The Bruce Jenner interview was the No. 1-watched show on TV that week, with 17 million viewers. Unsettling to interviewer Diane Sawyer of ABC was Jenner's shocking and courageous statement and not that he was transitioning to a woman (or showing Diane his/her dresses), or that he/she, a Kardashian, had only one full-length mirror in the house.
What shocked liberal Diane Sawyer was that Jenner believes in the Constitution and is a Republican who takes issue with most of what President Obama does.
With one comment, Bruce Jenner went from being a hero of the Left to a villain. He had just dramatically announced that he is transgendering and is being embraced by the Left as a woman. He was so close to being celebrated for his decision, to even perhaps being given the highest honor the White House gives to women: 72 percent of a man's pay and an unsolicited, awkward shoulder rub from Joe Biden.
With his courageous decision, Jenner even had Bill Clinton thinking about writing a Clinton Foundation check to pay for his boob job.
But now, like Dr. Ben Carson or any other black person who rejects the "victim" status conferred by Democrats and who speaks in favor of the GOP, Jenner will be attacked by the media elite.
Diane Sawyer looked incredulous when Jenner revealed his conservative political beliefs. She looked as shocked as somebody could, given all the Botox she's had. When she rolled her eyes in disgust, Jenner responded, "Yeah, is that a bad thing? I believe in the Constitution."
Sawyer's reaction reinforces two things: 1) The leftist media can see only identity politics and, 2) they cannot understand how someone could be gay or transgendered and also believe in bigger issues like limited government, freedom and fewer taxes.
In reality, the GOP has been more right on fairness issues than Democrats. The roots of the Republican Party are in equality. The Emancipation Proclamation, women voting and passing civil rights legislation were all Republican-led ideas. History is rewritten by the Left to make them look like the heroes in equality, but the facts contradict their self-aggrandizing narrative. Republican Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and fought for them so Kim Kardashian could marry Kanye West. Ironically, Kim was nicknamed "Honest Abe" by her school theater group, mostly because every guy in her class had a shot at her in the balcony.
The notion that being gay/transgendered and being conservative are mutually exclusive is nonsense propagated by the Left. You can't let your "freak flag" fly in our country without freedom. It is logical that a country that is bankrupted by wasteful deficit spending programs, or is weak militarily, won't be around to protect freedoms. Democratic-controlled Baltimore could not even protect its citizens' freedom or property when help was needed. Freedom matters. If we do not have freedom and security, we have no ability to be who we are or to pursue what we want. Try being gay or transgendered in Russia or Iran, or under any totalitarian or theocratic government that is bent on destroying the United States.
The interview effectively took us through Bruce Jenner's life, which began in the '70s on "Wide World of Sports" and will end on the WE channel. And since he is part of the Kardashian clan, he asked that this very personal matter be respected by the media and treated as Kardashians wish: very publicly.
If the Right is not comfortable with Bruce Jenner's decision, it would only be because he's leaving Kris Jenner to do it, thus breaking up their marriage. We were looking forward to seeing Kris and Bruce on reality TV and watching them grow younger together. Their divorce was not bitter, and Bruce seems like a great person. He probably wanted to divorce Kris to get away from those Kardashian kids. He sued her for alimony and whatever is the opposite of child custody. She might have cited the reason for their divorce as irreconcilable similarities.
Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist, author and TV/radio commentator. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com.