He does.
Posted on 08/21/2008 10:05:44 PM PDT by Libloather
Gay Democrats talk strategy
Kristen Wyatt
The Associated Press
Aspen, CO Colorado
DENVER — Gay and lesbian Democrats are gathering early to prepare a strategy for next week's convention, and their marching orders are the same for all states: Make sure other delegates know who you are and what gay voters want this fall.
The Stonewall Democrats started a four-day "boot camp" in Denver Thursday. At the top of their agenda for the convention, which starts Monday, are pushing Democrats to fight proposed gay-marriage bans in three states and passing federal anti-discrimination laws.
With a record 370 lesbian, gay and transgendered delegates to this year's convention, Stonewall Democrats say they're primed to drive Democrats' plans more than ever before. The number of gay delegates is up almost 100 from 2004, and they now make up some 6 percent of all delegates. Only two states — Nebraska and North Dakota — won't send any openly gay delegates.
Stonewall Democrats spokesman John Marble said the No. 1 message of gay delegates should be that a gay-friendly agenda from Democrats will help the party as a whole. The group will argue that opposing anti-gay-rights measures on ballots in Arizona, California and Florida will help Democratic fortunes in all races in November.
"It's something our nominee should feel comfortable talking about," said Ann Baker, a Stonewall Democrat from Roosevelt, N.J.
One topic not on the table next week: a federal gay marriage push. The Democratic nominee-in-waiting, Sen. Barack Obama, has said he favors civil unions but not gay marriage, and Stonewall Democrats are unlikely to push party delegates to call for federal marriage equality.
"As far as the marriage issue, our focus on marriage is on the state and local level," Marble said. He said gay Democratic delegates will talk more about a possible federal ban on discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered employees.
But Marble added that Democrats have made clear they value gay and lesbian votes. Scheduled to address Stonewall Democrats this weekend are Democratic Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts.
Gay Republicans are putting together a "Big Tent Event" during the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis next month.
Log Cabin Republican President Patrick Sammon says there's fresh optimism among gay Republicans that they'll have a bigger influence of their party at this year's convention, though they haven't announced who will meet with them.
"We have our strongest presence ever at a Republican convention" with about two dozen delegates, Sammon said. "We are there to talk about why the party needs to be more inclusive" and push Republicans to avoid "socially divisive issues" such as same-sex marriage.
Why doesn’t Obama run ads showing his support for Gay Rights?
He should respect his back door brothers and bearded sisters.
We should just kick out the log cabins. Our party is not about turning sexual peculiarities into civil rights. We don’t need to know there sexual orientation and it should have nothing to do with their politics.
And the smarmiest since Samuel Tilden.
The Confederacy was filled with "MAN's men", don't you know. ;-)
He does.
“No, but Nathan Bedford Forrest was known to wear assless leather chaps. We know for a fact that Jefferson Davis once wore a woman’s cape to escape the Yankees. “
Awww...Isn’t that cute. You really believe that.
“The Confederacy was filled with “MAN’s men”, don’t you know. ;-)”
Yeah, and the Union women spread (what an appropriate word) that story to all their husbands that were away. The Union was filled with “cuckolded men”, don’t you know. ;-)
LOL!!!
Touche’
Why do I have a feeling that straight white males will be dramatically underrepresented, relative to their percentage of the US population, at the Democrat convention?
You can tell...here come the clowns!
Roaming around 'polite society' just keeps them close to our children...which is really what they're after.
lots, thanks for asking.
The ratchet effect.
The homosexuals infest the political process to scare the GOP to do nothing while the rest work to tighten the screws in socialist camp.
NOT ONE mention in the article about the SPECIFIC states with pending marriage amendments.
I think the correct term is “Fabulous Delegates”.
Okay, I have to know why Gay Dims are called "Stonewall" Democrats. If it has anything to do with Stonewall Jackson...
Stonewall riots. "The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations retaliating against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. ... have become the seminal event marking the beginning of the gay rights movement in the United States ... blah blah blah."
The Republicans could make some good money selling the DNC the GOP initials. “Gay Old Party”.
So much for the lies that there is no homosexual “agenda” and that it is strictly about consenting ADULTS in PRIVATE.
Stonewall has to do with a series of riots after police raided an illegal unlicensed bar.
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