November 06, 2007

Postcard From An Early Primary State

With two months to go before the first-in-the-nation nomination ballots, voters in states not named Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina may be forgiven for feeling neglected by the candidates vying for the presidency. But try to look at it another way: At least you can ignore this very early election season if you want.

Those of us from early primary states don't have that luxury. Last weekend, I found that a trip back home was no vacation from my job. In fact, driving around Greenville, S.C., provided ample evidence that while I may report from Washington on campaign activities, the crux of the action is quite far away.

Take, for instance, the time-honored tradition of yard signs. They're not as high-budget as TV or Web ads (although I did spy a Mitt Romney spot or two when I turned on the tube). During election season, the durable outdoor signs line roadways as well as lawns.

Based on a very unscientific count, the two most active candidates in the very conservative upstate seemed to be former Massachusetts Gov. Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The candidates were about even on road signs alone, although Paul -- known for his resourceful supporters -- also had signs along the freeway that declared a "Ron Paul Revolution." However, many of the Romney signs were seen near Bob Jones University, where the university's president recently created a furor when he announced his support for the Mormon candidate. Then there was the lone sign for Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, that predictably read: "No Amnesty For Illegals. Tancredo For President."

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Posted at 4:24 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Gay Rights, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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August 27, 2007

GOP Senator Craig Arrested For 'Lewd Conduct' In Bathroom

UPDATED.

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, one of the Senate's most conservative members and an opponent of gay rights, was arrested in June for an incident involving lewd conduct in a public men's room, Roll Call reports.

According to the report, Craig was arrested June 11 following a complaint of lewd conduct in a restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. TPM has obtained the incident report, and so far the details appear to be tame.

"At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot," the officer states. After Craig "proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times," the officer flashed his identification card and informed the senator he was under arrest.

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Posted at 6:40 PM
Posted to: Congress, Crime, Gay Rights, Senate
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August 10, 2007

Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys

The gay vote will be reliably Democratic for the foreseeable future, but the LGBT community has a real beef with the party: the M word.

That's marriage, of course. Most of the Democratic leadership and all the 2008 presidential front-runners essentially back marriage rights for gays but without the "marriage" part. During last night's Human Rights Campaign/Logo forum, Barack Obama (perhaps unknowingly) summed up that contradiction succinctly. "You know, semantics may be important to some," he said. "From my perspective, what I'm interested in is making sure that those legal rights are available to people."

The question was whether his backing of civil unions but not marriage for gays was tantamount to a separate-but-equal policy. Gay marriage-backers have a point in that criticism, and Obama's response wasn't much of an answer.

Continue reading "Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys"

Posted at 12:51 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Gay Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Republicans, WH 2008
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May 31, 2007

Civil Unions OK'd In New Hampshire

Gov. John Lynch (D) signed legislation today legalizing civil unions in New Hampshire, making his state the first in the country to offer marriage rights to gay couples without a court order or the threat of one.

"I've listened and I've heard all the arguments. I do not believe that this bill threatens marriage. I believe that this is a matter of conscience and fairness," Lynch said.

The Granite State will become the fourth to perform legitimate civil unions, after Connecticut, Vermont and New Jersey. In April, its newly elected Democratic state legislatuure -- the state's first in more than 100 years -- quickly passed civil union legislation, which Lynch had vowed to sign. A constitutional ban on the practice had been introduced just two years ago but was defeated.

New Hampshire's new law won't go as far as Massachusetts' ruling, however, which allows full marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Posted at 4:49 PM
Posted to: Gay Rights
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