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‘It Was All Just a Show’: Confessions of a Republican Campaign (gay) Hit Man

Tim Miller’s new book reveals the ways he and his fellow GOP operatives poisoned the national discourse and helped enable the rise of Donald Trump.

He was a closeted gay man while working for Jen Bush

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by Anonymousreply 82December 8, 2022 3:45 AM

Jeb Bush

by Anonymousreply 1July 3, 2022 2:55 AM

Kruse: In what way did being gay, and specifically having been closeted for as long as you were, make you perhaps particularly able to see and to diagnose what Trump was doing to the Republican Party as he was doing it—and why people, your friends and ex-friends, were letting him do it? Miller: I really tried to get into my own mindset because I’m trying to understand their mindset, and so I wanted to look back on my own flaws, and I think being gay impacted my perspective on this in two ways. This is maybe going to sound self-aggrandizing — it’s not meant to — but I think you gain a sense of empathy for other people when you go through something as traumatic as being rejected because of your sexuality or fear that you’re going to be rejected by your loved ones because of your sexuality. And so I felt like it gave me a level of empathy, looking towards the people that Trump was being cruel to that maybe some of my peers dismissed, because they’d never been on the receiving end of that. I was an obnoxious, all-boys-school, high-school-Republican, contrarian son-of-a-bitch before I came to terms with my sexuality. And I think it's really easy to look back at 20-year-old me and think that guy kind of would’ve liked the skill with which Trump tears people down, you know? And so I kind of understand that there are people who separate the impact of him from, like, enjoying the show. And there are some characters in the book that fit that description. Then the other thing that I think that being gay gave me perspective on is I had to really look back and reckon with: Why did I work for people who wanted to deny me the most important things in my life? Like my husband and my daughter. I had multiple candidates, multiple clients, that I worked for that were explicitly in favor of banning gay marriage, banning gay adoption. The most extreme example, Ken Cuccinelli, had said just hateful, derisive things about gays. How did I convince myself that it was OK to work for those people? I knew what I would say to people, which was like, “Well, it’s just one issue, right? And I like him more on taxes and abortion and foreign policy.” That was kind of the story I was telling myself to make myself comfortable keeping the job. If I was able to compartmentalize, like, the most important things in my life, in a little box in this corner of my brain, to work for somebody, then all of a sudden it’s really easy to imagine how somebody could compartmentalize, you know, evil that does not impact them, or that Trump’s policies aren’t that bad.

by Anonymousreply 2July 3, 2022 2:59 AM

Burn you sociopathic piece of lying shit!

by Anonymousreply 3July 3, 2022 3:12 AM

Christ, what a mini Goebbels scum bag.

by Anonymousreply 4July 3, 2022 3:20 AM

At least read the whole interview.

by Anonymousreply 5July 3, 2022 3:37 AM

Anyone who worked for Trump was never a part of the Republican elite and was never going to be. They were the dregs. Anyone worth a damn avoided him like the plague. This guy is a tool in every way.

by Anonymousreply 6July 3, 2022 3:42 AM

This guy never worked for Trump! Can you folks read?

by Anonymousreply 7July 3, 2022 3:44 AM

He’s a really smart guy; a regular on MSNBC; a never Trumper, if not from the get go, then very shortly afterwards. Very out, married gay gay living in the Bay Area.

by Anonymousreply 8July 3, 2022 3:52 AM

Do you live in Rockridge or Montclair, Tim?

by Anonymousreply 9July 3, 2022 4:02 AM

Wait...It was a LIE?.....oh THANK YOU OP for this thread!!!.....Thank you SO MUCH!!....I did NOT know it was a LIE!!...Can you imagine?...A LIE!!...I cannot imagine why this thread doesn't have at least 900 posts!!.....oh my....A LIE!!??....I can hardly believe it!!

by Anonymousreply 10July 3, 2022 4:13 AM

He's still a bag of shit for hurting his own community, then begging for forgiveness.

by Anonymousreply 11July 3, 2022 8:54 PM

But he's kind of cute!

by Anonymousreply 12July 3, 2022 8:58 PM

There were SO fucking many gays working in the Trump administration. My job includes having meetings with lots of the politicos and their entourages. TONS of gays were always part of the entourages of Trump’s political appointees.

