It appears that Jamie Kirchick is fumbling the ball on a gay issues (again?) and AS is missing the pick up.
The rampant homophobia among Christianist Republicans is not a get-off-free card for Democrats. Or did we learn nothing from the Clinton years? -AS
I have no problem asking Democratic leaders to represent their gay constituents more fully, but it is of course silly to expect any political leader to be way out ahead of the general electorate on almost any political issue.
The GOP is anti-gay ideologically. The Dems are not.
What AS (and probably Jamie) don't realize, however, is that, until gay rights are achieved in full, the Democratic Party will always be formally preferred to the GOP, whatever they self-imagine are the lessons of the Clinton era. The GOP is anti-gay ideologically. The Dems are not - they are just being pragmatic and will shift when the tide of public opinion turns sufficiently.To wit: The GOP's second-term President could move with electoral impunity to end Don't-Ask, Don't Tell. Despite the polls in its favor, he won't do it and he won't get pressure to do it from his party, because it is a symbolic, ideological loss for them, as they see it.
