Richard Grenell was hired as Mitt Romney’s foreign policy spokesperson three weeks ago. His hiring caused immediate controversy with conservatives who did not like the fact that he was gay and in favor of same sex relationships. With the conservative base in an uproar, Grenell tendered his resignation this week.
Although the Romney campaign has expressed disappointment and said they tried to dissuade Grenell from resigning, the NYT reports, “when he (Grenell) had sought forceful support from those who had entrusted him with a major role, the campaign seemed to be focused, instead, on quieting a political storm that could detract from Mr. Romney’s message and his appeal to a crucial constituency.”
Hardly shocking considering Romney’s pandering
I don’t want to paint Grenell as a hapless victim. He’s taken swipes at high profile leaders in the Republican party and apparently has quite a sharp tongue so no doubt some of the controversy was manufactured political payback. However, if you happen to be a gay man it is hard not to see the venom that the Republican base spewed because this qualified, knowledgeable individual is gay and would like to be able to marry his spouse. This party sickens me.
BosGuy 
Some people in the base are less tolerant than others. Mitt Romney is among the more tolerant, or he would not have picked Grenell in the first place. Unfortunately, Grenell’s tweets lampooning the likes of Rachel Maddow were becoming a liability (though I hardly saw them as misogynistic). The last thing Romney needed was something that would feed into the phony Democrat meme that Republicans are engaged in some sort of “war on women.” Grenell had the grace to realize that he was become a negative factor to the campaign, however unfairly, and bowed out. I admire him for subordinating his personal interests and his ego to the cause, as well as for his foreign policy insights.
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