They’re not just there—they’re sprinkled throughout the GOP.

by Anonymousreply 13July 4, 2022 1:35 AM

Gays make the best professionals (in both parties). They don’t have family commitments vying for their time (though, yes, some are now married, and some now have children)

by Anonymousreply 14July 4, 2022 1:58 AM

Tim Miller NEVER worked for Trump in any capacity. Read the fuckin' article.

He's a former Republican who actually worked for Jeb Bush in his campaign for the Republican nomination against Trump. When that didn't happen, Tim got wise and joined the Democrats.

by Anonymousreply 15July 4, 2022 2:06 AM

Don't believe he's a democrat. He's an independent never Trumper.

by Anonymousreply 16July 4, 2022 2:26 AM

R14, there’s also the drive to excel and win approval. From what I’ve read of Miller’s book, that seems to have been a motivator for him. It had nothing to do with policies, it was emotional neediness.

by Anonymousreply 17July 4, 2022 2:36 AM

He always shows up on Nicolle Wallace's show wearing a single strand of pearls. Like Jackie Kennedy.

by Anonymousreply 18July 4, 2022 2:49 AM

"Then the other thing that I think that being gay gave me perspective on is I had to really look back and reckon with: Why did I work for people who wanted to deny me the most important things in my life? Like my husband and my daughter. I had multiple candidates, multiple clients, that I worked for that were explicitly in favor of banning gay marriage, banning gay adoption. The most extreme example, Ken Cuccinelli, had said just hateful, derisive things about gays. How did I convince myself that it was OK to work for those people? I knew what I would say to people, which was like, “Well, it’s just one issue, right? And I like him more on taxes and abortion and foreign policy.” That was kind of the story I was telling myself to make myself comfortable keeping the job." dumb asshole. Hope the lower taxes will be worth it!

by Anonymousreply 19July 4, 2022 5:06 AM

Gays go to Capitol Hill to gain power and influence—they don’t care which party they work for, as long as it’s the party in power.

by Anonymousreply 20July 4, 2022 12:13 PM

He's a power-seeking A gay with no morals or conscience.

by Anonymousreply 21July 4, 2022 3:25 PM

[quote] ‘It Was All Just a Show’

We know, dear. Neither you nor your snake oil salesman were fooling anyone expect the most gullible of backwater and flyover rubes.

by Anonymousreply 22July 4, 2022 3:34 PM

A gay?? Lol snort.

by Anonymousreply 23July 4, 2022 3:34 PM

He’s still a Republican.

by Anonymousreply 24July 4, 2022 3:35 PM

R22, his guy was Jeb, whom I dislike, but I wouldn't call a "snake oil salesman" exactly. I bet you think he's. a Trumper BECAUSE YOU DON"T READ.

by Anonymousreply 25July 5, 2022 1:23 AM

His biggest sin is being a catastrophic failure: as Jeb's Comms director; that's why he's a Democrat now. Not because he saw the light. He got trounced by a novice vulgarian who should have never come near the White House. He's unemployable in politics. Low energy loser.

What an asshole.

by Anonymousreply 26July 5, 2022 1:50 AM

R26- it would be interesting to see how many people from Jeb's very well-funded campaign went this hard against Trump. Not talking about Jeb himself, but the staff. I think it's a very mixed bag.

by Anonymousreply 27July 5, 2022 1:53 AM

Wait, there's a gay Republican? I'm stunned!

by Anonymousreply 28July 5, 2022 1:56 AM

3rd thread on this guy’s book.

by Anonymousreply 29July 5, 2022 2:04 AM

who's had him?

by Anonymousreply 30July 5, 2022 2:30 AM

I didn't know much about the Bush personal lives until I began loitering on datalounge. It is worse than one can imagine. Crackheads and stalkers and shoplifters!

by Anonymousreply 31July 5, 2022 2:37 AM

Pretty sure he was not closeted on the Jeb campaign. and like many young people in politics, he fell into it or got his first job through a family connection. (Something like he knew someone running for governor so volunteered on the campaign).

