Dean today issued the following statement:

[William769]

"I misstated the Democratic Party's platform, which does not say that marriage should be limited to a man and a woman, but says the Party is committed to full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and leaves the issue to the states to decide. The Democratic Party remains committed to equal protection under the law for all Americans. How we achieve that goal continues to be the subject of a contentious debate, but our Party continues to oppose constitutional amendments that seek to short circuit the debate on how to achieve equality for all Americans."

http://www.bgay.com/bnews/news60511_howard_dean_foggy_on_gay_marriage.htm



What an asswipe! I don't know whats worse, that he doesn't even know our platform being the DNC chair, or that he is trying to subvert & rewrite it!

[roguevalley]

1. Or he recognizes a mistake and is trying to correct it. Many possibilities

[terrya]

2. Our party could be a little more vociferous in opposing those amendments.

Because, quite frankly, I think that particular message is muffled. Particularly when you have situations like Bill Clinton advising Kerry in 2004 to SUPPORT the anti-gay marriage amendments on the ballot that year.

Why can't the Democratic Party state, in their platform, that it's recognized that there isn't support right now for same-sex marriage, but that it's the ultimate goal for the Democratic Party?

Am I being ridiculously naive?

[Dhalgren]

5. No, you're not being naive. The time has come for the

Democratic Party to stand up and state in plain language what it is we stand for. Lay out clearly what we believe and who we are. By trying to avoid clear statements of principles, the Party appears to be preparing to either stab the left in the back or pull the wool over the center's eyes. The party needs to come together and work these things out and then be open about what it stands for - one way or the other.

[Dhalgren]

3. Dean is trying to walk a fine line, here. He wants to grab that

illusive "center" vote, without completely alienating the left base. I don't know if he can do it. We want all Americans to join us, but you can't throw out the people who have had your back for six years just to get the Johnny-come-lately crowd. The center needs to join us, they have few other options - we should hold off on giving away the farm until it becomes necessary...

[GodlessBiker]

4. It sounds like he wants to be everything to everyone, which never works.

[MissMarple]

6. What if government quit the marriage business altogether.

And just sanctioned domestic partnerships. Heterosexual couples should be able to form legally binding domestic partnerships with out getting married, too. Marriage licenses are a relatively new requirement anyway. Then the fundies could do their thing and every one else could too.

Focus on the individuals, not the labels, and not james Dobson's narrow definition of "family". What a concept. So many of Dobson's followers are dysfunctional in their family units anyway. That's why they listen to him and read his "literature". They are often clueless about how to relate to their spouses and children.