Dems’ new face is not their spine (Gov. Tim Kaine)

[IndianaGreen]

Dems’ new face is not their spine

Fresh off backing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions, Tim Kaine is being heralded as his party’s new poster boy.

Friday, January 27, 2006

THE DEMOCRATIC Party announced last week that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine will deliver the party’s official response to President Bush’s "State of the Union" address later this month. A statement issued by the party praised Kaine, just one week on the job, for being "a champion for working families, putting their priorities above the needs of the special interests."

That description will surprise the "working families" of Virginia headed up by gay and lesbian couples. Because the same day Kaine debuted as "the new face" of the Democratic Party, the Blade reported that he supports and will sign onto the ballot an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that not only bans gay marriage and civil unions, but domestic partnerships as well, and may even deprive gay couples the protection of domestic violence laws.

After the Blade story hit the fan, a Kaine spokesperson telephoned to "clarify" his position. It turns out the governor does, as reported, support a constitutional ban on gay marriage and civil unions, but he opposes the rest of the amendment, which prohibits the state or local governments from giving any legal recognition whatsoever to gay and unmarried straight couples, and also blocks the state from recognizing similar efforts by other states or local governments.

Not only would Virginia’s gay couples be blocked from any legal recognition, so too would a married gay couple visiting the state from Massachusetts, or a civil unioned couple from Vermont, or domestic partners from neighboring Washington, D.C. Should they encounter a medical emergency, their home-state recognition would be stripped and they’d have no right to make medical decisions or hospital visits.

What a relief that these gay "working families" must feel at Kaine’s "clarified" position, opposing such unprecedented bigotry! Not so fast.

http://www.houstonvoice.com/2006/1-27/view/editorial/spine.cfm

[joeybee12]

1. Spineless is right...he could easily just send it back to the legislature

and tell them to send him a better bill...which you know they won'tbe able to because of so much infighting...it's a way of him framing the debate. Instead, like all the sissy democrats we seem to have these days, they let the opponents frame the debate, get put on the defensive, and then cower in fear.

[xchrom]

2. how to get gay folk not to vote for you.

[mitchtv]

3. A glowing symbol that the Dems intend

to lose again in NOV