Gay Thursdays: Rockin' the Vote with Elizabeth Edwards

"I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me. I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.'' --Elizabeth R



Certainly there are many who would much rather vote for Elizabeth Edwards than her husband. Perhaps if she were to live long enough she would be the third political wife of a major candidate to run for President. Be that as it may, Mrs. Edwards is currently living her political life with panache and style.

This web log has stated in the past that all marriage should be banned and that everyone who wants to couple should have the right to civil unions with equal benefits. Let the Churches sanctify 'marriage.'

Still if the right to government sanctioned marriage exists it should be extended to everyone.

What Mrs. Edwards has done in recent days is to take the opportunity to speak her mind and it is paying off--literally--for her husband's campaign.

Calculated or not, these maneuvers come down on the right side as opposed to the calculations and maneuvering of the current administration which brought only death and destruction. It's gratifying to have a calculation and a maneuver be life supportive. Yo, Elizabeth, calculate and maneuver all you want. Maybe Chris Matthews will invite you on his show to boost the ratings.

[from Associated Press via Yahoo]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, kicked off San Francisco’s annual gay pride parade Sunday by splitting with her husband over support for legalized gay marriage.
“I don’t know why someone else’s marriage has anything to do with me,” Mrs. Edwards said at a news conference before the parade started. “I’m completely comfortable with gay marriage.”
She made the remark almost offhandedly in answering a question from reporters after she delivered a standard campaign stump speech during a breakfast hosted by the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club, an influential San Francisco political organization. California’s presidential primary is Feb. 5, one of the earliest contests in the nation.
She conceded her support puts her at odds with her husband, a former senator from North Carolina who she said supports civil unions among gay couples — but not same-sex marriages.
“John has been pretty clear about it, that he is very conflicted,” she said. “He has a deeply held belief against any form of discrimination, but that’s up against his being raised in the 1950s in a rural southern town.”
No serious presidential candidate from either major political party has publicly supported gay marriage.
“John believes that couples in committed long-term relationships should enjoy the same rights, benefits and responsibilities regardless of whether they are straight couples or same-sex couples,” Edwards said earlier during her speech. “He supports civil unions.”






Elizabeth on YouTube

From the San Francisco Chronicle, regarding Mrs. Edwards speaking at the Alice B Toklas Club:

"It certainly is another barrier falling,'' said author and gay activist David Mixner, a Clinton administration adviser who backs Edwards in the 2008 race.
"There's been a taboo on any (candidate)-related Gay Pride events,'' he said, with major presidential hopefuls steering away because the event has been viewed largely in the mainstream media as a no-holds-barred celebration of the gay lifestyle.
But Mixner -- whom Newsweek once called "the most powerful gay man in America'' -- said Democratic politicians particularly are realizing that "just like straights at Mardi Gras, there's a wide range of different events, from picnics and political clubs to the parade,'' many of them family-oriented and many stocked with potential voters.

"The myth of what Pride is will be exploded ... and that taboo will now be removed,'' he said. "And I can't think of a better person to do it than Elizabeth Edwards. She won't let people tell her where she can go and who she can talk to.''
Gloria Nieto, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee's gay and lesbian caucus who has yet to endorse a 2008 candidate, agreed that Elizabeth Edwards' appearance showed that candidates view gay and lesbian voters as a constituency that must be sought after in much the same way as other blocs of voters -- particularly in California with its important Feb. 5 primary.

"The fact that Edwards' campaign is so forward thinking in that way shows that (gay political influence) is coming to fruition," Nieto said. "They're looking outside the Beltway and looking for other areas of gay power and influence.''

Democratic activist Jeff Anderson, who invited Elizabeth Edwards to the event and supports her husband, the former North Carolina senator, called her scheduled appearance on Sunday "a significant step for our community.''


Rock On, Elizabeth! Live Long and Prosper!

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