Hillary Clinton's Support of Gay Marriage Comes Late

Former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has filmed a video for the Human Rights Campaign. In the video, Clinton announces her support of gay marriage.

I personally think that Clinton has been too afraid of gay rights issue in the past. Clinton has flipped-flopped on her support of DOMA. This is what Clinton's spokesman Phil Singer told Ben Smith of Politico in 2007. It doesn't pass the laugh test.

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer adds, "Sen. Clinton backed the Defense of Marriage Act because it enabled us to fend off right wing attacks like the Federal Marriage Amendment by keeping marriage as the purview of the states. She believes DOMA served an important purpose in that respect. Marriage should be left up to the states.

The Christian Right had zero chance of adding the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution. Adding amendments to the Constitution is extremely difficult. The real reason DOMA was passed was because President Bill Clinton was running for re-election in 1996. Clinton was in full trianglation mode. Clinton feared getting attacked on gay marriage. The result was President Clinton throwing the LGBT community under the bus.

Keith Olbermann at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner

Keith Olberman eloquently recunts a story about his father not being hired for a job. The employers thought Olbermann's father was Jewish. The men asked what kind of food does his father eat and how he spent his Saturdays. Jews practice the Shabbat on Satudays and eat kosher foods. The employers were attempting to find out his Olbermann's father was Jewish. (He was not.) This form of questioning has nothing to do with architecture.

Hat tip to Pam Spaulding.

Visible Vote 08

The Visible Vote 08 Presidential Forum starts in a few minutes. The event is sponsored by the pro-gay groups HRC and LOGO.You can watch it at visiblevote08.logoonline.com. I will be liveblogging the event. Pam Spalding will be hosting a chat on her site.

And we are starting. I can't see the candidates.

The candidates are being introduced one at a time. Barack Obama is first.

Obama states he is for a "strong version of civil unions." He does not believe churchs should be forced to recognize civil union. Short version: separation of church and state.

Obama wants civil unions to have the same legal rights has marriage. He mentions Loving v. Virginia.

The moderator Margaret Carlson points out many will view civil unions as less than marriage.

Melissa Etheridge is a panelist. She says she humbled to be there as a privileged rock star. She tells Obama that he is a great orator.

Obama gets a laugh by calling himself a "hopemonger." It is a good pun.

Etheridge tells Obama don't be afraid to make change.

Pam Spalding takes Obama to task.

Margaret Carlson again presses on the fact that marriage is not just a matter of semantics. Obama feels that civil unions can be enforced as equal to marriage (he still cannot define why marriage has to be separate).

Obama addresses the need of the black community needs to get over it's fear of homosexuality. Obama stresses that homophobia keeps the black community from being properly getting educated on HIV. I would say sex education, as a whole, needs to be addressed.

Obama's time is running out. Each candidate gets 15 minutes.

Good! Obama endorses condom distribution.

John Edwards: come on down.

Edwards does a lot of handshaking.

Melissa Etheridge asks Edwards if he understands that gay and lesbian couples can't depend on their spouses health coverage because they are not legal spouses. Edwards goes into a horrifying story about young gay men and women kicked out of their homes because they come out of the closet.

Etheridge asks if public schools should teach LGBT. Edwards answers yes and endorses gay adoption. Both will be a hard sell in the red states. Republican operatives will see red meat.

Jonathan Capehart asks why the gay community should trust him. Edweards was silent in 2004 on the gay marriage amendment.

Edwards talks about Elizabeth taking on Ann Coulter. Edwards compares Coulter to the racism he saw in the South growing up.

Susan Stanton is in the house.

Joe Solmonese ask Edwards about his religious views against gay marriage. Edwards says would not impose his faith on LGBT issues.

Solmonese isn't satified with Edwards answer. Edwards states he hasn't changed on same sex marriage. He is against don't ask don't tell.

Edwards comes out in support of hate crimes in his closing statement.

Good God! Dennis Kucinich is up next.

This is a mutual lovefest between Kucinich and the panelists. Group hug everyone.

Etheridge tells Kucinich tells him she was warned not to fawn over him.

Pam has a more up-to-date post at Americablog.

Kucinich stresses sex education and funding.

Kucinich uses 1 + 1 = 2 as a metaphor. Feel pounding headache coming on.

