GAY-WED BID SPLITS N.Y. DEMS (Spitzer's liberalism worrying Hillary)

New York Sun ^

[Princip. Conservative]

May 7, 2007 -- GOV. Spitzer's plan to legalize gay marriage is dividing Democrats, harming Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions, and handing Republicans their first strong campaign issue in some time, officials told The Post.

"This could turn out to be the Democrats' Achilles' heel," crowed Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, a Schenectady Republican who has seen a sharp drop in the Legislature's GOP membership in recent years.

-- SNIP --

His action forced the Assembly's majority Democrats, who have avoided taking sides on the polarizing issue for years, to confront what is expected to be a bitter internal debate to reach a consensus "conference position."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat who has yet to take a stand on the measure, has pledged to consider the issue within four weeks.

Many insiders predict a significant number of the Assembly Democrats - and possibly a majority - will oppose the measure, led by conservative-oriented upstate and suburban lawmakers and a large number of African-Americans and Hispanics, many of whose constituents strongly oppose gay marriage.

One set of recently conducted Assembly polls found opposition to gay marriage outside of Manhattan running as high as 90 percent, depending on the Assembly district.

-- SNIP --

The Republican-controlled Senate has vowed to kill the gay-marriage proposal, no matter what action the Assembly takes.

Polls have repeatedly shown a majority of New Yorkers oppose gay marriage, although a growing number of young voters favor the proposal.

Clinton's presidential campaign "won't be helped at all if she's running around the country having to answer questions about Spitzer's proposal," said a Democratic official close to the former first lady.

[Princip. Conservative]

New York, in spite of being left-wing by American standards, is not ready for gay marriage. Spitzer's liberalism and weirdness is definitely going to be to his detriment and to that of his party. This will be interesting how this fairs.

[I still care]

Hillary would much rather this gay marriage stayed out of view until AFTER she gets in.

I was in back of a “gay van” today, it was plastered with rainbow stickers and at the top was a “Hillary 2008” sticker with a woman’s symbol in rainbow colors.

The gays plan to hold her to a gay friendly agenda if she gets elected, they are counting on her to wipe out traditional marriage as the way things are. Onto a brave new world.

[lentulusgracchus]

The New York State GOP can help the national ticket by ensuring that Gov. Spitzer's proposal is on the New York state ballot in 2008.

Let the people decide.

LOL.

[Nathan Zachary]

"His action forced the Assembly's majority Democrats, who have avoided taking sides on the polarizing issue for years, to confront what is expected to be a bitter internal debate to reach a consensus "conference position."

Good. Knock those fence sitting Demorats off their perch and force them to take a position. That will expose a few of the "John Kerry's" to show what they really are, flip floppers.

[NickatNite2003]

Spitzer is a Death Cult pervert.

[rfp1234]

—Spitzer is a Death Cult pervert.—

And therefore, a likely RATS’ nominee for the White House in 2012 or 2016.