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Political Attack Ad Suggests Texas Candidate Is Gay and Voters Should Keep Him Out of Men’s Rooms

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Texas GOP Politics Grow Increasingly Ugly – Republican Denies Allegations That He’s ‘Well Known’ in Houston’s Gay Bars

Briscoe Cain (photo), a tea party candidate for the Texas Legislature who’s received endorsements from several anti-LGBT hate groups, is accused of being a closeted gay man in a campaign flier (below). The attack ad says it was paid for by his Republican opponent. 

Incumbent GOP state Rep. Wayne Smith, 72, denies he’s behind the flier targeting the 31-year-old Cain, Smith’s challenger in the May 24 Republican Primary runoff.

Cain, meanwhile, denies the allegations in the flier, which states that he’s “well known to those who frequent Montrose area night clubs and gay bars.” Montrose is Houston’s gay neighborhood, and the district covers the city’s eastern suburbs. 

“I’m disgusted by my opponent’s actions,” Cain told The Houston Chronicle, adding that photos of him in the flier are from when he was much younger, and may have been taken from a friend’s MySpace page. 

The photos show Cain, who’s now married to a woman, playing beer pong at an unspecified venue, licking the ear of a nude male statue, and lounging shirtless in snorkeling gear. There’s also a photo of two men kissing outside a park bathroom. 

“Houston voters want to keep men out of women’s locker rooms and restrooms,” the flier states. “District 128 votes should keep Briscoe Cain out of the men’s restrooms as well.” 

The flier says Smith “will author and pass legislation to keep men out of women’s locker rooms and restrooms all across Texas.” 

“On May 24th Say NO to indecency,” the flier states. “Say NO to Briscoe Cain.” 

Smith denied any knowledge of the flier, and Allen Blakemore, a spokesman for Smith’s campaign, suggested that Cain is actually the one circulating it.    

“In a last gasp attempt to breathe life into his latest attempt at political office, the Briscoe Cain campaign’s most recent publicity stunt now includes rumors of a malicious mailer,” Blakemore said, adding that Cain is “starved for support and the attention of the voters” and is reaching “to the media for a life preserver.”

Cain outpaced Smith in the March 1 GOP primary, 48 percent to 43 percent, but since neither received more than half of votes, they’ll meet again in Tuesday’s runoff. 

Right-wingers have accused Smith, an establishment Republican and top lieutenant for moderate GOP House Speaker Joe Straus, of not being sufficiently conservative. And Cain’s endorsement list reads like a who’s-who of anti-LGBT groups and activists, including the National Organization for Marriage, Texas Values, the Texas Eagle Forum and Conservative Republicans of Texas. 

On his campaign website, Cain calls for standing up to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, protecting so-called “religious freedom” and cutting off funding for cities with LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances. In March, he posted this to Twitter:

Dr. Steve Hotze, the prominent anti-LGBT activist who heads Conservative Republicans of Texas, told the Chronicle that when he learned of the flier, he contacted Cain, who assured him the accusations are baseless. 

“I’ve known Briscoe for years and I take him for his word,” Hotze said. “It’s such a despicable piece, so sleazy … but it’s politics, for crying out loud. That’s how it works.” 

 

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Reporters Reveal Some Republicans Don’t Understand What a Default Means – and Don’t Believe the Debt Ceiling Is Real

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CNN’s Jim Acosta and John Avlon compared notes on Republicans speaking on raising the debt ceiling over the weekend only to realize that the far-right members refuse to support the deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden.

Acosta cited an interview he conducted Saturday with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who said he’s voted for shutdowns and would vote again this week.

After ranting about cutting spending, Acosta said, “Well, you can have the argument about cutting spending during the budget and appropriations process, but as you know, Congressman, the U.S. has never missed making payments on its bills before. In the last 45 years, Congress has raised the debt ceiling 65 times. So, again, I go back to the question: is it responsible — I understand what you’re saying about how much your daughter spends, but we’re not talking about $15. We’re talking about the American economy. Is it responsible to be the deciding vote to send the country into default?”

Burchett claimed that the country wasn’t going to be sent into default. He crafted a conspiracy that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kept changing the date the U.S. default would happen.

“Nobody is, as the young people say, nobody has provided the receipts. Nobody has called her into Washington and said, ‘Show us the math on this,'” he said.

Yellen works at the Treasury Department, which is in Washington.

Burchett also had his own math, saying that if they cut the budget spending to the 2022 levels, the country would be in a surplus. The House passed a massive defense spending package that would have required cuts from other places.

“All they’re doin’ right now is scarin’ people,” Burchett claimed. “They’re talkin’ about cutting programs that have no need other than political cronyism, we’re tellin’ our seniors — and the Democrats will, and I get it — they’re tellin’ the seniors they’re gonna be cut. Veterans are gonna be cut. And nothing can be farther (sic) from the truth. And that’s just the reality of politics.”

