Quote:
Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Riiiiiiiight. Taking a stand for gay rights in 1993 was a move designed to garner votes.
Penske, maybe you can break out one of the less psych-socks for awhile.
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It was a politically calculated move. Not unlike W's marriage amendment.
Clinton was pandering to the far left on that issue as he moved away (to the middle) from their shared ideological lunacy on the really important issues. The gay rights issue/gays in the military is an issue, by and large, that the masses don't really care about. They might have an opinion or a preferance or a little stronger, but the majority of people are not going to vote on the issue. Three groups might. The extreme queer-hating "christian" right, gays and those who are on the far left on social issues (the latter two may overlap in places). Clinton was solidifying his support with the latter two, which latter two might otherwise be offended by some of the more centrist turns his policies were taking/going to take in order to effectively use his office as referenced above. The other political benefit is that the issue turned out the far right christian nuts, which makes the whole of the right and by association the Republican Party, look like Christian nuts, which is not pretty.
End of the day, while as a position, forced to make a choice, Clinton may choose to be pro-gay rights and may give lip service (no pun intended) to the support of gays in the military, but I highly doubt he feels strongly on that or any issue or would, if any office depended upon it, take a principled stand, dig his heels in and let the chips fall where they would. The only thing Clinton feels strongly about and would "bravely" take a stand on is Clinton and the self-promotion of the same. I don't necessarily think that this is an offensive trait in and of itself and frankly its one that I hold near and dear in my own narcississified principles of being, but it is offensive to the idea that he did anything out of a sense of bravery in the defense of a higher set of principles.
Despite what some here and on IM (hi TM!) may think I don't hate
Bill Clinton (and would gladly accept an invitation to go out drinking in the wingman position with him-nttawwt) and prior to 911 I would have given him a C- as President, which I note is a passing grade and which, if hypopthetically adjusted to remove the perjury thing, would have been a B. After 911 and the part his negligence played in allowing bin laden's plot to hatch I have to downgrade him to a D/C respectively. Still passing though, which is more than LBJ can say.
Happy 4th!
