(Prompted by Ipse Dixit) Quick, how many of the nine Democrat Presidential candidates support gay marriages? Ron Fournier of the AP reports that only 3 do: Kucinich, Moseley-Braun, and Sharpton. Geez, that seems a little light. Where are all the others like uber-lib Howie the Duck?
The remaining six, all top-tier candidates, side with the majority of Americans and against gay activists like Smith.Sounds like they're a tad nervous about this one. The Democrats haven't supported states' rights since heck was a pup.
"We're disappointed they have chosen not to support allowing gay people to marry," Smith said.
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Responding to an Associated Press survey, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said through aides that gay marriage is an issue for states to resolve.
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As governor of Vermont, Dean signed a civil-union bill that conferred state benefits to same-sex couples. He has made a point of saying the law did not endorse gay marriages, a distinction with little legal difference.
"We have full civil marriage rights (for gays and lesbians), we just don't call it marriage," Dean said in September 2002.
More recently, Dean said as president he would not tell states they had to have civil union or gay marriage laws. Still, he would "insist that every state find a way to recognize the same legal rights for gay couples as they do for everybody else."
Some gay rights activists said Dean was trying to have it both ways, a criticism certain to be raised next week when Dean and several of his Democratic rivals attend the Human Rights Campaign forum.
