Newsweek engaged itself deeper in the battle for nationalized health care by turning over its cover story -- “We're Almost There” -- to Senator Ted Kennedy for his lengthy personal recitation of “the cause of my life.” ABC and NBC on Sunday night dutifully championed his cause as World News anchor Dan Harris highlighted how “Kennedy is using his own battle against brain cancer to make an emotional pitch for health care reform” and NBC reporter Mike Viqueira touted:
Today, another dramatic push, this time from an ailing Ted Kennedy, absent from Washington but appearing on the cover of Newsweek and writing: “This is the cause of my life. We will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.”
This wasn't the first time NBC has enlisted Kennedy to trumpet Obama's quest. Back in early March when the White House held a summit on health care, reporter Chuck Todd appropriated the coach who inspired “win one for the Gipper” by touting on NBC Nightly News how “the President's drive to pass health care got a Knute Rockne-like boost with a surprise appearance” by Kennedy.
Though this weekend was the 40th anniversary of Chappaquiddick, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts haven't uttered a syllable about it.
The short item from Harris on Sunday's World News:
Senator Ted Kennedy is using his own battle against brain cancer to make an emotional pitch for health care reform. Writing in Newsweek, Kennedy called it “the cause of my life.” He said “every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. Senators are entitled to.”
The July 19 NBC Nightly News showcased Kennedy in a larger story from Viqueira on the challenges ahead for Obama on health care. Picking up mid-way:
It's clear the votes aren't yet there for the President, so over the last week he's used his bully pulpit day after day to tell his plan, waging an all-out campaign to gain support, huddling with Democratic leaders and undecided Senators. And, after vulnerable Democrats raised red flags over the new tax and its impact on small business, warning it could “kill the goose that will lay the golden eggs of our recovery,” the very next day found them all marching into the West Wing – invited to come vent their concerns to top staff.And today, another dramatic push, this time from an ailing Ted Kennedy, absent from Washington but appearing on the cover of Newsweek and writing: “This is the cause of my life. We will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.” And, [anchor] Carl [Quintanilla] , in another indication of the high stakes here, the President plans to have a formal prime time news conference in the White House's East Room on Wednesday evening.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center





















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
“This is the cause of my
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 19:58 ET by Gat New York“This is the cause of my life. We will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.”
At least he had a life. Something Mary Jo Kopechne never had.
Let's hear it for "the gipper" (small letters).
Are you surprised that they
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 08:06 ET by kgAre you surprised that they didn't mention Mary Jo on the 40th anniversary when justice turned into a travesty?
"DumbAssity of Dope"
Yes, violating the law
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 08:19 ET by BDYes, violating the law seems to be a "Privelege" that the Kennedy Clan is allowed.
Ted's "healthcare"
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:03 ET by iveseenitallI'm sure the bum's been around this long because he has government healthcare. Every week he goes to the government doctor and waits in line. In fact, he goes to the same clinic as Barry and his family. ---RIIIGHT!
NEVER.NEVER trust a "liberal"
How low will the dems go.....
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:06 ET by notinstl.....they are now exploiting a dying guy to pass their travesty onto the rest of us......I fell sorry for mr. kennedy battling his illness.....probabbly as bad as he felt when Mary Jo was battling for her last breath........
This is a plain
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:09 ET by bigtimerThis is a plain outrage.
Despicable, deplorable, disgusting, and I would use the word disgraceful here, but won't because the people using this to gain favor and votes with O-Care/Kennedy-Care do not have an understanding what disgrace means, they could care less, they are in this to win this..however it's accomplished by any means.
They all make me sick, the audacity to do this when all you can think of is Mary Jo right off, boy, she would have loved some of that Teddy Boy's Health Care as she stayed in an air-pocket waiting for her hero to came rescue her until she died.
The State Run Media are pure slime....arm in arm with the leftists on the O-Team and those in congress in any way shape or form.
Soros has to be grinning.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Well there you go....
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:21 ET by MidAmericaWell there you go.... Ted kennedy is for it so the rest of us should just shut and accept it.
I'm getting behind The Swimmer
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:19 ET by SickofLibsScrew those ugly wind mills, too!
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:23 ET by MidAmericaIf I had ever been for Obama
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:42 ET by d1carterIf I had ever been for Obama care, I would be against it now...
Celebrate the 40th?