Also, do you know how hard it is to get a job in politics? I know someone (straight) who worked for a very moderate republican senator. He was so lucky to get that job. Then the senator lost because he wasn't batshit crazy enough to satisfy the right wing.

by Anonymousreply 32July 5, 2022 4:48 AM

R32, you would be devastated to learn at how easy it is for any energetic sycophant to get into politics. That's why we are where we are now.

And have such high turnover and seven has-been attention whores on a split screen giving color commentary on every little issue on cable news.

by Anonymousreply 33July 5, 2022 12:06 PM

I post this on another thread but it deserves repeating here.

A couple of weeks ago Tim Miller was on Nicolle Wallace's show, some other panelist was saying while he was happy with Liz Cheney's stand on Trump and Jan 6th, he didn't agree with her on any of her other policies.

Tim Miller forced his way into the conversation as they were going to break saying that he liked Liz Cheney's other policies.

by Anonymousreply 34July 5, 2022 12:30 PM

No one cares R25.

by Anonymousreply 35July 5, 2022 12:33 PM

Jen Bush would be a great name for Jeb if he transitioned.

by Anonymousreply 36July 5, 2022 12:45 PM

The evil cunt can burn.

by Anonymousreply 37July 5, 2022 3:15 PM

Miller's a Log Cabin Republican. He didn't actually leave the party, the party left him.

by Anonymousreply 38July 5, 2022 10:02 PM

It's not like the GOP was pro-gay before Trump. Once upon a time, Jeb was considered an extreme social conservative. He was the guy keeping Terry Schiavo alive against her parents' wishes.

by Anonymousreply 39July 5, 2022 10:41 PM

Tim’s fairly cute though, and seems to have a good body. I’d like to see some shirtless shots of him.

by Anonymousreply 40July 6, 2022 5:21 AM

He's thin. Is that what a "good body" means?

by Anonymousreply 41July 6, 2022 5:24 PM

He's still a Republican?

by Anonymousreply 42July 6, 2022 5:27 PM

Photos of the bf?

by Anonymousreply 43July 6, 2022 5:30 PM

R43 Husband. He's been married for a long time and they have a daughter. There are some pictures of the two of them on Instagram.

by Anonymousreply 44July 6, 2022 5:46 PM

r42 I haven't heard him say definitively but I'm pretty sure he is no longer a Republican.

by Anonymousreply 45July 6, 2022 5:47 PM

He's still a traitor to the gay community R45 and needs to be reminded of that by every gay guy he meets for the rest of his life.

by Anonymousreply 46July 6, 2022 6:15 PM

Let me guess--he was helping Republican become less homophobic from the inside...

by Anonymousreply 47July 6, 2022 8:37 PM

He was failing Jeb Bush, getting punked like a bitch for his low energy BS by idiot Trump, and helped destroy America through his incompetent performance.

He failed in his professional capacity and allowed Trump to succeed. HISS!

by Anonymousreply 48July 6, 2022 10:15 PM

It used to be central to the liberal identity that convicted criminals could be reformed & should be given 2nd chances. But to many DLers, that extension of grace doesn't apply to onetime republicans.

by Anonymousreply 49July 11, 2022 7:22 AM

Some posts here were uninformed and accused him of being a Trumper, which he never was. So let's be fair.

That said, political consultants in general seem very untrustworthy. Every bit as much or more so than actual politicians.

Some of them are more clever and charming -to reporters- than politicians because they don't have to behave as rigidly. Stuart Stevens is one case. To be bipartisan, look at this Lis Smith, formerly Mayor Secretary Pete's flack, formerly Eliot Spitzer's girlfriend, formerly a Cuomo, DeBlasio and I forget who else's aide who has a book out now and whom reporters love. Plainly an adventurer and nothing more. That's before we get into the really criminal types like Manafort and Stone.

by Anonymousreply 50July 11, 2022 11:12 AM

He’s a Republican. Therefore he’s a Trumpie. Stop trying to make excuses for him.

by Anonymousreply 51July 11, 2022 1:42 PM

He’s a dumb Cunt. I just saw his book in the book store and I hid it behind a chair

by Anonymousreply 52July 11, 2022 1:48 PM

The mindset of "I'm going to get mine." is not exclusive to any one group or individual no matter how many categories they might fit in.

