Thanks for nothing, John Kerry. The Boston Globe reported today that the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president yesterday "vowed yesterday to fight back against Republicans seeking to tie him to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision allowing same-sex couples to marry, and did not rule out supporting a state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage." He went on to say, "I have the same position Vice President Dick Cheney has. They ought to talk to Dick Cheney, their own vice president, when they [Republicans] start playing games with this, and we'll find out how political and how craven they are." Does Kerry not know that Cheney, as reported just a few weeks ago, has recently said that he would support a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage if the president deems it necessary?
There's hardly a Democrat left in the race that doesn't make me sick to my stomach. Yes, we need to get Bush out of the White House, but even the bulk of the Democratic candidates gladly would sell me out and relegate me to second-class citizen status, at best, to get there in his place.
This is just depressing. I think Kerry does support civil unions. It's not perfect by all means, but it's a step forward. I don't a President can really do much about it except stop pressing for an ammendment. I believe it's up to the court system. The supreme court will have to take up the issue at some point and thats when the ultimiate decision will be made. I think.
I think Kerry was referring to Cheney's previous position, that it was a matter best left to the states. Strange how behind the times he was, but whatever.
We're not going to do better than this for a while -- in a few years we'll at least have a solid pro-gay majority and the GOP will have to stop pressing the issue. Hopefully the amendment won't have taken possible remedies off the table by then.
Mike, I suspected as well that Kerry was referring to Cheney's original position, but I think it's telling that he didn't know it had changed. And even though Kerry would like to leave it to the states, he'd clearly like to see at least his own state pass a constitutional amendment.
I don't disagree with you that we're not going to be able to do better than this for a while; at the same time, I'm still saddened tremendously by that reality.