"If I had my druthers, we wouldn’t be doing this."
September 12, 2023 9:10 AM Subscribe
Tim Scott's Girlfriend (slWaPo)
This episode is so gross, yet so amusing, because Scott himself is playing the part so willingly. No sane person gives a fuck, but it's so tremendously important for him to not turn out gay that he has to insist he's got a girlfriend, like some insecure junior high kid. He gives off the vibe that he's trying to conjour one up as quickly as possible, because he's under pressure to do so. One more leadership opportunity passed on because of the shittiness of primarily his own party, impressing approximately nobody.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:29 AM on September 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by 2N2222 at 9:29 AM on September 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
I confused Tim Scott for Tom Scott before clicking through the article and was briefly confused.
posted by Carillon at 9:55 AM on September 12, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by Carillon at 9:55 AM on September 12, 2023 [11 favorites]
Maybe he has a girlfriend in Canada?
That would also be political poison for a Republican Presidential Candidate as Canada is a well-known Socialist haven
posted by chavenet at 10:13 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
That would also be political poison for a Republican Presidential Candidate as Canada is a well-known Socialist haven
posted by chavenet at 10:13 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
Or he might be asexual.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 10:19 AM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 10:19 AM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
"At the same time, the whole exchange left me intrigued about how voter interest (or lack thereof) in Scott’s love life (or lack thereof) might illuminate the politics of marriage, family and masculinity in today’s GOP." The author is clearly trying to rise above the sleaziness of the basic question. (He doesn't succeed, but half-credit for trying.)
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:34 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:34 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
The striking thing is that when he first appeared on the political scene, he made kind of a big deal of his virginity and his belief that "love waits". In a way, his own statements and political history have made this an issue.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:37 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by mr_roboto at 10:37 AM on September 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
(Oh hello, it looks like my earlier comment was removed. Just a reminder: The default assumption that a public figure is straight is heteronormative. There is nothing sleazy or insulting about speculating that someone might be gay, in itself; there is, however, a silent, implicit homophobia in assuming everyone is straight until proven guilty. I guess, even though this issue directly affects me as one of his queer constituents, I will bow out of the thread.)
posted by mittens at 10:57 AM on September 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by mittens at 10:57 AM on September 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
From the article: "(And let’s just get this out of the way: This is not a wink-wink story that uses “single” in place of “gay.” Despite the retrograde assumptions people still like to make about wifeless men of a certain age, there really is nothing to suggest that Scott is anything other than a confirmed bachelor in the most literal sense of the phrase.) ... Scott is not gay, DeCasper [his close friend and campaign manager] told me, and nobody who knows him suggested otherwise. ... “The joke has always been that he is secretly gay or something,” the unnamed operative told me. “I don’t really buy that. But he’s got an interesting history.”
There should be no default assumption of heterosexuality. But in this case we have a man who says he is dating a woman and whose close friend says he is straight. Suggesting or claiming that they are all lying does seem sleazy, especially since he has been the subject of "jokes" that he is gay.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:02 AM on September 12, 2023
There should be no default assumption of heterosexuality. But in this case we have a man who says he is dating a woman and whose close friend says he is straight. Suggesting or claiming that they are all lying does seem sleazy, especially since he has been the subject of "jokes" that he is gay.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:02 AM on September 12, 2023
Mod note: Two comments deleted. Please avoid making light jokes in a serious discussion and avoid huge generalizations by calling states "backwards".
posted by loup (staff) at 11:18 AM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by loup (staff) at 11:18 AM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
I forget who it is...Cory Booker?...I know there's some single Democrat politician who isn't married, I think he was supposedly dating Rosario Dawson or something. I don't remember hearing that guy really get crap for it. But with the Republicans hating Teh Gay (hm, on another note, how's Lindsey Graham doing?), I'm not surprised they're wondering about this dude.
Notable moments from this article:
(And let’s just get this out of the way: This is not a wink-wink story that uses “single” in place of “gay.” Despite the retrograde assumptions people still like to make about wifeless men of a certain age, there really is nothing to suggest that Scott is anything other than a confirmed bachelor in the most literal sense of the phrase.)
It may say something about our current political moment that Scott’s opponents might see an opportunity to damage him with a sexless scandal.
He wouldn’t tell me her name, and the campaign declined to make her available to chat, even off the record. Technically I can’t verify that she exists, except to note that for a presidential campaign to essentially reverse-catfish America would be insane. (By way of corroboration, DeCasper offered that she’s personally hung out with her at the zoo.)
I can't blame a guy for wanting his girlfriend to have a private life unless there's a reason to not have one if that's real, but it does seem extremely Girlfriend in Canada here. He could be gay, or asexual, or just not care all that much about chasing nookie. But all of those things are probably too weird for the Republican party, so fake girlfriend it is! Possibly! Who knows?
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:01 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Notable moments from this article:
(And let’s just get this out of the way: This is not a wink-wink story that uses “single” in place of “gay.” Despite the retrograde assumptions people still like to make about wifeless men of a certain age, there really is nothing to suggest that Scott is anything other than a confirmed bachelor in the most literal sense of the phrase.)