People who are fixated on power and money will make whatever story works for their brain to justify the greed and callousness.

by Anonymousreply 53July 11, 2022 2:14 PM

R51 no he's not

by Anonymousreply 54July 11, 2022 2:25 PM

R51 He never was a Trumper. Are you actually illiterate?

by Anonymousreply 55July 11, 2022 2:28 PM

R51 got ten likes because almost no one reads.

by Anonymousreply 56July 11, 2022 2:30 PM

How about this then R55, He's a Republican, so therefore he's an opportunistic serpent with no moral center.

by Anonymousreply 57July 11, 2022 3:41 PM

R57 no, he's not a republican

by Anonymousreply 58July 11, 2022 3:43 PM

He's a non-partisan serpent good for him.

by Anonymousreply 59July 11, 2022 3:45 PM

Bushes, all of them are evil moneygrubbing Pos's !

by Anonymousreply 60July 11, 2022 4:08 PM

So many unbelievably naive people on this thread. Trumpists lie about everything, morons.

by Anonymousreply 61July 11, 2022 5:33 PM

People really need to look into the ALEC group - dark money that all but writes most of the language that most states and/or federal lawmakers put into law.

They came up with the "election is stolen" concept in early 2020 - many, many, many months before the election. And they pushed it, hard.

by Anonymousreply 62July 11, 2022 5:35 PM

By his own admission he got into politics as a kind of cynical game. He certainly was not an admirable person when he worked for Jeb! or Ken Cuccinelli or many other assholes on the right. And yes, he knew he was a gay man working to elect homophobes for reasons of pure, stupid ambition.

Still, he does seem like he at least is trying to leave that behind. He is trying to be a better person. I will give him credit for that. He was never a Trumper. Trump was some kind of red line for him, so that's something at least. He's hard to like, exactly, for just how shallow and obnoxious he was in the past, but still, he doesn't seem exactly irredeemable.

And of course, you do need these "insider" types to tell you the real story sometimes, and these insider types are never pure.

by Anonymousreply 63July 11, 2022 5:42 PM

Sounds like he's not a fan of Steve Schmidt. Does he appear on Nicole Wallace's show? She's from the Republican Consultancy Class he decries too.

by Anonymousreply 64July 11, 2022 6:10 PM

OK. I used to be a strategist on political campaigns. Local, statewide mostly. But here's the most intoxicating thing.: When you, as the invisible hand, do something that works, and makes headlines, and has an effect. IT's incredible. You feel powerful and effective and there's nothing like it. It's like a drug. And you don't want fame or notoriety. You love to be behind the scenes like a fucking puppetmaster. That's the truth. It is not ideological. Now there are some hired guns out here who can do this for anyone. I couldn't. I was an am a Progessive Democrat. It's very frustrating right now, to sit and watch all the bullshit going down during campaign season. Because when I was in the game nearly 30 years ago it was lot of fun.

by Anonymousreply 65July 11, 2022 7:43 PM

So are you a sociopath too R65?

by Anonymousreply 66July 11, 2022 7:45 PM

No, not at all. I was a political stategist. I organized focus groups, I designed polling instruments, I developed slogans and themes, wrote speeches, etc. and I did opposition research. I never rummaged through anyone's garbage, but I did look at their track record on the job. I never peddled gossip about someone being Gay, or having an affair, etc. But if they were persecuting Gays, or moralizing I might make them squirm.

I was no sociopath. I was committed to sound public policy and I subscribed to the dictum that, Politics is War. I also believed a good offense was the best defense. I was no counterpuncher. Counterpunchers have to get hit before they hit back. If you know who you'e dealing with, and you know how they fight, why wait to get hit? Truthfully, the Dems need people like me right now. But I have no taste for it. The thing is, you have to define the image of your candidate, and you have to define the opposition's image. You have to sell, motivate people to support and vote for your guy. But the techniques and the tools they use today are way more ugly and destructive. and they have had an effect on us as a society. We had a line we would never cross. Today that line doesn't exist.

