Reply #36: "we've all realized that Senator Clinton is a long shot for the nomination"? [View All]

[Warren DeMontague]

She's been in a near statistical dead heat with Obama for a while, now. If he's leading her, it's only slightly. She based her entire early campaign on the idea that she was the inevitable nominee, so get used to it. She hasn't dropped out yet, so I don't see why she should get a free pass for having essentially the same stance on marriage equality that Obama does.

As for your question, I can't really speak for "the Obama supporters". Obama wasn't my first choice, he wasn't my second choice. My first choice didn't run. My second choice dropped out early. So I can really only speak for myself, and my view as a straight, white, married male is, that there should be no compromise on the issue of full equality, including marriage equality, for our GLBT citizens. Period.

As for "addressing concerns", I don't know- as others have noted, most of the Concerns seem to pertain to the McClurkin episode. Frankly, the McClurkin thing pissed me off, too. Being an Atheist, so did Obama's comment that he didn't think any kids "felt discriminated against for having to say Under God" in the pledge.

But I thought Edwards's comments on gay marraige (John's, not Elizabeth's) were idiotic as well. Fact is, NONE of these people represent where I stand on 100% of the issues. I want a candidate who will end the idiotic drug war, legalize and tax marijuana, immediate institute a SPHC system, cut the military budget down to 1/3 of what it is now, and commit the human race to begin terraforming Mars before the end of this century. I realize I may not get everything I want in a politician. But I'm firmly committed to the idea of Marriage equality; I don't think equal rights are negotiable or 'baragainable'. I've been disappointed in almost all of our candidates on this, save Gavel and Kucinich.

I don't think it's the place of Obama supporters to address the concerns of some GLBT voters (obviously not all, since as the SF Chronicle noted, Obama's Deputy Campaign director is an openly gay man) ... that onus really falls on the candidate and his statments and actions.

Here's what the Obama website has to say regarding LGBT Americans:

http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome

It's interesting to note that Obama acknowledges LGBT Americans, issues, and supporters on his website. Hillary, as near as I can tell, does not.