Democrat candidates "The Most Pro-Gay field ever"

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...29/MN159967.DTL

 

Democratic presidential candidates running in the 2004 election are more sympathetic to gay and lesbian issues than any field in history, according to a report released Wednesday.

 

A study by the country's oldest national gay and lesbian political organization details differences among the nine announced Democratic candidates, from former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's support for federal civil unions to Florida Sen. Bob Graham's opposition to allowing gays to serve openly in the military.

 

The report concludes that "despite the differences among the nine declared Democratic candidates, each is clearly more supportive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality than the current occupant of the White House. "

 

"As a group, this is the most pro-gay presidential field ever," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which has compiled records of candidates since 1988. "They are far ahead of where Democratic candidates were in 1992," the last campaign with a crowded Democratic field, Foreman said.

 

Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun received the highest rating, agreeing with the group on all 11 issues identified as being most critical to gay rights. Dean, who signed a civil unions measure as Vermont governor in 2000, came in second, while Graham ranked last because, among other reasons, he opposes gay marriages, supported former President Bill Clinton's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy forbidding out-of-the closet gays from serving in the military, and voted in 1994 against spending federal dollars on educational material that discussed homosexuality.

 

But Graham is hardly "terrible on gay issues," Foreman said, noting that in 1992 or 1988, he would have been ranked "in the middle of the pack."

 

Distinctions on such matters as support for hate crime laws, gay marriage and domestic partners benefits have yet to reach the forefront of a campaign that has been dominated by security and economic issues.

 

Yet in a wide open race with no apparent front-runner, support for such issues may prove critical to Democratic primary voters, about 1 in 10 of whom are gay, according to Sean Cahill, who co-wrote the report. Cahill said that after African American and Jewish voters, gays and lesbians are the Democratic Party's most loyal voting bloc.

 

Early primaries and caucuses in more socially conservative states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina may keep gay issues in the background. Of the nine announced candidates, only one -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio -- specifies a section on "Gay Rights" on his campaign Web page. Dean has a section titled "Equal Rights for All," devoted to his signing of civil union legislation. The others either mention gay rights under a broader heading of civil rights or make no mention of the topic at all.

 

"We're not prime-time yet. People aren't willing to see two guys in a wedding dress," said Carole Migden, who as chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization is the highest-ranking gay or lesbian official in the nation.

 

"But there is increasing sensitivity on the part of the general public to supporting equal treatment. On domestic partners bills, on estate planning, I think there is national support. We're not sending people screaming into the corridors over the issues," Migden said.

 

Conservatives insist Democrats make a fundamental political mistake to promote gay issues, which they label a "radical" agenda that will doom the party's nominee.

 

"This issue, in my judgment, is so extreme that while you may suffer permanent damage in the primary process, it will be disqualifying in the general election," said Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative organization that promotes family and other social issues.

 

The survey, based on voting records, public statements and responses to a questionnaire, showed broad agreement from the Democratic field on matters such as laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, spending on AIDS prevention and permitting domestic partnerships.

 

 

 

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On the issues

The Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ranked the nine Democratic presidential candidates for their views and records on gay rights:

 

Most supportive: Carol Moseley Braun. Former Illinois senator supports all 11 issues identified as most important to gay rights.

 

Runner-up: Howard Dean. Former Vermont governor signed civil unions law in 2000, supports group's position on every issue but gay marriage.

 

Least supportive: Bob Graham. Florida senator opposes gay marriage and lifting ban on gays in the military, voted to forbid federal money from being spent on educational material that describes homosexuality as a "positive lifestyle alternative."

[Guest MrRant]

And the point of posting this is?

 

Are you implying that Bush is a homophobe?

 

Are you trying to say that Democrates are better people because of this "support"?

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

This just in:

 

Homosexuals happy with Democratic Party pandering.

 

In other news, the sky was blue again today for the 1,700,000th day in a row.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I found it interesting. I'm suprised Clinton got so lambasted for Dont Ask Dont Tell because I thought it was a nice medium between the pro and con arguements, but obviously some people feel differently.

 

Also, I used to be mostly interested in Kerry but the more I read about Dean the more interested I am in him. Wasn't Tyler big on Dean? Wish he'd come around and sell me on him. Heh.

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

I'm suprised Clinton got so lambasted for Dont Ask Dont Tell because I thought it was a nice medium between the pro and con arguements, but obviously some people feel differently.

 

Happy mediums work in theory, not in practice.

 

Fair or not, those in charge of the U.S. Armed Forces don't want homosexuals under their command, usually invoking "morale" as the main reason. Personally, I grew up with homosexual friends and they never bothered me, but that's just me, and I've never been in the military. I'm sure if I got in touch with a higher-up at one of the local army bases, he could explain the reasoning behind the policy.

 

Also, I used to be mostly interested in Kerry but the more I read about Dean the more interested I am in him. Wasn't Tyler big on Dean? Wish he'd come around and sell me on him. Heh.

 

Dean is a two-faced schmuck. I have friends who've been personally screwed by this guy. This isn't me, a Republican, bashing Dean, a Democrat.

 

This is me, a decent guy, bashing Dean, a world-class backstabber.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Happy mediums work in theory, not in practice.

Is DADT not working in practice?

 

I thought it was going fine more or less, and the majority of the complaining and campaiging was coming from civilians. Clinton instituted DADT and it's even steven. People of all orientations can join and you just don't make a big deal out of your bedroom behavior. Seems good enough.

 

I think how well the military currently functions speaks for itself.