Look. Go watch that movie The Ides of March, with George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ryan Gosling. That's as close to reality as I've ever seen. That was bad, but It's not like that now. It is scorched earth, no holds barred now, and they lie. They lie a lot. They coerce, and blackmail and bribe and it no longer shocks. It's the norm now. They divide, they deliberately inspire rage and fear. Fox and Roger Ailes ruined it all. It started with Nixon, he was a dirty POS. but it is much worse now and you can credit that Gentleman, Geoge Herbert Walker Bush's Campaign manager, Lee Atwater, and later, Bush 43's guy, Karl Rove for the shit mess we have.

by Anonymousreply 67July 11, 2022 8:23 PM

So you're not a sociopath, you're just a natural born manipulator of other people.

by Anonymousreply 68July 11, 2022 8:27 PM

R20, even when Clinton and Obama were in the White House, there were a shit ton of closeted gay Republicans. So it's not just about wanting to be "in power"

by Anonymousreply 69July 11, 2022 8:28 PM

Please stop saying that he’s a Democrat now. He’s admitted multiple times on Nicolle Wallace’s show that he’s still a registered Republican. At least Nicolle and that other Bush lackey Elise Jordan who’s always on MSNBC have stated they are no longer Republicans.

by Anonymousreply 70July 11, 2022 8:31 PM

I think there are Republican operatives here trying to convince gays that trans people are more of a threat than the Christian right

by Anonymousreply 71July 11, 2022 8:31 PM

R68 you sound like fool. We are being manipulated every single day. The Soap salesmen of the 40's and 50's started it in earnest. Before that, snake oil salesmen did it at carnivals and no one manipulated or coerced more than organized religion. It still doies. Ask the Evangelicals. It is the way societies work. It was called "the Art of Persuasion" back in the day.

by Anonymousreply 72July 11, 2022 8:48 PM

re: r62

ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC’s operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills.

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by Anonymousreply 73July 11, 2022 11:17 PM

2022 Council for National Policy membership list

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by Anonymousreply 74July 11, 2022 11:18 PM

Yes R72 but you sound like you had a raging boner while you were doing it.

by Anonymousreply 75July 11, 2022 11:20 PM

R75, I did! When you do something you love and enjoy it, and you're successful, and effective, it's indescribable. I remember my first independent solo campaign for a state judgeship, and the way it worked back then, the highest vote getter got elected to a ten year term. And my candidate came in first! I can't describe what it felt like to not only make the cut, but to be first. All the number crunching and field work on GOTV, and the literature and phone banks, etc. it was great. Political campaigns were fun. These high stakes, mean, corrupt, ugly, vicious contests are not my style. But I did like developing a marketing strategy and seeing it put into effect and watching it work. If we could get the dark money out and curb the corporate and industry interests, maybe we could get back to a better time. But I know I am too idealistic to work in this environment. And it isn't just hthe dark money. It is the complete lack of anything resembling propriety. With the internet and social media, and the way things go viral, and you have all this anonymity, it's a whole different world and one that is very hard to navigate.

by Anonymousreply 76July 12, 2022 3:08 AM

Reading between the lines of some of his twitter exchanges, I'm assuming he is in a sexually open marriage?

by Anonymousreply 77July 19, 2022 6:55 PM

Yawn. This same book was written a few decades ago

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by Anonymousreply 78July 19, 2022 7:30 PM

Did he come up with the exclamation point in "JEB!"?

by Anonymousreply 79July 26, 2022 1:05 AM

Burn him!

by Anonymousreply 80July 26, 2022 1:06 AM

Just fucking out the closet-cases and then all will be well.

by Anonymousreply 81July 26, 2022 1:06 AM

i’d lick his shitter.

by Anonymousreply 82December 8, 2022 3:45 AM
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