What does the Democratic Party owe to gays and lesbians across the state of New Jersey (and in D.C., yet)?
As a matter of party discipline, it owes them a consistent approach to civil rights, at least. As a matter of bully-pulpit advocacy, it owes them the American ideal of a leadership, from President Obama on down, who will stand up and say forcefully that matters of conscience are best left between individuals and their God.
Today, in New Jersey, we appear to be lacking both, hopefully temporarily, on our way to voting a final time on marriage for committed gay and lesbian couples.
By a consistent approach to civil rights, I mean a clear, articulated, and promoted understanding of how we come together in civil society, how we hope to use reason and light to avoid the religious wars that rent Europe, in times past.
In short, I mean, how it could be laudable for a clear-thinking legislator to say, "I feel that gays and lesbians are morally repugnant to me in all that they do, but I still vote for this legislation to allow committed gay couples to marry", because I could be wrong.
Religion is not required to show this kind of humility or doubt, but good and just public policy making is. Considering the caustic harm of a potentially highly visible injustice, like second-class status, is the job of an enlightened legislator and, by extension, the Democratic Party.
In New Jersey, today, we face legislators on the Democratic side of the isle who ignore such a putative Party discipline on civil rights, in order to avoid having to promote the Party's historical position on how to balance matters of conscience with civil rights in the law.
Why?
They do this by earnestly, but mistakenly, applying "personal beliefs" to policies that affect everyone or minorities. They do it out of the sheer political calculation of not wanting to fight to keep their seat and pretending that it is someone else's job, rather than their own political burden, to educate, to lead, to fight for justice before the law, and to adhere to and promote a civil society that balances religious freedom with full and fair civil equality - that is, a consistent and promoted approach to civil rights.
This must end. It's ugly for the Party and discouraging enough to be devastating to the base.
The Party did so much to get this to a vote, in New Jersey. Let us go the last nine yards, together. Senators, change your votes!
