In reversal, (San Diego mayor) Sanders (R) supports gay-marriage resolution

[Newsjock]

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

Mayor Jerry Sanders reversed his position on gay marriage Wednesday, supporting it in emotional remarks punctuated by pauses, shaking sips of water and his wife's hand resting one time reassuringly on his back.

Sanders' wife, Rana Sampson, stood next to him as he acknowledged publicly for the first time that his daughter, Lisa, is a lesbian.

“I've decided to lead with my heart, which is probably obvious right now, to do what I think is right and to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice,” Sanders said.

A day after staff members said Sanders would veto it, the mayor announced that he would sign a City Council resolution passed Tuesday that directed the City Attorney's Office to file a brief in support of gay marriage.

... “As I reflected on the choices that I had before me last night I could just not bring myself to tell an entire group of people in our community they were less important, less worthy or less deserving of the rights and responsibilities of marriage than anyone else simply because of their sexual orientation,” Sanders said.

Read more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070919-1819-bn19sanders.html

[EFerrari]

1. One of the best actions I've ever seen come out of San Diego government.

k&r

[Siyahamba]

2. Good for him.

Hopefully the governor will do the same.

[FredScuttle]

3. Miracles do happen

good people eventually turn to their "heart" and do the right thing.

Good on Mayor Sanders.

[AlCzervik]

4. Wow because it's San Deigo! and Wow becasue it's an (R) and good for you sir.

[Socal31]

56. San Diego has a HUGE

gay community, now rivaling San Fran.

[pinto]

5. Kudos to the Mayor.

"I could just not bring myself to tell an entire group of people in our community they were less important, less worthy or less deserving of the rights and responsibilities of marriage than anyone else simply because of their sexual orientation."

And in San Diego, no less.

Bet he sleeps well tonight. He did the right thing.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

6. San Diego...

I am not very familiar with the workings of local politics in San Diego, but as an observation, this appears to be a fantastic example of the kind of impact GLBT people can have by just sitting down and engaging their families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors by just talking with them, being honest about who they are, and reminding them in the process that gay people are people that are close to them and are people that they care about.

[aaronbees]

7. That's awesome ... recommended!

Love this quote, and glad he came to this realization: “My opinions on this issue have evolved significantly as I think the opinions of millions of Americans from all walks of life have.”

[Divine Discontent]

8. whoever's hosting COUNTDOWN

needs to make this their top story and play several minutes of it! This can help turn millions to the proper feeling on this issue, just like this honorable mayor has shown is the only way to live - I'm proud of him.... GOD bless him.

[mark414]

9. great news!

now all we need is that lame ass terminator to stop with the ridiculous veto threats

[Liberty Belle]

10. I wonder if yesterday's announcement by the Dem Chair that a gay state Senator might run against him

had anything to do with Sanders sudden decision to support gay marriage?

No clue if Denise Ducheney really intends to run or if that was just a well-placed trial balloon, but it seems to have hit the mark!

[avrdream]

11. Great news.

If only Dick Cheney felt the same way about HIS daughter - this country might have been a whole lot better by now.

[othermeans]

13. Recall what his daughter said about John Kerry. Just because someone is a homosexual

doesn't mean that they support the Progressive ideals. Check out the Log Cabin society. A group of ultra-conservative gays who weren't smart enough to support Kerry in the last election.

[avrdream]

15. Yeah, I know.

Sad, isn't it?

I can't imagine supporting someone who doesn't support me. Maybe I'm just naive.

[SacredCow]

29. I have a very close friend that's a Log Cabin Republican...

He's running for the state House, in fact, and he just got the not of approval and official endorsement from his local republican committee. I'm keeping a close watch on it, to see if they start encouraging him to deny his homosexuality (which he won't do).

[Zhade]

12. That's AWESOME.

Showing more courage than some Dems I could name. Good for him.

[xchrom]

14. recommend!

:applause:

[Not Me]

16. Hey Jerry, Give Cheney a call.....

nt

[moggie]

17. It's a positive step

But still... would he have made this choice if it weren't for his daughter's orientation? If you support "equality and social justice" only when it benefits your own family, you still have some way to go.

[LeahMira]

25. Because it was so close

... the mayor was forced to examine his conscience and do the right thing. Good for him, and even more good for those who don't have anyone in their immediate family who is gay but who can still understand fair.

[arewenotdemo]

30. Yep. He had to have a daughter who was lesbian to bring him to the most

obvious of recognitions.

I'd save the kudos for someone who can make that "leap" without a GLBT family member.