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:54 ET by slickwillie2001If Teddy wants to generate some sympathy, maybe he should dig up his neck brace from 1969 and wear that to the White House Wednesday.
Any normal person would hide in a closet during the week of the 40th Anniversary of murdering someone.
sw.... Exactly why I was
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:15 ET by bigtimersw....
Exactly why I was outraged above, the left have zilch for any type of values...real values, pride, shame, class, it is unbelievable at times.
The audacity is here is shameless.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Maybe mortality weighs heavily on Kennedy now...
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:00 ET by SlyrrPerhaps now, as Kennedy is visibly drawing near to the end of an entire lifetime engaged in successful villainy, he's feeling that maybe, just MAYBE he did some things that he's going to have to pay a price for in the hereafter.
And perhaps he's more worried about that right now than he is about helping his villainous consorts pass their tyrannical 'Tax-I-Care' communist medical bill.
We'll see...
Can you please stop trying to be a nanny?
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:14 ET by UnsaneHey Ted, last time I read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, "decent, quality health care" was NOT mentioned as a fundamental right.
Nowhere in those documents is the government called on to coddle, pamper, spoil, and baby the citizenry.
Neither are access to food, water, clothing and shelter, things I need WAY AHEAD of health care. Without those things, health care becomes the least of my worries, in fact.
So QUIT TRYING TO BABY ME.
By the way, judging by the Postal Service, schools, and other things the government is involved in, the LAST thing you do to ensure people get "decent, quality health care" is through the government.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
So Kennedy says “every
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:45 ET by motherbeltSo Kennedy says “every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. Senators are entitled to.”
Really, Senator? Then we don't need a complicated, 1000 or 1500 page bill, regulating every little item. Just pass a bill saying the Senate plan is now available to every American who wants to buy into it, subsidies provided for those in need.
I'd go for that. Hell,
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:52 ET by GottafangI'd go for that. Hell, I'd go for a little check box on the form you fill out when you select a benefit plan at your employer's that says, "Do you want to make a $10.00 per month donation to the Health Plan Subsidy Fund?" and just add it to your monthly premium. If your benefits come out pre-tax, you'll probably never miss it.
Just a thought. . .
Swim one for the Gipper.
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:13 ET by SickofLibsSwim one for the Gipper.
Healthcare is not a right
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:22 ET by KC MulvilleHere's a fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives: conservatives deny that everything good is a right.
In the fog of rhetoric, politicians claim so many things as a "right." They tell us that we all have a right to decent housing, and quality healthcare, and a well-paying job, etc. (Not to mention two chickens in every pot.) Of course, it's certainly true that these things are crucial to a decent standard of living.
But that's the difference:
When conservatives deny that these are rights, liberals claim that conservatives want to "deny" these goods to the poor. The liberals charge conservatives with being "heartless." They portray conservatives as racist white men who want to hoard all good things for themselves.
It all starts with that fundamental liberal misunderstanding about what a right is. This isn't just an honest disagreement, where two theories diverge. Liberals are simply wrong. Healthcare isn't a right. A job isn't a right. A house isn't a right. These things aren't rights, they're motives. This is why we drag our sorry asses off to work, and why we keep our mouth shut when we'd love to scream about how stupid bureaucracies are. The pursuit of these things is what drives people to work hard and stay disciplined.
Walter Williams wrote this
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:38 ET by motherbeltWalter Williams wrote this column way back in 2002....and it's still true today, even though some would have us think times have changed.
Rights Vs. Wishes
Edward Kennedy never worried
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:40 ET by IamTinmanEdward Kennedy never worried about anyone but Edward Kennedy his entire life and isn't about to start now. This is just a way to get a memorial since there will never be a Ted Kennedy Presidential Library.
This Spoiled son of a nazi sympathiser, womanizing lush, only reached and kept his seat in the senate by massive use of Daddy Joes money and his brothers memory. However since he is a member of the Kennedy family and the democrat left, he will be praised by many and mourned by few!
As VP Biden
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:42 ET by Dingbatwould say, 3 words: Mary Jo.
That this a$$hole would speak out on the anniversary of his killing Mary Jo (with ZERO punishment) removes any inhibitions I have as to say I am looking forward to him being water boarded by St Pete.
Could Ted Make it as NASCAR driver?
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 21:49 ET by RightsBelieverHe does bail out of cars in nothing flat..
His life task should have been to get enhanced 911 capabilities and rescue squads, Mary Jo would understand, don't you think so?
