
there’s not much to say about that, is there.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Wow! I think Blair and Kruse should have a crazy-off. As a Republican I object to them both. How are we supposed to choose between crazy and plain stupid.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
There was a post last week over at Sticks of Fire regarding the Times / tribune endorsement of Blair… Everyone was up in arms about it.
I guess this shows us why they endorsed him. Oh, the lesser of two evils are still evil but this Kruse guy is just nucking futs.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Hahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahah
August 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
To any “special group”:If you feel good about yourself and your actions…why you need public approval and special attention? I personally know a lot of gays who flea their countries not to be prosecuted for what they are. Be happy that you live in the great country where you can choose the soul mate you want, you can parade on the streets promoting your sexual orientation. There are bigger issues at hand like people who are struggling to survive and come by food. They would probably like to have your problem. Which street should I parade on? Just be honest and do good for others and that should be enough to feel good about yourself.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:36 am
It was a big step for a Republican politician to attend a political forum at a gay church event knowing that he would be asked the questions that other candidates ignore and do not bother showing for. It looks as though he was set up and there was only one question that they dwelled on. Again ignoring actual Hillsborough county issues like transportation, Environmental issues, taxes etc. Looks like the gay community is so wrapped up in their personal interests that nothing else was brought up.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Natalie — let me address your issue of him being set up, as I was the one who asked him the question. I don’t even think I had the issue on my list of things I wanted to ask the candidates, as I figured that people in the audience would ask it and I could focus on other issues. But when Kruse came in and introduced himself, he mentioned that he had just come from another forum where he was with Brian Blair and that he wondered if Blair might be along any time now. I joked with the audience, asking if anyone wanted to give me odds on that, and then casually asked, since we were talking about Blair and he is so well known as being anti-gay, where do you stand on that issue? I really expected Kruse to give a quick condemnation of Blair’s votes, given where he was speaking, and was very surprised when he instead veered off into unknown waters for him.
So it was not a setup, although I agree I wish we could have gotten to some other issues with him. I had 5-6 other questions, but his explanation of his stance went on so long (20 or more minutes) that it used up the allotted time.
I’m not gay, although I am pretty wrapped up in myself, and I have to dispute the idea that this was a setup.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Nobody’s pointing fingers. The main point is that there was no structure to that meeting, no organization. I was present and I witnessed that particular woman pressing the same issue/question over and over wanting to hear a “Yes” for an answer. Whoever arranged that forum should have stopped her. She took over the whole forum. Again, no discipline or structure. I am gay and I don’t think that I need to be so flamboyant and get everybody’s approval or any special attention.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I don’t know why this has even become an issue. I say, we all have a parade in Hillsborough County………gays, transgenders, heterosexuals, sex offenders, alcoholics etc. Let’s make it an official holiday so all groups are happy.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Natalie — point well taken. It was a very loose format, and that was designed with the hope (as I was told) that we would have more of a conversation than a formal Q&A. In Kruse’s case, although we didn’t get to other issues, we certainly saw a side of him that hasn’t been present at other forums or in other interviews, so I think that is useful.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:20 am
You will be surprised
36
have been accused of spousal abuse
7
have been arrested for fraud
19
have been accused of writing bad checks
117
have directly or indirectly
bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3
have done time for assault
71,
repeat
71 cannot
get a credit card due to bad credit 14
have been arrested on drug-related charges
8
have been arrested for shoplifting
21
currently
are defendants in lawsuits
84
have been arre s ted for drunk driving
in the last year
Can
you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?
It’s the 435 members of the
United States Congress
The
same group of Idiots that crank out
hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line.
August 21st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Natalie, while I agree with you that Kruse gets points for showing up, I disagree that the treatment of the gay community is not an “actual Hillsborough County issue.” It shouldn’t be, but it became one when the BOCC prohibited our public libraries from displaying relevant books during Gay Pride month.
Wayne, thanks for your coverage of this event. It may be painful and awkward, but these dialogues are necessary to bring to light the views of all sides who are politically active in this county. I’ve heard the “common wisdom” that an openly gay candidate, regardless of qualifications, can’t win public office in Hillsborough County. I don’t believe that reflects the mainstream opinion, though it may reflect the small constituency that has traditionally been politically active here. So I hope coverage like this makes people think about how they want this county to be perceived. No chance we will show up on the list of next “Great Places to Live” until we take more responsiblity for who’s representing us.