Yoshie also does not realize that many, perhaps most, Obama supporters believe that he is antiwar. Not just in his heart, but in his actions. The other day I had a phone discussion with a very enthusiastic Obama fundraiser who, when I said I wasn't going to give him a cent, first because he enough money, and second until he actually took a real antiwar stand, argue with me very passionately that he really is antiwar.
Second, Yoshie suffers from the myopia of the issue-driven voter, ooops, I forget, she's not a voter, well, same thing, in thinking that people in the general electorate on average know a lot about or care very much about the positions issues that candidates take. They don't. they vote on whom they like and trust, on "character" and "leadership." This isn't Woj-and-Yoshie indulgence in arrogance, contempt, and condescension for the common person; it's a robust and long-standing social science finding.
Third, Yoshie focuses on a single issue, maybe a litmus test for her, but litmus test voters are a minority of the population -- even voters who do care about issues generally don't make one trump.
Fourth, Brian's saner moments are the right ones, in part for the reasons stated above, and one can go further. Obama himself, for example, is obviously not a homophobe. Moreover he is likely to do better things for gay rights than any serious competition out there. But he cravenly and stupidly waffled on answering a question about whether thought that homosexuality is morally bad, stupidly because the waffle gained him no support and only alienated potential GLBT and homophile supporters. And Bill C, with, no doubt, HRC's approval and advice, pushed through that dreadful and unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act as well as Don't Ask Don't Tell, but he's no homophobe either, just a Clintonian triangulator, like HRC. Whether a pol is a homophobe or not is therefore an imperfect predictor of his policy positions on gay rights.
--- BklynMagus <magcomm at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > Dennis Kucinich will be on the ballot in the DP
> caucuses and
> primaries, but most "anti-war" DP voters won't vote
> for him. I
> conclude that they don't have the courage of their
> convictions.
>
> But there could be other reasons Yoshie. A person
> may feel that
> Kucinich is unlelectable and doesn't want to put her
> support there.
> It doesn't necessarily have to be a failure of
> courage.
>
> Does a vote/support for a candidate who does not
> endorse queer
> marriage indicate that the person is a homophobe?
> (ideologically
> I want to scream "Yes" like Mama Rose telling Louise
> to "Sing
> out," but in my saner moments I realize that this
> may not be true).
>
> Brian
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
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>
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