Out in Politics: July 2008 Archives

Politico.com submitted a list of questions to Barbra Streisand's website and the superstar/political activist ended up replying with her most wide-ranging answers on the election issues and the presidential candidates to date.

I've picked out a few. You can read them all at Politico.com:

You're a loyal Democrat and supported Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. Was switching allegiance to Barack Obama simple and instantaneous for you, or did you have to overcome some difficult feelings about him?
We had a very deep bench of Democratic Presidential candidates in the primary, and we were very lucky to finally have two capable, dynamic and intelligent candidates vying to be the nominee. Supporting Senator Obama for President was an immediate decision for me after Senator Clinton ended her bid for the Democratic nomination. Throughout this process, they challenged each other to be better. It was a historical race, with Hillary breaking through that glass ceiling for all women and Barack inspiring young kids that they can overcome their circumstances to reach greatness.
What would you say to Hillary supporters who might be moving to vote for McCain, a number estimated to be around 10-15% of Senator Clinton's fans?
I would urge those voters to take a step back and realize that our country is at an extremely serious crossroad. We are on the verge of a recession, we are grappling with global climate change and experiencing record high gas prices. Our young men and women are still dying in Iraq and so many Americans are still living without health insurance. There is too much at stake right now to elect another George W. Bush to the White House. And John McCain is just that. He has stated that the issue of economics is not something he's understood as well as he should. He does not support reproductive rights for women, increased veteran's benefits and ending the war in Iraq. There is just no reason for Senator Clinton's supporters not to back Senator Obama.

How do you think the election will play itself out over the next four months, and how do you think the subject of race will continue to be a factor?
As we head toward November, I think the race will continue to be close--although I hope I am wrong. But this country likes tight races and I am afraid it will ultimately come down to which campaign turns out the most voters on Election Day. I want to believe that our country can see beyond race as a factor in voting for a Presidential candidate...that instead, a candidate's intellect, vision, political values and policies override any consideration of his skin color. But on some level, it would be naive to think that race will not be a factor. I do believe, however, that there is much less racism, sexism and homophobia among the younger generation and that we have come a very long way.

I find this exchange between Republican Presidential candidate John McCain and ABC's George Stephanopolous stunning. McCain's anti-gay adoptions flip-flop does not surprise me but what I find absolutely stunning is how inarticulate he is about it.

Scary.

Congratulations to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The handsome gay marriage proponent tied the knot with actress/producer Jennifer Siebel on Saturday night. She has a recurring role on the NBC series "Life"

People.com reports that the guests at the wedding included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, former eBay president Jeff Skoll, Sex and the City star Jason Lewis and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Republican Presidential nominee John McCain really struck my last good nerve when he said in a recent article that "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption."

PFLAG, "disappointed and saddened by McCain's remarks jumped all over him with Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby saying, in part: "In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like."

"Love makes a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain's can certainly tear families apart, too. Senator McCain's position is out of synch with the research and science and out of step with what is in the best interests of children waiting for a home and a family."

McCain ends up looking really bad in this. So, of course, his director of communications Jill Hazelbaker sent out a statement of clarification which I don't think really helps much: "...He was not endorsing any federal legislation. McCain's expressed his personal preference for children to be raised by a mother and a father wherever possible. However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

Why do Republican presidential candidates insist that gay people be second class citizens? John McCain has just motivated me to put a Barack Obama sign in my yard with his latest comment to the New York Times regarding gay adoption: "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption."

Both parents? If a gay couple adopts a kid, the kid has BOTH parents. And why make these kinds of sweeping statements? We know there are a lot of screwed up kids out there who have a mother and father and terrific kids of a single parent or of a grandparent. It's about the love the kid gets, the attention, the opportunities etc.

I know some gay Republicans, some of them are cool people who I like. But how can any self-respecting gay person vote for this guy?

Mitt Romney, who spent so many millions of his own fortune in an effort to win the Repubican presidential nomination, still wants the VP spot. Predictably, his stance on equal rights for gays and lesbians remains boneheaded as he continues to back the military's discrimatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Here's what he said on CNN yesterday:

"I think particularly at a time of conflict, as we're experiencing in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is not the time to be putting in place a major change in policy and trying to accommodate all of the adjustments that that would require. That's something which clearly we'll learn from the military and the people who are responsible for managing our troops down the road. But certainly now is not the time to make a change of that nature."

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San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, has filed papers to form an exploratory committee for a potential gubernatorial bid in 2010. It would be so great to have a governor who has actually stood up for the equal rights of gays and lesbians.

Gavin is a Democrat best known for challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage in 2004 which led to the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the ban. He is just six months into his second and final term as mayor.

Besides his reputation as a same-sex marriage advocate, Newsom has won praise and imitators in other cities for programs to get homeless people into housing, according to the Associated Press. He has also been lauded for his commitment to social services, including the promotion of tap water over bottled water and the distribution of employer-subsidized health care for uninsured residents.