I saw @KarlRove on a ABC panel discussion this morning where he cracked a “gay” joke where he described Ann Romney as an “openly practicing equestrian”. I am not sure why she deserves to be the butt of his joke. Her public figure stature ended when the election ended and I am not sure why he needs to tell “gay” jokes. Is making jokes about a Presidential candidate’s wife and alienating gay people part of his plan for the new and improved Republican party? Talk about someone not learning from history! Unfortunately this joke makes fun of Ann and every heterosexual man and woman who rides a horse. Is Karl making a “gay” joke about equestrians in general or just dressage riders? In either case he is making a joke about me. Once a week I ride a horse and I ride dressage just like Ann Romney. You could say that I am a dressage rider with an ambition to be a cowboy someday. It is not much of a stretch to believe that he is attacking the cowboy lifestyle, too. Yes, cowboys are “openly practicing equestrians”! Through cowboy movies the cowboy lore is known and loved around the world. So in one ill advised joke Karl has not fun of Ann Romney but of the cowboy lifestyle which is as emblematic of the American lifestyle as baseball and apple pie. Oops! That brings me to my second point. Since most equestrians are women, is this Karl’s attempt to be inclusive of women? How do you spell tone deaf? R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N