[ejbr]

31. Thank you!!! My sentiments exactly!!

Yes, it is a positive step and he should be commended in standing by his daughter, regardless of the political risks. Unlike Cheney and Alan Keyes, he truly loves his daughter and backs it up with action.

However, how backward do you have to be to be forced into this type of self-realization on right and wrong?

I am not a woman, but I know they deserve the same pay as I. I am not poor, but KNOW that society should take care of them and provide them welfare as we do the corporations. I am not obese, but know that making weight jokes is insensitive and hurtful. I am not short and know that we should create public facitilities to accomodate their height. I am not disabled, but desperately want the world to make their lives as manageable as possible.

This doesn't seem to be rocket science.

[postulater]

18. So NOW when it's HIS daughter it's the RIGHT thing,

but before when it was someone else's daughter it was wrong?

It was the right decision but for the wrong reason.

Republican who can't see past his own nose, sheesh.

[TechBear_Seattle]

24. Sometimes, it has to become personal before folks can open their eyes

Now that it is about his own daughter, he will be much more aware of the discrimination that gay people face. He will no longer be able to cavalierly dismiss the sufferings of other gay people, because the thought will always be present: "And when others say and do the same things to my child?"

That can only be for the good.

[Seabiscuit]

28. That's generally the Republican way.

Wrong-headed policies don't matter to them unless they hit them personally either in the pocketbook or in their own families.

[TechBear_Seattle]

33. Such an attitude crosses party boundaries

There are several flavors of bigotry here on display at DU. Sadly, most of these people will be unable to change their outlook until a family member or close friend forces them to open their eyes.

[Seabiscuit]

38. I don't know about that...

DU is populated by a lot of people who aren't real progressives, and by some freepers, DINO's, DLC'ers and other disruptors. When you see bigotry on display on DU, it's not from us progressives.

[TechBear_Seattle]

40. The "No true progressive" fallacy, eh? n/t

[Seabiscuit]

42. "Fallacy"??? So saying bigotry is not progressive is a "fallacy"???

Bigotry does not simply "cross party lines". Any assertion that it does is the "fallacy". There are a relative handful of bigots who also call themselves Democrats. Republicanism, OTOH, incorporates bigotry in its ideology since the neocons took over that party.

That's like the Republicans claiming that involvement with Abramoff's scandals "crossed party lines".

[TechBear_Seattle]

43. First off, you might want to research the "No True Scotsman Fallacy" before blowing up

My apologies; I thought most people would get the reference but clearly I was wrong. Here is a link into the Wikipedia: No True Scotsman.

Second, do you really mean to tell me that no Democrat, ever, is bigoted? Only if you commit the fallacy of saying that true Democrats, regardless of voting record, party affiliation or the name on their voter registration, are not bigots. As for why that "reasoning" is a fallacy, I refer you to the link provided above.

[Seabiscuit]

47. First, I never heard of the phrase. Second,

I don't understand why you would ask "Second, do you really mean to tell me that no Democrat, ever, is bigoted?" in response to my post which clearly stated: "There are a relative handful of bigots who also call themselves Democrats." I never stated or suggested or implied that *no* Democrats are bigoted. I made that clear in my original post as well, where I distinguished "progressive" Democrats from others. Unlike the GOP, ours is a very diverse party. The term "progressive" as used here on DU is by definition someone who at the very least is not bigoted. Just because this website is called "Democratic Underground" doesn't mean you're not going to run into a people posting here who are not "progressive" and who are in fact bigoted. I thought I made that clear in my first response to you by reference to freepers, DLC'ers, DINO's (and other hypocrites).

So your meandering off into the world of "fallacies" is completely out in left field.

I get the impression that you may be one of those people on DU who create arguments out of nothing just for the sake of engaging in argument, and just to make yourself feel better by "proving" someone else wrong.

[arewenotdemo]

34. Precisely!

[SacredCow]

32. I feel pangs of this, too.....

but everyone has their own path to enlightenment.

At the very least, it's good PR proving that no matter how "moral" and "upstanding" you think you are, it's almost a certainty that someone you are very close to is gay.

[mwb970]

35. Right-wingers seem to care only about themselves & immediate families.

If something bad happens to the guy down the street, who cares? He probably brought it on himself. But if something bad happens to me, I must immediately attack one or more liberals.

This is just one of so many discouraging things about the right-wing "mind" set.

[thetaoofterri]

19. Sometimes people need to confront their issues

on a real personal level to understand and accept.