Just another hypocrite in office.
Nobody says nothing better than Obama.
JWF is dying and he wants everyone to know the cause of his life
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 22:05 ET by JWF"Stop Ted Kennedy"
Sorry, Ted, but "rights" don't cost money...
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 22:33 ET by R D Helm...especially other people's money.
And I am still digging around in the Constitution trying to find where it authorizes other people to use the police powers of government to force me, at the point of a gun, to pay for their health care.
So far, I have found exactly zilch.
-Dave
"...stimulus plan is 'working exactly as we had anticipated.'" - PrezBO
The Swimmer...
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 22:15 ET by AgentAmericanMy younger brother had three brain tumors before he succumbed to cancer. My parents had a hard time paying for his medical care during the final 3 1/2 years of his life.
Ted Kennedy is no other than THE disgusting swimming Senator from Commuchusetts who has all kinds of the best medical care available to that fat bastard. F**k him. (I'm sounding like those heathens at the Daily Ko**s*ckers).
Every time I read the details of what happened in Martha's Vineyard while three of the best men ever were en route to the Moon, my blood boils. We'll never know the details of what happened in that car just before that fat bastard decided to take it for a dip.
And exactly 40 years later, he's on the cover of Newsweak, touting what appears to be a failed ObamaCare. Fat bastard...'scuse my French.
2010: A GOP Hill
I will make Kennedy a
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 23:02 ET by USA4freedomI will make Kennedy a deal.
He can have “our health care program”
If we can have his..
“This is the cause of my life. We will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.”
Hey if you had the healthcare that you are trying to shove up our A$$ you would not even be alive..
So from all of us.. To the royal family: Bite us!
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Amen! Doubling down on
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 23:09 ET by bigtimerAmen!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
AA.... I just wanted you
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 23:11 ET by bigtimerAA....
I just wanted you to know the sorrow I feel for you and your family over the terrible loss of your brother.
I also agree with your anger and sentiments...I understand it, really I do...you are not alone.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
just say no
Sun, 07/19/2009 - 23:55 ET by RousseWho among us, wants to bet his life on a Kennedy "health care plan?" Of course we won't have the same health plant that Ted Kennedy enjoys, as an esteemed member of Congress. I guess we'll all have to run for office, huh. Send your post cards now: just say NO to socialized medicine---it's unhealthy for children and other living things.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part-Tom Petty
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 00:11 ET by sergeant stogieI was just curious. Exactly how long did Senator Kennedy have to wait to receive medical attention for his condition? How long will Joe Blow civilian have to wait under Obama-care? I'd venture to say that most folks will die waiting to see a (read any, not their own) doctor for a similar diagnosis. Unless you're a member of "the ruling party".
Ultimately, that's a big
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 02:08 ET by Seabeach4348Ultimately, that's a big part of Obozo-Care: hopefully the patient will die before he or she gets treatment. Receiving treatment uses up resources and costs the system.
Regarding Uncle Ted: they're waiting for him in Hell, and he can take those damn windmills along with him.
I encourage Sen Kennedy to
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 03:26 ET by hurricane567I encourage Sen Kennedy to have the nation of Cuba operate on his brain tumor.
Ted Kennedy ALREADY DEAD under UK type health
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 03:54 ET by Jack BauerI know its bad taste to report the truth about an overweight recovering alcoholic, 77 year old man with a brain tumor, but here goes.
Under the government run, nationalized healthcare system he wants to force on his fellow 'mercins, like they have in the UK , Kennedy would be dead by now.
The thing is, in an institutionalized government rationing system, a 77 year old man doesn't even get on the list for an MRI for a diagnosis -- and if he does, it's back of the line.
That's the truth. But Teddy will always get preferential treatment.
Now if he really had priciples, he would have declined the offer of treatment last year, because THOSE END OF LIFE DECISIONS ARE JUST SO TOUGH... aren't they Mr Obama?
By the liberal definition
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 08:36 ET by freecitizenBy the liberal definition of Rights, shouldn't the government buy me a gun for my right to bear arms. Shouldn't they provide me a soapbox for my right to free speech. Heck, they also need to provide me with my own media outlet for my right to a free press.
Oh wait, these are actual rights as explicitly defined in the Constitution, so by liberal definition these rights don't really exist.
Liberal: remove all that's Right, and this is what's Left.
