Politics & Power Quote by Kate Clinton

Kate Clinton is doing that comedian’s magic trick where a “fun fact” becomes a pry bar. The line lands because it yanks the audience away from a comforting political shorthand - gay equals progressive - and replaces it with a messier, more recognizable reality: identity doesn’t vote as a bloc, and liberation movements aren’t immune to class interest, religion, nationalism, or simple contrarianism.

Her phrasing matters. “We really got” sounds like a weary roll call, half-amused and half-exasperated, as if these conservatives are an unavoidable relative who keeps showing up at the reunion. “Very conservative” doubles down, teasing the stereotype that gay politics is automatically left-coded. Then she moves to “figures from the last election,” a tactical pivot from punchline to receipts. It’s not just attitude; it’s numbers. Comedy here functions as a form of political adult supervision: don’t argue with vibes when the data is right there.

The subtext is sharper than the statistic. Clinton is needling the gay movement’s self-image and its strategy. If a sizable chunk is voting Republican, the movement has to reckon with internal fractures: gay men drawn to tax cuts and law-and-order rhetoric, donors who want acceptance without redistribution, voters who separate personal freedom from solidarity with other marginalized groups. She’s also hinting at the right’s long-running ability to court “exceptions” - welcoming some gays as proof of tolerance while continuing to weaponize sexuality in broader culture wars.

It’s a joke, but it’s also a warning: visibility isn’t the same as political coherence.