I've have been thinking of writing this post for a while now, but was spurred into action by this entry at The
Politicker (via
MyDD). The question I've been throwing around in my mind is twofold
a) where does Russ Feingold stand on gay rights and
b) on what platform should he run.
Please read the whole post below if you're so inclined and let me know your thoughts on a 2008 candidate running in favor of equal marriage.
Now, for those of you familar with my writings and wondering why I'm suddenly carrying out issue advocacy to the candidate I support - this is nothing new. Back on June 12, 2005 I
posted about the possibility of the Senator calling for withdrawal from Iraq:
Just imagine, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wi) running on a platform of withdrawal. Progressive populist against conventional Democrats. Sound familar? Only this time, 54% of Americans think the war wasnt worth it. Only this time over 1700 soldiers have paid the price. This time, it may be sucessful.
Probably by sheer coincidence, the next day witnessed the Senator introducing a resolution for a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq.
So, back to the issue at hand. Politicker posted this brief discussion of the Democrats and gay rights.
The question for 2008, to the extent that this matters, is whether a longshot from the left will come out strong in favor of same-sex marriage, and raise a pile of early money from deep-pocketed gay donors (who were important to Howard Dean's early surge back when civil unions were big). Russ Feingold seems the only one with a shot at doing this: So far, he's fought the Defense of Marriage Act and the Federal Marriage Amendment, and taken the stance that marriage is an issue to be decided at the state level. He seems to duck the issue of whether he actually supports same-sex marriage, though he seems to hint at supporting, saying:
"I generally think a society where people who are monogamous, where people who love each other come together and form stable families is better than the opposite."
This is an excellent opening for Senator Feingold to take the issue of equal marriage and run with it. Remember, this issue isn't out of the mainstream anymore. In the Northeast, Massachusetts already has marriage equality, all three Democratic Senatorial candidates in Rhode Island have come out in favor, the California legislature passed equal marriage only to have the Gov veto it but the 2006 candidates are also in favor, Spitzer is supportive in New York and the idea of equal marriage is slowly gaining steam. More importantly, five states across the country may have courts mandate equal marriage rights in the next 1-5 years.
So, how does this fit with the Senator's and Democrats' potential platform? Simple. We want non-intrusive, competent, and helpful government. We don't want the government in women's health care decisions, our gun racks, our library records, listening in to our phone lines, or deciding who we can or can not love.
I'm tired of John Kerry and other Democrats who opposed the anti-gay marriage amendment federally only to come out AGAINST equal marriage in his home state of Massachusetts. This is an issue where the American people expect consistence and honesty - without vacillation. Equal rights for all, or not. Senator Feingold has been consistently on the right side for gay rights. His opposition to DOMA and the anti-gay marriage amendments can flow naturally into support for equal marriage for all. If nothing else, it'll move the movement tremendously forward to have a mainstream legitimate candidate speaking out on this issue.
Senator Feingold, you've done the right thing time and time again. How about it, run on equal marriage. We'll get your back.
(Crossposted at http://www.RussForPresident.com)