Michigan RNC Chairman Agema Gets Standing Ovation From Fellow Republicans

Despite a week of controversy, and condemnation, Michigan Republican National Committeemen Dave Agema was greeted by flag waving supporters and a stand ovation over the weekend at a Michigan Republican gathering in Lansing.
And while a resolution to censure those who engage in "demagogic rhetoric" was offered, it was tabled because it had not been introduced in enough time for full consideration, reports the Detroit Free Press.
The initial response from Gov. Rick Synder's office and Speaker Jase Bolger was to issue statements through their spokespeople stating displeasure with Agema. However, as the weekend gathering demonstrated, instead of meeting with potential censure, Agema received a standing ovation from his fellow Republicans when he took the stage. It was a clear message to anyone watching that in reality there was actually no disapproval of Agema's remarks, but rather the crowd seemed to embrace him and his policy statements.
Agema is a long-time opponent of the LGBT community, and his rhetoric about the community has landed him in hot water before. Earlier this year he came under fire for posting a link to a page created by a holocaust denier that claimed gays lived filthy livestyles and were responsible for a significant number of the murders committed in major U.S. cities. After that controversy died down, Agema compared being gay to being an alcoholic.
And then, at a holiday party in Berrien County, he told a crowd that gays want free health care because they are dying of AIDS. He alleged that when at American Airlines, we was aware of gays who would put their friends on their domestic partners health plan in order to get those friends who were ill with HIV medical care. He also alleged the City of San Francisco forced American Airlines to adopted domestic partner benefits or lose the right to fly into San Francisco International.
American Airlines, in an email statement to Between the Lines, called Agema's claims "baseless," while the Michigan Department of Community Health said Agema's claim do not reflect the reality of HIV in Michigan and claimed his statements hinder public health efforts.
For his part, Agema is continuing to claim, on his Facebook page, that the reporter from the Herald Palladium "edited" his remarks. The Herald Palladium has released a written transcript of the remarks as well as audio which appear to show no editing of Agema's comments.
Agema's comments also led to condemnations from various Michigan leaders, Democratic and Republican, including Gov. Rick Snyder, Speaker of the House Jase Bolger and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville.
"I hesitate to comment and elevate the stature of someone like Dave Agema, but he is not helpful and he does not represent my beliefs," Richardville wrote in a statement to Between the Lines released days after the controversy erupted. "I have a lot of respect for individuals with deeply held religious beliefs, but I have absolutely no respect for hate."