 

PS: Care to elaborate on the Dean hate?

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

Dean is a dickhead who went out of his way to crush small businesses in Vermont that were doing just fine before him, one of which happened to belong to the family of one of my college fraternity brothers.

 

My friend likened him to an organized crime boss running a protection racket.

[Guest Choken One]

I still want Al Sharpton Vs George W. Bush...

 

 

Fuck All of Y'All.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

My friend likened him to an organized crime boss running a protection racket.

Whoa. That sucks. Okay, I guess my field of preferece now goes:

 

1. Kerry

2. Edwards

3. Dean

 

Kerry I think is the best speaker and will probably do better if war is still a huge issue at election time (I doubt it), but at the same time he seems to be the apex of the Bush Lite democratic stance that's failing miserably right now.

[Guest MD2020]

I still want Al Sharpton Vs George W. Bush...

 

 

Fuck All of Y'All.

Greatest.Campaign.Ever.

[Guest Some Guy]

I still want Al Sharpton Vs George W. Bush...

 

 

Fuck All of Y'All.

Greatest.Campaign.Ever.

I've been saying it for months. Just think of the debates.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

I still want Al Sharpton Vs George W. Bush...

 

 

Fuck All of Y'All.

Greatest.Campaign.Ever.

I've been saying it for months. Just think of the debates.

Chris Rock can be the moderator.

[Guest Some Guy]

Gotta throw in Dennis Miller to keep it even, one Liberal and one Conservative comiedian.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

throw in Mitch Hedberg to keep it surreal.

 

Just because.

[Guest Some Guy]

Never heard of him. Who is Mitch Hedberg?

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Mitch is this comedian who has odd and funny jokes, just by his delivery. If you have any of those 'file sharing' dealies, search for some of his work. Like his CD.

 

in the mean time.. go here http://www.students.bucknell.edu/jbfisher/mitch.htm

[Guest JMA]

Gotta throw in Dennis Miller to keep it even, one Liberal and one Conservative comiedian.

Dennis Miller isn't conservative (despite being praised by them). He explained this on Aaron Brown's show on CNN. He still has plently of liberal beliefs (he had even more before 9/11). From what I've read of Miller he seems pretty moderate. And Chris Rock is a liberal? He may be, but I've never heard him say that.

[Guest alkeiper]

Throw in Lewis Black, for sheer entertainment value.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Rock to Bush:

 

DOES YO DADDY KNOW YOU GOT A N***A SECRETARY OF STATE? IT WOULD KILL HIM WOULDN'T IT?

 

*if you haven't seen Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that might not come off as intended, so just as a disclaimer it's not meant to be offensive*

[Guest Crazy Dan]

Sharpton vs Bush would provide me with comedy, most of it unintentional. I would watch the debates just to see Sharpton throw out the most preposterous statements and to witness Bush give his "deer in the headlights" look.

 

Seriously, I am still not sold on the Democratic candidates. There is plenty of time to be proven wrong. I think that the pendulum has swung over to the Republicans, which can be a scary thought at times.

[Guest Some Guy]

Dan, that's exactly what I was thinking. Sharpton says something that's way out of left field and factually wrong and Bush looks at him like "Huh?" and has no response. It would be very entertaining. I might watch the Dem debates just for Sharpton's lunacy and to see Kerry and Dean try to say he's a retard diplomatically.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

eh, sharpton has actually made an effort recently to not sound like he's out in left field. he sounded fairly competent in the first dem debate.

 

that being said, the only real chance the dems have this election is based around the healthcare issue. the four who have mastered the issue -- and put forth detailed plans explaining how to do it and where to get the money -- are gephardt, kerry, dean, and kunisch (or whatever, not sure how to spell his name). I think those are your top four at the moment, and i believe gephardt's plan is probably the best of the four. i enjoy dean's platform the best, but i believe gephardt probably will win the nomination if he doesn't do anything completely disasterous. i can live with him as president, and i do believe he can toast bush in a debate without coming off as a total jackass like gore.

 

by the way, speaking of amusing debates, did anyone catch o'reilly vs. franken on c-span?

[Guest JMA]

by the way, speaking of amusing debates, did anyone catch o'reilly vs. franken on c-span?

No. What happened?

[Guest MrRant]

President Gephardt just sounds.....

 

 

gay.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

franken called o'reilly on his reception of some award he claimed incorrectly to have recieved, which pissed him off quite a bit. also, o'reilly tried to claim superiority by saying he never insults people in his work, then proceeded to call franken an idiot several times. o'reilly came off looking like a bully overall and kinda embarassed himself, but there was a lot of yelling and screaming.

[Guest JMA]

franken called o'reilly on his reception of some award he claimed incorrectly to have recieved, which pissed him off quite a bit. also, o'reilly tried to claim superiority by saying he never insults people in his work, then proceeded to call franken an idiot several times. o'reilly came off looking like a bully overall and kinda embarassed himself, but there was a lot of yelling and screaming.

Ah. You mean the Peabody O'Reilly claimed to win? Wish I could have seen it. I wonder if Bill was drinking before the show...

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

yeah, inside access actually won a 'polk' or something, which is far less prestigious, and the award was won after o'reilly left the show. he yelled at franken, saying it was just as prestigious (not exactly true) and ignored that they won it after he left.

 

i wish i had taped the debate, if only to watch the third member of the debate cringe as these two hogged the spotlight.

[Guest Riots bloodlust]

Eh, anything Sharpton says could be answered by simply mentioning Tawana Brawley. Kinda messes with his credibility.