This "man" is a cold blooded murderer
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 08:39 ET by political mavenIt is breathtaking (pun intended) that the media totally ignores what this evil man did to Mary Jo.
The state run media makes Pravda , in its heyday, look balanced.
By omitting key stories, and repeating key lies,it engages in Nazi and Communist like propaganda.
to quote Goebbels:
The public as a whole is unable to comprehend complicated issues. It is thus
important to create catchy slogans and phrases that are easy to remember and put
your position in the most favorable terms. Goebbels wrote, "...the rank and file
are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore
always be essentially simple and repetitious"
Fight back...
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 08:56 ET by Georgia GirlI'm more and more convinced that the only way to fight back against all the propoganda that goes out to get Obama everything he wants is to get is to flood our state reps. The House and Senate need to feel like they may have something to lose (their jobs), to fight against Obama. It's starting to happen a little bit already, and we all can do something so simple -- make a phone call or send an email voicing our concerns/upset on any given topic -- such as healthcare. They will listen to their constituents over Obama, and that is the key.
I went on the Web to get every state's reps (phone numbers and also if you click on the names, it will automatically go to their email address, so you can compose a message to them).
Here it is:
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm
history does repeat
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:04 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADO80-90 years ago there was a mesmerizing speaker, ultimate solutions,etc. Sound familiar to anyone?
I happen to agree with you Lew...
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:19 ET by RightsBelieverGood speaker, wanted change and reform from the Versaille Treaty, wasn't it?...Depression in the nation, starvation (not that we're starving in the similarity) used thuggery to get started..sounds REALLY familiar. Another arm of "support" that was political and not the army or the police...hmmmm..who would remember that one?
Nobody says nothing better than Obama.
This will never happen unless the senate changes
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 09:26 ET by JTPit's health care plan to what the average "citizen" can get.
He said “every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. Senators are entitled to.”
"Live for yourself...there's no one else more worth living for.
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more"- Rush--Anthem
healthcare or lack thereof
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 10:56 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADOIf ted kennedy was an ordinary Citizen, he would already be dead because at his age he would be denied all treatment under nobamacare.
what do we have to lose?
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:00 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADOSince they are going to kill us off under nobamacare, I have nothing left to lose-I would rather go down fighting.
Can I ask you a very simple
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:17 ET by mandrakeCan I ask you a very simple and direct question? What exactly has changed in your life since Obama was elected? Be clear,
A few things
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:54 ET by UnsaneI am now responsible for ever more debt (no, I don't give a damn if it is owed to China, Japan, India, or to the kid down the street who used the money from his lemonade stand sales to buy savings bonds).
I now own a few banks as a taxpayer rather than a shareholder.
I now own two auto makers as a taxpayer rather than a shareholder.
I am looking at replacing my truck over the next year and now have fewer dealerships to shop at as one was forced to close in my hometown.
I am routinely embarrassed around the world by people in the Executive branch running arond the world telling people "I'M SORRY" when I feel no such sentiment.
This is for starters. The budget hasn't kicked in yet, and it will.
Of course, mandrake, the premise of your question is that we should stop whining about His Majesty The Shahinshah and just wait for Him to work His Socialist magic, because, after all, Socialism is wonderful and after He is done turning the United States into a whiny Nanny State, we well all ove it and we will ALL be Happy Little Socialists happily ever after.
Now what, by August 1, 2006 (a comparable time period having passed) exactly changed in your life since PM Harper was elected?
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Unsane
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 12:23 ET by mandrake"Now what, by August 1, 2006 (a comparable time period having passed) exactly changed in your life since PM Harper was elected? "
Actually, not much that I can attribute to the government. I've gotten a few tax breaks. I don't feel embarassed by the actions of my government and I don't own any banks. Sorry about the car dealership closing down..come up here and see Billy..I'll put in a good word for you ;)
Oh yea, I did bust up my left leg pretty good..but it was all taken care of and didn't cost me a penny.
But it DID cost you
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 13:02 ET by UnsaneOh yea, I did bust up my left leg pretty good..but it was all taken care of and didn't cost me a penny. And you wonder why I don't think economics is taught in Canada.
There is NO SUCH THING as a free lunch, mandrake. That broken leg DID cost you...unless you are one of those lucky souls that do not pay any taxes whatsoever. And even then, you are still punishing and stealing from other Canadian taxpayers for your misfortune.
And Canadians are on average C$7200 poorer than their American counterparts. All so you can completely baby the elderly and the poor and NOT have to be bothered with silly things like personal charity. Why be charitable when you can alleviate your conscious by stealing from other citizens legally?
