The "Wink wink, nudge nudge" campaign

Waldo Jaquith has pointed something out to me. My earlier post covered the perception that Jerry Kilgore is gay. Whether or not this has to do with Kilgore's accent seems to be the question that keeps popping up.

What has not been addressed is whether this matters. Jerry Kilgore is married with two children. Does Kilgore sound effeminate? Perhaps to some. But not all will feel this way. There may be many that perceive Kilgore's "effeminate" voice as an accent. This probably will not be a threat to Kilgore. It appears that the first ones to take notice of Kilgore's voice were liberals, or at least the first ones to call attention to what they perceived. But it will become apparent very quickly that this is a question that did not need to be asked. This "wink wink, nudge nudge" tactic is nothing but dirty, negative politics, and if this question ever hits the mainstream, it'll be outed as such very rapidly. Until someone can unequivocally prove that Jerry Kilgore has performed a homosexual act, or at least give a better excuse than "he sounds gay", this question needs to be laid to rest immediately.

UPDATE 4:45 PM: Waldo Jaquith has tried to seperate himself from this subject. After writing this post, I found that he had posted something similar. While I doubt that Jaquith will be voting for Kilgore, I applaud him for taking the high road here.

In today’s Cavalier Daily, columnist Mike Slaven does a fantastic job of critiquing the meaning, origin, ethics, and effects of this week’s dust-up over Kilgore’s voice. His best point — and I agree strongly — is that the Kaine campaign ought to have nothing to do with any buzz about Kilgore’s speaking style. It’s beneath him, and it’s beneath a proper campaign. Secondarily, I very much agree with his point regarding claims that Kilgore is gay: it’s not just morally wrong for Democrats, but it’s plainly factually wrong, what with his being married with kids.