It may say something about our current political moment that Scott’s opponents might see an opportunity to damage him with a sexless scandal.
He wouldn’t tell me her name, and the campaign declined to make her available to chat, even off the record. Technically I can’t verify that she exists, except to note that for a presidential campaign to essentially reverse-catfish America would be insane. (By way of corroboration, DeCasper offered that she’s personally hung out with her at the zoo.)
I can't blame a guy for wanting his girlfriend to have a private life unless there's a reason to not have one if that's real, but it does seem extremely Girlfriend in Canada here. He could be gay, or asexual, or just not care all that much about chasing nookie. But all of those things are probably too weird for the Republican party, so fake girlfriend it is! Possibly! Who knows?
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:01 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
(I forget who it is...Cory Booker?...I know there's some single Democrat politician who isn't married, I think he was supposedly dating Rosario Dawson or something.
I don't claim to know what's in anyone's heart, but it seems pretty legit.)
posted by box at 3:44 PM on September 12, 2023
I don't claim to know what's in anyone's heart, but it seems pretty legit.)
posted by box at 3:44 PM on September 12, 2023
Corey Booker is awesome, smart, and a true mensch who shoveled driveways after a blizzard and I really, really hope we see a lot more of him soon on the national stage.
That's the best thing I can add to this thread.
posted by Dashy at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2023 [8 favorites]
That's the best thing I can add to this thread.
posted by Dashy at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2023 [8 favorites]
If this girlfriend could hypothetically become First Lady, the public has a right to know who she is.
posted by girlmightlive at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by girlmightlive at 3:58 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah, but does anyone actually think this guy has a hope in hell of becoming president? Like, really?
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:10 PM on September 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:10 PM on September 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
No, but hypothetically speaking.
posted by girlmightlive at 4:13 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by girlmightlive at 4:13 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
As a queer person, why should I tiptoe around the question of this guy's sexuality when he wants to legislate mine (/me) out of existence? Occam's razor, a fundamentalist Republican who has been mysteriously "single" his whole life until thrust into the spotlight is probably a massive closet case like all the others. I don't have to pretend otherwise because I'm not a WaPo columnist. Next question?
posted by dusty potato at 5:21 PM on September 12, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by dusty potato at 5:21 PM on September 12, 2023 [12 favorites]
This is 0.0000001 percent of the hustle of George Anthony Devolder Santos, who has managed to marry both a woman and a man, although I wouldn't count on the license being real if I were the man in question. He got paid to marry the woman, too!
If I had to guess about Scott he's discreetly gay and his constituents are fine with it because he's from South Carolina and well bred enough, but the problem there is that Trump doesn't need an extra push over the line in South Carolina of all places. If Trump dies or isn't compos mentis they'll throw Youngkin in, if Trump is in a state to run he'll pick a VP from a less dyed-red state, so Scott is faking this woman for nothing.
posted by kingdead at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
If I had to guess about Scott he's discreetly gay and his constituents are fine with it because he's from South Carolina and well bred enough, but the problem there is that Trump doesn't need an extra push over the line in South Carolina of all places. If Trump dies or isn't compos mentis they'll throw Youngkin in, if Trump is in a state to run he'll pick a VP from a less dyed-red state, so Scott is faking this woman for nothing.
posted by kingdead at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
From what I can glean, Nikki Haley is behind this mud slinging. South Carolina politics certainly is strange, isn't it Lindsey Graham?
posted by nofundy at 4:22 AM on September 13, 2023
posted by nofundy at 4:22 AM on September 13, 2023
The whole first spouse thing is weird. I have no idea who our PM is married to. I kinda know she is married, and it isn't a secret who she is married to, but that person plays no part whatsoever in politics.
One of our former PMs married a lady from the opposition, and that was a bit weird, because one couldn't help thinking about how their personal relationship played into their politics. But it was OK.
Relevant to this story, the leader of our local Conservative Party very publicly married a black man, and that sort of fell back on him, not because he was gay or because the husband was black, but because the husband was pretty obviously a male prostitute and a fabulist, to put it politely, and that made voters question the leader's judgement (they have since divorced). But you know, our conservatives are politically more like moderate Democrats than like US conservatives.
posted by mumimor at 5:44 AM on September 13, 2023
One of our former PMs married a lady from the opposition, and that was a bit weird, because one couldn't help thinking about how their personal relationship played into their politics. But it was OK.
Relevant to this story, the leader of our local Conservative Party very publicly married a black man, and that sort of fell back on him, not because he was gay or because the husband was black, but because the husband was pretty obviously a male prostitute and a fabulist, to put it politely, and that made voters question the leader's judgement (they have since divorced). But you know, our conservatives are politically more like moderate Democrats than like US conservatives.
posted by mumimor at 5:44 AM on September 13, 2023
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posted by bluesky43 at 9:17 AM on September 12, 2023 [1 favorite]