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
But But But..
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 13:36 ET by mandrakeIn the years before I retiired, I estimate I must have paid around 0.5 million in taxes.(no I'm not going to go back and add it all up) Does that count for a contribution to the society in which I live or am I just another thief?
So you're the guy.
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 13:50 ET by JWFSo you the only guy that ever paid taxes. Well good for you.
No one called you a thief. We are just asking how your busted leg suddenly becomes our responsibility just because you paid taxes along with the rest of us that have been in the workforce our entire adult life.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Actually, Unsane did call
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 14:09 ET by mandrakeActually, Unsane did call me a thief. Read the quote below.
"Why be charitable when you can alleviate your conscious by stealing from other citizens legally?
Aw, c'mon...
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 21:40 ET by UnsaneC'mon, give me a little credit. You are a thief and a victim of thievery. Welcome to Socialism.
And of course, you miss JWF's point about how you think your messed-up leg is somehow the problem of every Canadian from Beaver Creek to Stephenville, and not your very own (or your family's) problem to solve...just as I never asked anyone other than me to cure me of pneumonia some years back.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Looks like pinhead has problems with english.
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 02:27 ET by JWFHe has problems with the word legally.
He is most certainly a time thief, wating our time, in addition to stealing our tax money.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
On mandrake
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 05:38 ET by UnsaneHe's also from Toronto, which means he truly believes he has an unalienable right to a doctor because he was born.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
pinhead has problems with
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 10:19 ET by mandrakepinhead has problems with english?
What does the word "wating" mean ;)
That's rich coming from a
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 15:17 ET by fitzfongThat's rich coming from a guy who doesn't even know that the "e" in "English" is capitalized.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
..
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 03:53 ET by JWFwrong post.
Congratulations!
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 14:01 ET by UnsaneFor many of those loonies you were a victim of other people's thievery.
I paid close to $200 for a doctor's visit a few weeks ago for a bit of preventative maintenance. That will probably be the only money I spend on a doctor the entire year. And just as I do not expect my neighbors to pay for my groceries, I do not expect them to pay for my doctor. Nor will I ever ask.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 11:05 ET by jessieHThe sooner he dies, the sooner Mary Jo can rest in peace. Never did like Kennedy. He thought he was better than anybody else.
It is amazing how the press
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 12:07 ET by fitzfongIt is amazing how the press has been so successful time-and-time again in attaching phony sympathy (and thus destructive action) to this pathetic excuse for a human being...dead, dying or alive. The Republicans have been complicit in turning this murderous POS into a "venerable leader" by treating him better than the subhuman scum that he is. I suppose it's easier to go along to get along with this bloated gasbag than to have to worry about being fitted for cement shoes.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
Ted can afford a brain
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:51 ET by RR GOPTed can afford a brain tranplant on his own dime (not a bad idea actually). Someone with his wealth, fame and connections has nothing whatsoever to do with the health and financial concerns of the Average Joe....that goes for far more than just health care BTW.
But, it's the Average Joes up there in Taxachusetts that have been voting him back in time and time again so I assume most of them will buy this pitch.
Maybe when the supply of Kennedys has dried up and more conservative types take their place, people would be astonished (though loathe to admit it) at how much better off their states and their lives are down the road.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
Sorry, couldn't pass up an opening for a joke...
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:25 ET by RightsBelieverTed can afford a brain transplant on his own dime (not a bad idea actually).
Do you know how expensive it is to get just a fraction of a percent of a brain from Congress??..even this country can't afford that!
Nobody says nothing better than Obama.
Guess She Doesn't Have the Gay Gene After All...
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:00 ET by RR GOP...oh, that's right...such a gene doesn't exist after (real) research.
These are confused people that have had messed up childhoods, and/or bad straight relationships. They don't know what they're about emotionally and sexually and homosexuality is a comfy place for them to run to...and maybe leave later on when they figure out that's not really where they want to be.
If you have severe hang ups concerning the opposite sex, what are you going to do? Many have a deep need for a sexual/pseudo-romantic connection with another person so they'll settle with the same sex out of desperation.
To me it's the same mentality where (women usually it seems) hook up with the same abusive loser time and time again.
What the flamers have done is turn this into something preferable to heterosexuality...a superior alternative if you will...and along with it the support of Liberalism, the media and legislators.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).