[valerief]

20. Why do I think he may be hiding a bathroom stall incident? nt

[LeahMira]

26. Because you're suspicious

... of everything. Loosen up!

[valerief]

41. Oh, I know why! Cuz he Rethuglican! nt

[bigworld]

21. Sounds like daughter gave him a talking-to. Good for her

[Seabiscuit]

27. I think his wife is also a lawyer.

So between the daughter and the wife, I imagine Mayor Sanders has gotten quite an earful about equal rights over the years.

I'm just amazed it took him this long to make a public statement about it.

Nevertheless, the man may be a Republican, but he just proved he's not a Repuke.

[TechBear_Seattle]

22. It is amazing what personal knowledge can do

Thank you for your display of genuine compassion and understanding, Mayor Sanders.

[abluelady]

23. Yes, It Is.

But how sad that so many only acknowledge what "we" are fortunate enough to know without being personally affected. We see it over and over that closed-minded people remain that way until they are personally affected. I'm glad he's showing this side of him, but I wish he had done it because he was truly a compassionate person as opposed to a compassionate daddy. But then, I'm a bleeding heart liberal so of couse I'm asking too much of a republican.

[MindPilot]

36. San Diego -- not as right wing as you thought it was

Jerry Sanders seems to be figuring that out too. Good for him; I hope the Gov follows suit.

[Seabiscuit]

39. The blueing of San Diego - gotta love it.

In 2000 Bush beat Gore 55%-45% in San Diego County.

In 2004 Bush beat Kerry 52.5%-47.5% in San Diego County.

By 2008 we may reach parity or better.

[FreeState]

45. Careful the county and the city are different

The city has a democratic majority on the city council and more Democrats registered to vote than Republicans.

Also it might be helpful to know that the mayor lives in a very gay area and attends a gay supporting church...

[Seabiscuit]

49. Which "very gay area" does he live in? Hillcrest?

I know about the city vs. county thing. I live within the city limits (Carmel Valley). The biggest problem area in the County is Escondido, which is its own city. Attending a get-together there can be hazardous to one's mental health - be prepared for a massive helping of Fox Noise talking points with your serving of mashed potatoes.

[democrat2thecore]

51. I used to live in Rancho Penasquitos - I hear 'ya --nt

[Jack_Dawson]

52. Hey! I live in that area

and I'm STRAIGHT. I SWEAR. Actually I see the Mayor in Starbucks all the time. He's a cool dude...very down to earth. I've had occasion to work with him too. Nice guy. Not your typical thuglican. Although the hillbillies in east county are crucifying him, of course.

[Seabiscuit]

53. If you're talking about Hillcrest, yes, it's a very nice area, just north of Balboa Park.

Glad to hear Jerry Sanders is a regular dude. I don't know that much about him.

Driving to the museums with my family one day my father-in-law, who's 70 and from Columbia, was shocked to see two men walking down the street holding hands. It was pretty laughable seeing his reaction to seeing REAL LIFE GAY PEOPLE for the very first time. :)

[Jack_Dawson]

54. No, he lives in Kensington

Awesome neighborhood about 4 miles east of Hillcrest.

[Ayesha]

46. It's not that red here

I just moved here a few months ago and it is not all that conservative from what I've found. Also, MANY Republicans here are socially liberal or moderate. There are a few fundamentalist Christians, but even some of those that I've met have been surprisingly live-and-let-live. This is California, not Alabama, Missouri, or Indiana, and our Repubs aren't as awful as yours. ;)

[Seabiscuit]

48. The primary hotbets of neoconservatives are Oceanside, Vista and Escondido.

There is a large retired navy population in those communities.

The coastal area south of Oceanside is primarily blue.

[lligrd]

37. "Lead With My Heart ...To Do What I Think Is Right "

So when he leads with his brain, he does what he thinks is wrong?

[bunkerbuster1]

44. Bravo. Best news today.

Not just for this personal triumph--but because this is a winning issue for us, and a total loser for the Republicans.

[democrat2thecore]

50. Just watched the video - he bared his soul.

Wow. That guy bared his soul in front of the cameras. It's good to see somebody not do what his Republican friends and backers want, but what He thinks he SHOULD do. He said his gay daughter told him that no matter what he did with the resolution, she would support him. He realized she was ready to protect her father when really he should be protecting HER and people like her. Quite amazing.
CNN Video here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2007/09/20/little.mayor.gay.KGTV

[marle35]

55. I cried when I read this.

I don't usually do that. It sounds like he is being truly genuine, and brave.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

57. Hmm...Maybe not all the Republicans went rethuglican.

Good for him!