Comments on Advance Indiana™: HRC's Dance With Hillary Under Fire

I went to the HRC's website and watched Hillary's ...

2007-03-06T07:21:00.000-05:00

I went to the HRC's website and watched Hillary's entire speech. She was unabashedly FOR the GLBT community. This isn't to say she is w/o her problems but it's worth watching to get insight into where she stands now. I also noted in Solmonese's introduction of her that he said he invited ALL presidential candidates to address the gathering and that she was the first to accept so I would hardly characterize the event as a pre-planned and pre-endorsed love-fest of Hillary. As reported by the AP, the HRC has not endorsed any 08 presidential candidate.

HRC has been more helpful on local civil rights is...

2007-03-05T22:17:00.000-05:00

HRC has been more helpful on local civil rights issues (SJR 7, HRO) than Indiana Equality could ever hope to be. They "get it."

That being said, the HRC/Solmonese lovefest with Hillary must stop. No one is certain she'll get the nomination. Most liberal or civil rights groups are dancing with all potential candidates who have room on their dance cards. It's good politics. For now.

Interesting rewrite of history, Wilsonl. Typical.

I can't speak for other states but HRC has been he...

2007-03-05T21:07:00.000-05:00

I can't speak for other states but HRC has been here and working hard in Indiana over the last year and I do believe the organization has greatly improved since they cleaned house a few years ago.

With that said, I do have issues with Hillary too.

For what it's worth: both Rudy and Hillary have lo...

2007-03-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

For what it's worth: both Rudy and Hillary have long-held identical positions on gay marriage and civil unions: against marriage but for civil unions.

Rudy stands out lonely in the GOP crowd of Presidential contenders as being the only one supportive of gay civil unions. The rest are fiercely opposed to any such arrangements. All the Democratic contenders support civil unions, without exception.

It's a shame when an anonymous nobody tries to hij...

2007-03-05T19:29:00.000-05:00

It's a shame when an anonymous nobody tries to hijack a political discussion thread with crude personal attacks on other commenters.

Let's discuss issues of importance to LGBT voters - not the whiny complaints of unknown namecallers.

Wilson is the most pathetic lapdog on these blogs....

2007-03-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

Wilson is the most pathetic lapdog on these blogs. His comments are as predictable as the bile body odor he emits when he enters a room.

In 1992 Bill Clinton ran on a platform of integrat...

2007-03-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

In 1992 Bill Clinton ran on a platform of integrating gays and lesbians into the military - when he tried to make it happen after the election, he was beaten back by the reactionaries. The GOP as a party fought us on the issue - and won.

On Friday, Hillary was 'pandering for votes' at the HRC while the Sainted Rudy was trolling for support from the Ann Coulter worshipers. A sad comparison!

Whatever it takes to get the votes!

2007-03-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

Whatever it takes to get the votes!

The Clintons never help anyone unless it helps the...

2007-03-05T18:26:00.000-05:00

The Clintons never help anyone unless it helps themselves.

In other words, Wilson, the Clintons are fair-weat...

2007-03-05T18:23:00.000-05:00

In other words, Wilson, the Clintons are fair-weathered friends when it comes to the GLBT community. Rudy Guiliani has been a long-time supporter of GLBT rights--long before the Clintons gave it a second thought. He does support civil unions. Hillary is another johnny-come-lately to that. She stood alone on the New York Democratic ticket last year in opposing marriage equality for New York citizens.

Wikipedia has lengthy articles on "Dont Ask, Dont ...

2007-03-05T18:17:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia has lengthy articles on "Dont Ask, Dont Tell" as well as the "Defense of Marriage Act". DOMA passed in the Senate 85-14 in 1996 with nary a Republican voting against it.

The Clintons support civil unions - would any Republican Presidential candidate own up to doing so in 2008?

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the horrible, face-sav...

2007-03-05T17:39:00.000-05:00

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the horrible, face-saving compromise made after the enthusiastic and naive Clintonistas at the beginning of Bill's term who tried to change military past policy. They tried to get gays and lesbians openly in the military and to abolish the witchhunts. The conservatives (mainly Republicans but also a few Democrats) fiercely opposed the Clinton initiative. The military brass fiercely oppsed allowing gays and lesbians in the armed forces, including the Sainted Colin Powell.

That well-intentioned but naive initiative was defeated politically - I recall no leading Republicans supporting it.

The Defense of Marriage Amendment was a national rightwing initiative that overwhelmed gay-friendly legislators. It was a national phenomenon - Indiana was but one of many states that passed it at the same time. It passed Congress with a veto-proof majority. Clinton signed it knowing it would be still be passed if he vetoed it. It was also an election year - the GOP would have hammered him fiercely for a veto.

In 2007, are any leading GOP Presidential contenders going to try for an HRC endorsement or are they all salivating for the blessings of Eric Miller and his ilk?

The HRC would like to be more bipartisan but the Republican Party as an organized party is fiercely opposed to LGBT people and our issues. Dont blame the HRC - damn the GOP for being so prejudiced!