Politico's Ben Smith : Clinton Speaks to Gay Group, (Human Rights Campaign) Privately

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0307/Clinton_Speaks_to_Gay_Group_Privately.html

March 02, 2007

Clinton Speaks to Gay Group, Privately


Hillary just gave a speech to a luncheon of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, before an audience of about 400, HRC spokesman Brad Luna confirms.

It was a pretty closely held secret, this speech: Not on the public schedule, and Human Rights Campaign hasn't been responding to calls or emails about it over the last couple of days.

Clinton, for her part, is on pretty solid ground with the gay political establishment, but faces some pressure from Obama, who has said he opposed the Defense of Marriage Act back in 1996 and who talks about gays in public speeches, unprompted.

The speech should be online shortly.

[Lerkfish]

1. I'm confused. If she wants to keep up with Obama on the issue, why meet secretly?

:shrug: seems to make no sense

[gratuitous]

2. Secret?

Hmmm, pretty loaded word there, and I don't know that I would trust the folks at Politico to know what is or isn't on the public schedule of the Human Rights Campaign.

Although Politico certainly makes this meeting sound nefarious. I wonder what their commentary was when Dick Cheney was secretly meeting with his cronies in the energy business in the early days of the Bush administration?

[flpoljunkie]

3. Secret, as not in her public schedule. If they turn out to be wrong, they ought to apologize.

[gratuitous]

4. It's not clear

Whether the Politico is talking about Clinton's public schedule or the Human Rights Campaign's public schedule; in either case, I'm still not inclined to believe Politico's word for it. They have a little credibility problem of their own, allowing Dan Gerstein, a paid political operative for Joe Lieberman, to post at their site without disclosing the connection.

I don't think Politico would apologize even if they were wrong. But at the end of this little tidbit, it says that the text of the speech will be online before the end of the day anyway. Considering the treatment Democrats and progresssives have been subjected to in the past for misuse of footage at their live appearances, I can't say that I would blame either Clinton or HRC for not wanting the network and cable yahoos there.

[flpoljunkie]

5. There is, as yet, no mention of the luncheon with Hillary on the Human Rights Campaign website.

[election_2004]

6. Hmmmm

Did she gather them to privately update the group on how she is continuing to "evolve" on gay marriage?