Clinton: Amendment banning gay marriage a 'mistake'

[dawn]

I miss him.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040402/ts_alt_afp/us_vote_gays_clinton_040402175217


WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) opposes President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, a weekly newspaper reported.

Clinton, who signed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act which allowed individual states to ban same sex marriages, told the Washington Blade gay weekly that a constitutional amendment would be a "mistake".

The Washington Blade said it asked Clinton at a Democratic Party fundraiser on March 25 whether the Republicans will be able to use gay marriage to hurt the Democrats in this year's presidential election.

"I don't think so," Clinton told the weekly. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) "just needs to be really strong and straightforward about it."

[Maat]

1. Here! Here!

[Amerpie]

2. Not an ally

DOMA and "Don't ask, don't tell" were two fiascos. They may have been politically expedient but they were wrong.

I wonder what Clinton means by straightforward? Does he want Kerry to take his path (i.e., do a little bit to keep the liberals from revolting but don't do enough to piss off the conservatives too badly)

EQUAL RIGHTS!

[xchrom]

4. welcome amerpie!

we have quite a few battles around regarding clinton friend/foe of gay people.
so you are going to get your feet wet.
me, i see it like you -- and don't ask was really a disaster.

[ButterflyBlood]

5. people should quit blaming Clinton for Don't Ask Don't Tell

He wanted to remove the ban altogether. It was Congress that stopped him and forced that compromise.

[realdeal22k]

7. I call BS

He could have taken a stand. The base (as we are now) would have come out in defense of him and carried the water. I really resent him caving on such a righteous issue.

[foreigncorrespondent]

9. Well...

...it is Clinton's signature on DADT. He was the one who signed it, when he could have taken a stand. He chose not to take the stand, so he also needs to claim responsibility when it comes back to bite him in the ass.

[Must_B_Free]

3. "Clinton, who signed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act"

which allowed individual states to ban same sex marriages,

yeah, what a great guy....:shrug:

[BattyDem]

8. I don't blame Big Dog for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

We can thank Congress for that. However, he really screwed up with the DOMA. He also screwed up with the DMCA ... but that's a rant for another post.

In any case, I'm glad he's saying the Dems should be "strong and straightforward about it." It's about time the Dems found their backbone on "controversial" issues. Maybe I'm naive, but I think if they would just do what Dean did in Vermont and explain to people that it's a matter of civil rights, not a religious or moral issue, most people would be reasonable enough to accept it. I honestly believe the majority of Americans hate discrimination, but they get hung up on this issue because they're so brainwashed by the RW media into thinking that gay marriage will end life as we know it.

[realdeal22k]

6. I miss him too but wtf did HE do besides DADT?

That's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" FWIW.

[keopeli]

10. Please, people, focus. Clinton said the right things in this article.

He is obviously NOT a foe of the gay rights movement. He found a compromise, which is an American tradition since the Great Compromise. Things move slowly. Look at how quickly things have imrpoved regarding race relations. The fact is, gay people are better off today because of what Clinton did, as opposed to what a Repub alternative President would have done.

If we want everyone to live together in peace, then we have to compromise as well. We have to accept that fundamentalists who think gay people are going to hell may be our neighbors, and we expect them to treat everyone with dignity. America is the land of the FREE. If you don't like living in the homophobic small town you grew up in, then move somewhere else in the US. We're very diverse.

DODT was a step in the right direction, however small. DOMA was also a step in the right direction, because it headed off the possiblity of a future constitutional ammendment. As you can see now with the ammendment on the agenda, it's DOMA that makes the ammendment meaningless and unnecessary. Some day, before long, we'll overcome the DOMA and DADT. But, please, no more mud slinging at Clinton. You don't like him, fine. But, let us focus on the matter at hand. Bush* must go. Bashing Clinton does not help that to happen.