Hillary Speaks at Old Cabell

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HRC at UVA

Today’s the Virginia primary, and yesterday Hillary Clinton spoke at my alma mater, the University of Virginia. She spoke to Larry Sabato’s Introduction to American Politics class.

Maybe one day, after all the votes are counted, the oaths sworn and the stories filed, 1,000 people will remember witnessing a uniquely University of Virginia moment in the carefully scripted world of presidential politics: Hillary Clinton and U.Va. politics professor Larry Sabato swaying arm-in-arm onstage as the University Singers led an Old Cabell Hall audience in a rousing rendition of “The Good Ol’ Song.”

She spoke in Old Cabell Hall, an auditorium I know well, because it’s in the music building and it’s where my choruses performed most of their concerts. It’s cool to see photos of her there.

Here’s a podcast of the event.

Obama v. Clinton on Gays II

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I’m actually getting tired of the “who’s better for the gays” debate on Obama and Clinton. I think they’re actually pretty similar when it comes to gay rights.

There’s an interview in the Blade today with Hillary about gay rights. While Obama thinks DOMA should be completely repealed, Hillary isn’t ready to repeal the section that allows states to ignore what other states say about gay marriage.

Ideally, DOMA should be completely repealed. But I do understand Hillary’s support for keeping the part about state recognition, for now. That section of the law does keep some people from supporting the FMA, because they say that as long as states can do what they want, there’s no need for an amendment banning same-sex marriage nationwide. (Same-sex-marriage states can’t “infect” other states, if one were to put it in so unfortunate a manner.) We don’t live in an ideal world.

Also, as I’ve pointed out before, even though same-sex marriage is an issue that’s very important to me personally, there are so many issues that are more important and will affect many more people, such as health care, foreign policy, and a president’s general ability to lead and/or get things done. Same-sex marriage seems fated to remain a state-by-state issue for the foreseeable future.

Some people talk about Bill Clinton’s signing of DOMA in 1996 and say that it wasn’t his idea, that it was forced on him by the Republicans. It’s true that it wasn’t his idea; but he was safely ahead in the 1996 election (which he wound up winning by 9 points) and he didn’t have to sign it. Unfortunately, this was at the beginning of his triangulation-and-Dick-Morris era. He spent no political capital protecting us.

DOMA might very well be the only thing preventing a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage right now, but I’ll always be peeved at Bill for signing it.

Obama and DOMA

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Chris Crain, on Obama vs. Clinton on gay rights:

I know what life is like for gays who live in my native South, and I’ve seen firsthand how the issue can rip apart families and friendships. And laws like the Defense of Marriage Act have a direct impact on my life, since my partner and I cannot live together in the U.S. because of it. It makes a real difference to me that Barack Obama favors full repeal of DOMA and Hillary only half, and because she has consistently tried to defend the nefarious law signed by her husband in 1996.

Leon Fleisher Speaks

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In December, pianist Leon Fleisher (father of jazz singer and former NYC gay blogger Julian Fleisher) was celebrated along with several other legends at the Kennedy Center Honors. In today’s Washington Post, he writes about the unease he felt.

I was flattered to be included in so distinguished a group and to be recognized for whatever contributions I may have made to American life. I was pleased to be part of an event that raises money for an institution as vital as the Kennedy Center and to be with my family and to see their joy at the ceremony.

What made me unhappy and continues to trouble me was that I was required to attend a White House reception on the afternoon of the gala. I cannot speak for the other honorees, but while I profoundly respect the presidency, I am horrified by many of President Bush’s policies….

For several weeks before the honors, I wrestled with this dilemma, deciding in the end that I would not attend the reception at the White House. That decision was met with deep, if understandable, disapproval by the powers that be. I was informed that I was hardly the first honoree to express such reserve; cited to me, among others, were Arthur Miller and Isaac Stern during the Reagan years and several during the present administration. I was asked to attend all of the scheduled events and to follow the well-established protocol of silence….

In the end, I decided to attend wearing a peace symbol around my neck and a purple ribbon on my lapel, at once showing support for our young men and women in the armed services and calling for their earliest return home. My family did the same, as did a number of fellow attendees who, over the weekend’s various events, asked me for ribbons of their own.

What would you do if invited to the White House?

Joe Perez on Obama

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I think Joe Perez has most accurately captured why I’m supporting Obama for the Democratic nomination.

But I want to point this part out specifically.

Unfortunately, too many Obama supporters have gotten carried away with their enthusiasm and have built up a puffed up image of the man as a sort of messiah figure…

Obama is not a saint, nor a savior, nor the second coming of JFK and MLK all rolled into one… But nevertheless, he’s my call.

Just because I support Obama does not mean that I’m a mindless idealist falling prey to hype. In fact, one of the reasons that I initially leaned away from him was because many of his supporters unsettled me.

It’s interesting for me to go back and read that post and see how I changed my mind. That’s one of the great things about blogging, keeping a diary, whatever – you can record the history of your thoughts and see how they’ve evolved (or haven’t).

Unfair to Huckabee

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You know – if Huckabee had dropped out yesterday, leaving Romney in the race against McCain, I wonder if the media would still be saying that McCain has effectively sewn up the Republican nomination. I hate it when reporters do this kind of thing. Maybe we should wait for people to actually vote.

It’s still a long shot, but still, in the delegate count, Huckabee isn’t all that far behind Romney and he has, in fact, won several states. And isn’t he in fact helped by Romney’s withdrawal, emerging as the main alternative to McCain?

Perhaps I’m biased, because I can’t stand Mitt Romney and I kinda like Huckabee — despite, y’know, Huckabee’s actual positions on the issues. I would never vote for either man, but I think Huckabee’s being treated unfairly here.

Political Thoughts

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Random thoughts about the state of the presidential race, in no particular order:

(1) In New Jersey yesterday, my parents canceled each other out. My dad voted for Clinton and my mom for Obama (she was undecided as late as yesterday). Yay for bucking gender roles!

(2) It’s interesting how many candidates have multiple home states. Clinton is “from” Illinois, Arkansas and New York. Obama is “from” Hawaii, Kansas and Illinois. Romney is “from” Michigan, Massachusetts, and Utah (kinda).

(3) Running mates:

(a) McCain would be a fool not to pick Huckabee. He brings in the evangelicals and the South, yet they’re both appealing mavericks. But I was hoping to see a decline of evangelical influence in the White House.

(b) If Clinton gets the nomination, how could she not pick Obama? Not that I necessarily think she should. But she’d look like a chump if she didn’t ask him, and he’d look like a chump if he turned her down. But there are ways to avoid it and still save face. Meanwhile, would he be under pressure to pick her as a running mate?

(c) On the other hand, it’s unusual for nominees to pick primary opponents as running mates. Kerry/Edwards in 2004 was the exception; before that, the last such ticket was Reagan/Bush in 1980. So take (a) and (b) with a grain of salt.

(4) I can’t get the MSNBC election music out of my head.

Delegates

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I’m disappointed Obama didn’t win my home state of New Jersey. But it’s all about the delegates, not about who wins states. Clinton 53 to Obama 45 means they basically split the delegates.

(Obama did win my home county, Essex.)