Ellen DeGeneres: May 2008 Archives

Well, at least there's one semi-cool member of the Bush family. First Daughter Jenna Bush, who got married at the family's Texas ranch a few weeks back, appears on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show today and had a fun exchange with her lesbian host who recentlt announced that she plans to marry Portia de Rossi.

Ellen: "So, the ranch was a great place to get married. It looked like nobody could fly over and get pictures or bother you, really."
Jenna: Yeah. That was really nice."
Ellen: So, can we borrow it for our wedding. Can we get the ranch?"
Jenna: Sure.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento Bee published this story today: Signaling a generational shift in attitudes, a new Field Poll on Tuesday said California voters now support legal marriage between same-sex couples and oppose a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

By 51 to 42 percent, state voters believe gay couples have the right to marry, according to a May 17-26 poll of 1,052 registered voters.

However, the same poll revealed a California electorate that remains sharply divided over gay marriage - split by age, political affiliation, religion and the regions where they live. The poll was taken after the May 15 California Supreme Court decision overturning a state ban on same-sex marriages. The results marked the first time in more than 30 years of state polling that a majority of Field Poll respondents favored making gay marriage legal.

In 2000, more than 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22, a statute declaring that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid in California.

Kudos to Ellen DeGeneres for having a conversation with John McCain about gay marriage on her show in a segment that airs today (check local listings).

McCain said in an interview taped Wednesday that same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into legal agreements for insurance and other purposes, but he opposes gay marriage and believes in "the unique status of marriage between and man and a woman."

No big surprise.

"And I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue," he told Ellen, who announced last week that she plans to marry Portia de Rossi now that gay marriage is legal in California.

Ellen needled the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on the issue, arguing that she and him aren't different: " I think that it is looked at and some people are saying the same that blacks and women did not have the right to vote. Women just got the right to vote in 1920. Blacks didn't have the right to vote till 1870. It just feels like there's this old way of thinking (that) we are not all the same.. We are all the same people, all of us. You're no different than I am. Our love is the same. When someone says, 'You can have a contract, and you'll still have insurance, and you'll get all that,' it sounds to me like saying, 'Well, you can sit there, you just can't sit there. It feels like we are not, you know, we aren't owed the same things and the same wording."

McCain replied that he's heard her "articulate that position in a very eloquent fashion. We just have a disagreement. And I, along with many, many others, wish you every happiness."

"So, you'll walk me down the aisle? Is that what you're saying?" Ellen joked, lightening the tone again.

Replied McCain: "Touche,"

Here is a clip: