Kerry has endorsed a Massachusetts version of the Hate Amendment, and we have all been discussing the Stephanie Herseth position. It has led me to some serious soul searching the past day. I even read every comment in the Herseth thread twice.
The problem is the conflict between two core ideals. The first is my often stated desire that victory by any Democrat is better than victory by the best Republican. The reason is simple -- at the begininning of each session, all Democrats will cast their vote for either Nancy Pelosi or Tom Daschle (or his successor). And that vote will be more important than any other subsequent vote they may cast.
On the other hand, I absolutely despise discrimination in all its forms, to the very core of my being. And supporting the Hate Amendment is discrimination at its purest -- seeking to enshrine it in our most sacred document.
I'm with Atrios on this one. To me, this whole "I'm for civil unions but against gay marriage" stance is ridiculous, and it's the best we'll get from the Democrats, scared out of their wits as they are. That's too bad because the issue provides plenty of framing wiggle room. Even Republicans like Hagel and Lugar are saying the Constitution should not be tampered with unecessarily.
I've been impressed with our Senate delegation -- so far only the turncoat Miller has endorsed the Hate Amendment. Other conservative Dems like Breaux, Nelson, and even Bayh have indicated their opposition (qualified as necessary for political expediency). You can be a Democrat and oppose the amendment. So did Daschle, who faces a tight reelection battle against an extremely strong opponent. That Herseth did not is a problem. A serious one.
Taking back the House is imperative, and is more attainable than most people realize. But we have to do so one step at a time. One seat at a time. And this seat is one of them. All things considered, both candidates (Herseth and her opponent Diedrich) support the Hate Amendment. But one will give us a vote for Pelosi while the other will not. So there IS a difference. A HUGE difference.
There's a reason Rove orchestrated this whole affair -- to introduce a wedge issue to split the Democrats. That it's splitting Republicans as well might be nice, but incidental. Rove's gambit is working against Democrats. How can it not be? But it's not our fault it's working. If we're on the side of justice and equality, then we have nothing to apoligize for. It's the Democrats who are too afraid to take a hold of the issue, reframe the debate, and stake out the right position.
So each and every one of us has to make a decision. We all have a limited amount of funds. You can choose to help out Herseth to send another Chandler-esque message and build Democratic momentum heading into November. Or you can save your money for candidates who don't traffic in Hate Amendments. Either way, you have nothing to apologize for. Both courses of action are doing the right thing.
As for Kerry and his support for a Massachusetts Hate Amendment? The guy's a spineless ass. What else can I say?