Swimming upstream as a black, gay conservative

Robert Traynham is a frequent NOWist and an MSNBC Contributor

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Just wrapped up a really good conversation with today’s NOW with Alex panel – Karen Finney, Katrina Vanden Heuvel and Steve Kornacki.  As always, the conversation was smart, funny and at times heated – but all in a good way.  The way conversations should be when you’re speaking with adults about serious topics.  One of those topics was about me being a gay conservative and how I could defend a party that wants an America from the 1950s as opposed to today.

To be clear, I can’t defend some of the issues that some within the Party hold near and dear to their heart.  I can only defend what’s in mine: I care deeply about the right for all Americans – regardless of sex – to fall in love and marry whom they wish.  I care deeply about the unborn in this country.  I care deeply about a smaller government that operates on less of my tax dollars.  I care deeply about an America that gives everyone the opportunity to attend whatever school and choose whatever profession they wish.  I care deeply about a society that respects everyone’s different beliefs – culturally and fiscally and I also care and want an America that understands that just because I may think differently than you does not mean that we have to be on such opposite ends of the debate that we lose respect for each other.

A special thanks to my NOW posse for allowing me to express myself in the manner that some call moderate, others call conservative, others still call libertarian, and what I call, just plain being me.