Ken Mehlman needs to show some foresight, not just hindsight

by David Safier

In 2010, Ken Mehlman, former RNCC chair and anti-gay rights campaigner during the Bush years, came out as gay. He also said he regretted the part he played in the Republicans' anti-gay agenda.

“At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” he says. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful.”

He regrets his past actions. He wants to "do my part to be helpful." So why haven't I seen him on CNN or MSNBC or FOX talking about Obama's statement on gay marriage? If he's made appearances in the major news media, I haven't heard about it.

If Mehlman wants to be helpful, he would ask for media interviews on all the networks and voice his support for gay marriage. He can answer tough questions about why he helped make homophobia a campaign issue and the strategies he used to divide the country on the issue. He can talk about what he thinks about the current Republican attitudes toward gays. If he's still a Republican, fine, he should say that. But he should "do his part to be helpful" while the issues of gay rights and gay marriage are in the forefront.