If the "gay marriage" issue is a negative for our Party, then would not it

[kentuck]

be a mistake to nominate Howard Dean as our candidate? If we think Howard Dean is the best candidate, then we are going to have to make a choice. Either we go with another candidate or we fight for what we think is the right thing to do - win or lose? The other Party is not going to ignore Dean's stance on "gay unions". Is it worth fighting for and is now the best time to carry on that fight? whaddya think?

[Ediacara]

1. All the candidates (except Lieberman) are for gay marriage

in one strangely worded form or another. Dean is the only one that has had the chance to actually be part of gay marriage legislation, but Kerry or Edwards or Kucinich would have the same "baggage" as Dean because had they been in Dean's shoes they would have (theoretically) done the same.

Only Lieberman would not have the "stigma" of supporting gay marriage, but he has about as much chance of gaining the nomination as, well, Elmer Fudd.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

3. Agreed.

Although has anybody truly come right out and said "Yes I support gay marriage"? All of them seem to have funny ways of saying yes, so as to not disappoint anti-gay voters. I think that if they are for it, they should say so clearly and stop dodging the issue.

[Laughing Mirror]

6. yes, three of them have said "I support gay marriage"

guess which three?

http://www.chicagopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/690625

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61360-2003Jul15¬Found=true

[cjbuchanan]

2. I don't think gay marriage will be the issue

I think that in 2004 the issue will be about equal rights. Bush & Co. are trying their hardest to move the discussion from rights to marriage because they see it as a wedge issue. No matter who the Dem candidate is, they must talk about it as a rights issue. This ties in with the other civil and employment rights Dems need to fight for.

I think this is worth fighting for just as civil rights were worth fighting for in the 60's.

[w13rd0]

4. I'm biased...

...I was raised by my mother and her partner. They've been together for nearly 30 years now. I was a bit older when they started living together, but both my younger siblings see Sandy (mom's partner) as just a much a part of their childhood as our father has been. Living in the closet was bad enough, but they are getting on in years. Elaborate mechanisms have been put in place so that if one of them is hospitalized, or passes away, they might see all the same rights as a heterosexual married couple might have after a week of newlywed bliss.

I want George W Bush to tell me, flat out, that this couple, of nearly 30 years, shouldn't have the same legal rights as the couple "Married by America" the day after the show airs!

[asjr]

5. gay marriage

If gay marriage turns out to be the main topic for anyone running for office, including GW, then we Americans are a sorry lot. It should never be an issue. Gays are American too. Why treat them any differently? Gays are human too. Why treat them any differently. We have turned into a gotcha culture and it is deplorable. It will certainly not be an issue (gays) when I vote. I am going to vote for the person who can try--I say TRY to turn this country around and get it on a footing that will benefit everyone. We are faced now with an admnistration hell bent on wrecking our country and I am very angry about it. It will be an uphill battle all the way. These people who support lower taxes, or no taxes should have to foot the bill for running government. We have to have a way to fund the government or we will not have a government. We will be a third world country next election year unless we put a Democrat in office. Okay, rant over.

[killbotfactory]

7. Well, Dean doesn't call for Gay Marraige, he calls for equal rights...

For everybody. Whether the states want to call it domestic partnerships, gay marraige, civil unions, or whatever is not up to the feds.

And almost all of our candidates have called for something similar.

And this ignores the problem that you can defend unpopular views and move people to your side if you are a leader on the issue and consistant, which, in my opinion, Dean is. He can effectively portray the importance of the issue to ordinary Americans through logic and reason.

[LeftHander]

8. Gay Communist gun owning couples who seek legal marriage

Is the real issue here people....