First lady Katie O’Malley says she regrets saying gay marriage bill failed due to ‘cowards’

[alp227]

(AP) Maryland first lady Katie O’Malley said Friday she regretted her choice of words at a national conference when she said gay marriage legislation in the state failed last year because “there were some cowards that prevented it from passing.”

“I let my feelings get the better of me,” she said in a statement. “I deeply respect that there are strongly held and differing views on marriage equality in Maryland, but hope that our state’s elected officials will come together to fairly address this important issue for our families and children.”

O’Malley gave a welcoming speech at the 24th National Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality in Baltimore on Thursday night. Before a crowd, she talked about gay marriage legislation that passed the state Senate but stalled in the House of Delegates last year.

She said the bill’s failure in the House “brought tears to my eyes when it happened.”

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-first-lady-katie-omalley-blames-cowards-for-gay-marriage-failure-last-year/2012/01/26/gIQAUUk6TQ_story.html

[Lint Head]

1. I hate it when people who tell the truth apologize.

[LonePirate]

7. Exactly! Sounds like Ms. O'Malley was paying attention and summed up things perfectly.

[Ian David]

8. Not cowards. Bigots. n/t

[Zorra]

13. well said. nt

[AverageJoe90]

21. I can say the same thing about people who tell the truth and then shoot themselves in the foot......

...for some reason, whether out of a pure moment of clumsiness or intimidation, etc.

Both these things happened to Anthony Weiner, btw.

[Downtown Hound]

2. No Katie, you were right the first time. n/t

[Solly Mack]

3. Cowards, bigots.

Why apologize for calling them what they are?

[MNBrewer]

4. Why must we "deeply respect" "strongly held" bigotry?

[yardwork]

10. Good question. I don't see the strategy here either.

Is it going to change people's votes the next time? She's given cover to bigots for making a bigoted vote. Maybe this is part of a larger strategy. I'll believe it when I see it succeed.

[MADem]

5. Of course she's sorry--she misspoke. She meant to say "mendacious chickenshits." nt

[DCKit]

6. What ^y'all said. nt

[xchrom]

9. The cowardice, hatred, ignorance of bigots always

Has to be respected.

[ldf]

14. of coures. it has to be.

because it is right there, in the holy babble.

[KamaAina]

11. What she really meant to say was

"there were some shithead bigots that kept it from passing".

[Skittles]

12. she is correct

they are cowards

[dickthegrouch]

15. In "The home of the Brave"

those cowards would have voted to allow same sex marriage as a simple mark of the equality they think they have.

Cowards was the right word.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. I guess first Ladies are supposed to keep quiet and smile sweetly?

I guess the cowards are in republican areas. I know who they are!

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. Should NOT have apologized!

[karynnj]

18. I looked at her biography and she is incredibly impressive

http://www.governor.maryland.gov/firstlady/biography.asp

[CTyankee]

24. Thank you! I have started paying attention to Gov. O'Malley who I very much like.

Now I am super impressed with his wife. What a great progressive she is!

I wish there were a way we here at DU could send her messages of support. I feel for this lady. She must have gone through a lot...

[LibertyLover]

19. She had nothing to apologize for - she spoke the truth

A number of representatives initially agreed to vote for the bill and then changed their minds when their "Christian" constituants got all hot and bothered about 'the gays' having the right to marry. When the issue was cast as equal rights for all people, a number of representatives thought that it would cheapen the fight for civil rights in the 1960s by African-Americans. When the bill failed last year I was not a happy citizen of Maryland.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Isn't O'Malley the model for Tommy Carcetti in The Wire

Ouchies from git.

[CTyankee]

22. And I wonder why we are not winning in the "values" warfare...

we roll over and die...we don't confront...we don't act up....we don't fight back...

sad...very sad...

[Doctor_J]

23. As usual Dems backtrack from the truth

[Sgent]

25. I think there are probably both

There are true bigots (Rick Santorum), then there are cowards.

The cowards or those that won't vote for it due to fear they will get thrown out of office, but they have no opinion or don't care about gay marriage one way or another.

The reason this is important, is that it should inform our strategy of who (and how) to go after certain elected officials.

[MountainLaurel]

26. In the MD case the last time, it was cowardice

The original SPONSOR of the bill backtracked and voted against it because of extremist religious backlash in her district.