Will McAvoy's awesome commentary on the gay soldier question from the GOP primary debate

[Newsjock]

From last night's episode of The Newsroom:

Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann thinks our troops are the best: "They are the best. This is the easiest thing to get behind. It doesn't get any better to help our troops when they are literally on the lines fighting for our freedom."

Presidential candidate Herman Cain will not apologize for having the biggest, baddest, greatest military on the planet: "And I don't apologize for having the biggest, baddest, greatest military on the planet."

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney would like the rest of us to support the troops even more than we already do: "I think it's time for American citizens and politicians to show a surge of support and for us to reach out to our neighbors who are serving in the military."

And presidential candidate Rick Santorum marvels as we all do at the selfless act of volunteering to serve in a time of war: "We have a culture right now that doesn't say serve. It doesn't say don't think about yourself. It says, 'Me, me, me.' It's a very self-absorbed, me-centered, excessive popular culture. And yet we have brave men and women who are willing to step forward because they know what's at stake. They're willing to sacrifice their lives for this great country."

Stephen Hill is a decorated captain in the US Army, where he's been a reservist for 20 years. He is this very night serving in combat in Iraq, as he was last night when he asked this question via YouTube at the GOP debate in Orlando, Florida:

"In 2010, when I was deployed to Iraq, I had to lie about who I was because I'm a gay soldier and I didn't want to lose my job. My question is, under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?"

(Boos from audience)

That was a big room full of Republican primary voters booing an American combat soldier who, as he was speaking, was in combat. The audience members who were booing were in Orlando. Soon they'll surely be in hell, though not soon enough.

Not everyone was booing. There were people in the audience who heard Captain Hill say that when he was deployed to Iraq, he was worried that if his sexuality was discovered, they might not let him go-- As opposed to most of us who, if told we were being deployed to Iraq, would go Corporal Klinger faster than you can pull on a yellow taffeta picnic dress.

I'm sure there were even some people in the building who stood up for Captain Hill, people who had the simple strength of character to turn to the fraction of a human in the seat next to them and say, "How many different kinds of disgusting do you have to be to boo a man who volunteered to fight and die for you?"

I'm sure those people were there. I'm sure there were many of them. But unfortunately, none of them were on the stage. Not one of these would-be commanders in chief took a moment to stand with a line officer. They let him stand alone.

Soldiers never do that. Leaders never do that. Witless bullies and hapless punks do it all the time.

The only president on the stage last night was Stephen Hill. Godspeed, Captain Hill, and come home soon. A grateful nation is waiting to say thank you.

That's News Night for September 23rd. Terry Smith is up next with The Capitol Report. I'm Will McAvoy. Good night.

[iandhr]

1. I wish we still had Republicans like Will out there.

Here is another moment like that.

[question everything]

2. This was a great part of the show

that gave me hope that, perhaps, the show will stick to news stories and stop with the dumb women who are awe struck when they talk to the men that they are interested in.

That ditz, Maggie, channeled Palin, wondering about Africa. What is someone like that doing in a newsroom?

[kas125]

3. I don't care if he's a republican, I love Will McAvoy.

And I love The Newsroom. I think it's one of the best shows on tv, but with what else is out there, that's not saying much.

[iandhr]

8. There used to be...

... sane moderate Republicans who were interested in getting **** done through what to do you call it oh yeah governing.

[The_Boss89]

4. First Two Episodes Sucked.

The third episode was the first good episode of the season. They really need to drop the whole love rectangle between between Jim, Maggie, Don, and Lisa

[Dustlawyer]

5. K&R! Only under corporate America would a news show be popular because it is more like the news

used to be, than what the news today actually is, a manipulating, obfuscating, brain washing session! I grew up with Cronkite, something many alive today cannot imagine. We had only 3 channels and they all prided themselves on their independence from the advertising section of the Networks. They did not have to worry about offending advertisers to the extent they do today, and they had each other to keep honest! They also had strong personalities like Cronkite to keep them honest. I could not name one network news anchor today. Americans live in a bubble! We get way too much reality fluff and not anything that details the real dilemmas we face! Dylan Ratigan went off one day before he was taken/went off air and explained what he thought Obama should do. He said Obama should use the Bully Pulpit to speak the American people and tell them that we have a bought Congress. Explain that Congress no longer represented the people, but the Lobbyists and their Special Interests! Obama had the chance at becoming transformational, cleaning up our political process. Instead, we have devolved into voter suppression, vote rigging (computer hacking of elections), further gerrymandering of voting districts....
Now we can only watch this great show about how it could have been, and that is our entertainment!

[trof]

6. BAM! K&R

[Moostache]

7. The Newsroom (Aaron Sorkin) ... with a healthy dose of "based on Keith Olbermann"...

The more I watch the show, the more I see the parallels to "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"...I highly doubt Keith was ever a registered Republican, but the stuff they have the McAvoy character say is pure "Special Comment".

The love triangle stuff doesn't bother me because I long ago came to the realization that EVERY show uses a similar angle ...or at least they have since "Moonlighting". I thought the 1st episode of this season was kinda slow, but the season started to hit its stride in the second half of episode 2 and episode 3 was really great. If you're not a regular viewer or have never seen the show, you should definitely check this out, it is well worth your time!

[stopbush]

9. Not to defend the indefensible, but admit it, it's easy

to come up with a speech like that two years after the fact, especially when you turn it over to a team of writers. You then place the speech in the mouth of a FICTIONAL character on a TV show and, voila! instant liberal gratification!

The Rs at that debate said some awful things, and the audience reaction was putrid, but they were real people reacting in the moment to a video that none of them knew was coming. Sad as those reactions were, they were more honest than this bit of Sorkinese that ya'll are getting all excited over.

[Volaris]

10. Yeah, but here's the thing though...

I'm almost convinced that, after watching the entierty of the West Wing during the Bush years, that Aaron Sorkin played a huge role in demonstrating what a functioning Executive Branch COULD look like, and that that fictional White House was helmed by a Democrat was, at least sub-consioulsy, at least partially, responsible for getting a Democrat elected to the White House instead fo another idiot Republican Bush-clone.

My hope for The Newsroom is that it demonstrates for the American Public what Journalism (TELEVISION Journalism, especially) CAN look like at its best, and act as a sort of driver for Public ideas about how to re-invigorate what should be, by any standard, a National Treasure...the upholding of a Free Press.

Even if we have to begin to Publically Subsidize Print Newspapers in every State and major city.

[stopbush]

11. You're over estimating the power of TWW to influence voters.

Personally, I couldn't stand the show, because Sorkin's writing is just too far fetched. people simply do not talk the way he writes them.

Funny thing - the people I worked with who were die hard fans of TWW were all Republicans! I don't know how many times I heard, "I disagree with the politics, but I love the writing."

Strange, no?

[Volaris]

12. That's does strike me as strange.

I don't know ANY republicans who watched it AT ALL lol...I'm in Missouri, maybe my local Republicans are dumber than yours..