Jucinich tells the crowd he loves them all. He is being cheered like a rock star.

Mike Gravel, Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton are up next. All other candidates turned down the event.

Gravel is up. Please don't talk about the flat tax.

Etheridge points out that Gravel is unusual for his generation for supporting same sex marriage.

Gravel teases Joe Solmonese for not wanting him at Visible Vote.

Gravel attacks Clinton, Obama and Edwards for not supporting same sex marriage. He accuses them of playing it safe.

Gravel calls the label civil unions demeaning to gays.

Gravel comes out in favor of legalizing marijuana and hard drugs. I'm against this. America is not New Amsterdam.

Bill Richardson is up.

Richardson comes out couragously for civil unions because it is achievable. Short answer: don't expect Richardson to spend political capital on LGBT issues.

Jonathan Capehart asks Richardson about an Imus Show appearance where Richardson jokingly called an Imus staffer faggot in Hispanic. Richardson admits he made a boo boo.

Richardson is putting the crowd to sleep.

Richard is asked if the New Mexico legislature gave him a same sex marriage bill would he sign it. Richardson is ducking the question. Joe Solmonese repeats the question. Richarson says his heart isn't there yet.

Hillary Clinton is up. She is boring me and I am getting tired.

Hillary says she views being against gay marriage as strongly being for civil unions. She's joking. The crowd laughs.

Hillary uses the states right issue against supporting gay marriage. George Wallace used that same argument.

Etheridge tells Hillary that the Clinton administration threw the LGBT community under the bus.

Susan Stanton is being interviewed post-debate.

Pam sums up Richardson's performance.

Summary: He talks about Melissa's battle against breast cancer and her Oscar for the song for An Inconvenient Truth. [Oh boy, he's really blown this.]

Hillary 'Ask My Campaign' Clinton

Hillary Clinton made a recent speech to the Human Rights Campaign. It was half-hearted to say the least. Hillary was recently asked this question by the media.

Clinton was asked twice on Monday why she did not publicize her speech to the group. Clinton said, "You'll have to ask my campaign."

Hillary, they are asking you. Does anyone believe the campaign staff won't put the transcript up if you tell them to. You seem to have no problem telling supporters to stay away from Barack Obama.

"The Clintons have made it very clear that, in the political world, no dalliances are allowed. There is zero tolerance for that,'' Huffington laughed. "It's sheer loyalty versus sheer fear.''

And it's reinforced, she said by the "constant e-mails being sent out about the senator's poll numbers, along with the implication that 'if you give any money to anybody else, you're on the outs.' And that when she is the nominee, and when she's the president, she will remember."

Americans want a leader who will stand behind principles. Not hide behind others.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) brushed past the press pack, shaking her head and waving her hand over her shoulder. When an errant food cart blocked her entrance to the meeting room, she tried to hide from reporters behind the 4-foot-11 Barbara Mikulski (Md.).

A true profile in courage.

Hillary At HRC

Pam Spaulding expresses her disgust at Hillary Clinton pitching civil unions to the Human Rights Campaign.

Anyway, back to the speech. She spends a good deal of her address patting herself and HRC on the back for the defeat of the federal marriage amendment. To spare you watching the whole 18 minute speech, she later discussed civil unions; she declares that gay and lesbian couples should have equal benefits:
* health and life insurance
* Social Security
* property rights
* visitation rights
* adoption rights

She mentions her support of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (which would give partners of federal worker all benefits of received by spouses of het married couples), and mentions the hate crimes bill, the repeal of DADT, and ENDA. Whether the latter three will be fought for in this Congress, it's not clear.

Missing from the Clinton speech was any inkling of what she believes should be done about DOMA. Perhaps someone will get a chance to ask her a direct question about this.

Hillary mentions she will end the U.S. military's don't ask, don't tell policy. That was created by her husband's wishy-washyness. Ditto the Defense of Marriage Act. Which Hillary supports.

I mentioned before that opposition to Virginia's gay marriage amendment helped voter turnout for Jim Webb. Democratic candidates can use the issue against Republicans. John Kerry's nonstance on gay marriage did not help him. Democrats have no choice, but to take the issue back. Republicans will continue to use it as a wedge issue if they don't.