Blog and Media reaction to the McGreevey Story

How are people reacting? How is the press covering it? I've read a number of blog comments here (my own and others) and elsewhere, criticizing McGreevey, saying that he basically said you can't be gay and be Governor. I have to take that back. That's not what he said. "It makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations."

The television media has been pretty good on this, developing the story more and showing it's complex, and that he's leaving office not because he's gay, but because of political scandals. Both NewsNight and John Stewart took it a step further, both openly asking the question whether he could have held onto the office if the story were only his sexuality. NewsNight said this: "But we wonder in this day and age if a 47 year old married father of two who realizes he is gay could make such an announcement without being forced to leave political office. And we wonder also will the day come, ever, when he could." So do I.

I didn't see it but Keith Olberman on MSNBC evidently ran McGreevey's entire speech on his show last night. Good for him, it had the depth and honesty to stand on it own, and it was amazing political theater.

This morning, it was the top story again, pretty much a redux of last night's coverage. ABC's Good Morning America did a series of interviews with women who had been married to gay men for years and didn't know it - interesting take. CNN's American Morning's Question of the Day. Who will be elected president first, a gay man, an African American, or a woman? That gets right at it.

The Crawl: on the news networks and morning shows, however, the crawl so far has been pretty thin, mostly NJ Gov. McGreevey Gay, Had Affair with Another Man, Resigns. This is potentially a very big problem - if you see the crawl on a network not telling the whole story CALL THEM.

And a public thank you to Arianna Huffington who has been everywhere on this (CNN's Anderson Cooper last night, Keith Olberman's show on MSNBC, Nightline, and again on CNN's American Morning) talking about her personal experience with her husband, and then using the McGreevey story to champion gay marriage. If you see her and agree, send her a note on her blog.

Here's how print is covering it:

NY Times: New Jersey Governor Resigns, Disclosing a Gay Affair

Washington Post - two items:
A GREAT essay: The Closet Case, Left Without a Room of His Own

N.J. Governor Resigns Over Gay Affair

Boston Globe:
N.J. governor resigns, citing affair with man - powerful picture of his wife at his side and his father behind him with this story.

NY Post - cover story:
Gay blackmail scandal - I'M OUT - McGreevey quits over secret affair with male aide

Chicago Sun-Times:
N.J. gov says he’s gay, resigns - I really don't like this headline.

LA Times:
N.J. Governor Quits Over Gay Affair - another headline that I hate.

JTA - a good background on how McGreevey met his lover.

I bring up the headlines and the crawl because the last thing that the gay community needs right now is the public seeing this as a "gay" resignation, not the political scandal that it really is.