The reason Democrats were citing cuts to seniors and veterans goes back to the Republican Party budget bill that required cuts to seniors and veterans. That’s because returning to the 2022 budget levels means making cuts to increases already passed by Congress.

Acosta turned back to Burchett to ask if he believed the debt ceiling wasn’t real.

“I think the debt ceiling is — it’s just a creative thing to hold us into responsible — into check,” said Burchett.

Avlon cited Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who claimed he refused to sign a bill that would bankrupt the economy.

“Well, hold it right there,” said Avlon. “I mean, if you let the country default on its debt, that’s functionally the same thing.”

An annoyed Avlon was frustrated the process was even something allowed to happen.

“It’s a fact, Congress has to control the pursestrings. So, frankly, someone should figure out the 14th Amendment side of this because I think this is not the way we’re supposed to play ball, the greatest nation in the world constantly every couple of years when there’s a Democratic president flirting with defaulting on our debt because it’s fiscal policy by extortion,” said Avlon. “This is a win to the extent that we came up to a bipartisan agreement, but this is not the way the greatest nation in the world should conduct its fiscal policy. It’s ridiculous. And it didn’t happen when Donald Trump was president because Democrats worked with Republicans to ensure the debt ceiling was raised three times.”

See the discussion below or at the link here.

Image: GOP Rep. Tim Burchett

 

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‘Start the Kevin McCarthy Death-Clock’ After Biden Wins Debt Ceiling Battle: Rick Wilson

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Appearing late Saturday night on MSNBC after it was announced that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had reached an agreement “in principle’ on a budget deal, former GOP strategist Rick Wilson claimed this could be the beginning of the end for McCathy’s speakership.

Sitting in on a panel with guest host Michael Steele, Wilson suggested that McCarthy’s decision to compromise with the president to avoid a default that would spin the economy into chaos will not go over well with far-right members of his House caucus who could make a motion to “vacate the chair” to express their displeasure.

Asked by host Steel about what comes next, Wilson stated it was a win for the White House which will not make conservatives happy.

RELATED: ‘Crazy cuckoo MAGA people’ could sink debt ceiling deal: Dem strategist

“Great night for Joe Biden, great night for the White House even though I think their messaging has been kind of tentative the past few weeks” the Lincoln Project founder began. “I think though we are now going to start the Kevin McCarthy death-clock. He has certainly got a very angry part of his caucus tonight who probably burning up his phone no matter how good it is for the country not to default.”

“It’s not going to please the chaos caucus in the GOP,” he added.

Watch below or at the link:

 

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Debt Ceiling: McCarthy Faces ‘Lingering Anger’ and a Possible Revolt as Far-Right House Members Start Issuing Threats

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As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to negotiate a deal to avoid a debt crisis, members of the far-right Freedom Caucus are growing furious with him over broken promises he made to them.

According to MSNBC political analyst Steve Benen, with a slim GOP majority in the House, McCarthy is walking a tightrope to get a budget deal passed and may need help from House Democrats if members of his caucus refuse to go along with him.

As Benen points out, in order to win the speakership McCarthy agreed to an easier path for a motion to “vacate the chair” which could end his tenure as Speaker. That could come into play if the Freedom Caucus stages a revolt.

“… as the negotiations approach an apparent finish line, the House Republicans’ most radical faction is learning that it isn’t likely to get everything its members demanded — and for the Freedom Caucus, that’s not going to work,” he wrote in his MSNBC column.

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Trump in danger of heightened espionage charges after bombshell report: legal expert

Citing a Washington Times report that stated, “[Freedom Caucus members] want everything from the debt limit bill passed by the House last month plus several new concessions from the White House,” Benen suggested far-right House Republicans are now issuing veiled threats.

In an interview, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stated, “I am going to have to go have some blunt conversations with my colleagues and the leadership team. I don’t like the direction they are headed.”

With Politico reporting, “The [House Freedom Caucus] was already unlikely to support a final bipartisan deal, but lingering anger with Kevin McCarthy could have lasting implications on his speakership,” Benen added, “If this is simply a matter of lingering ill-will from members who come to believe that GOP leaders ‘caved,’ the practical consequences might be limited. But let’s also not forget that McCarthy, while begging his own members for their support during his protracted fight for the speaker’s gavel, agreed to tweak the motion-to-vacate-the-chair rules, which at least in theory, would make it easier for angry House Republicans to try to oust McCarthy from his leadership position.”

Adding the caveat that he is not predicting an imminent McCarthy ouster he added, “But if the scope of the Freedom Caucus’ discontent reaches a fever pitch, a hypothetical deal clears thanks to significant Democratic support, don’t be surprised if we all start hearing the phrase ‘vacate the chair” a lot more frequently.”

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