Stories tagged with “Democratic National Committee”
NEWS FLASH
Four Former DNC Chairs Support Adding Marriage Equality To Democratic Platform |
“Four former chairs of the Democratic National Committee called on the party on Wednesday to embrace marriage equality in the 2012 Democratic platform,” the Huffington Post’s Amanda Terkel reports. “We are proud that the Democratic Party fights for working families, economic justice, and equal opportunity for all,” said Howard Dean, Donald Fowler, Steve Grossman and David Wilhelm in a joint statement. “Times change but our principles must always remain strong. That is why, as former chairs of the Democratic National Committee, we stand with Freedom to Marry, 22 Democratic senators, Leader Nancy Pelosi, and more than 35,000 Americans in urging the Party to include a freedom to marry plank in the platform that is ratified at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this September.” The Obama campaign has not said if it supports the campaign, initiated by Freedom To Marry, to add the equality language to the platform, while at least 22 senators and seven co-chairs of Obama’s re-election bid have publicly embraced the concept.
NEWS FLASH
At Least 20 Democratic Senators Call For Marriage Equality Platform |
Responding to comment requests from the Washington Blade, a group of 20 U.S. senators have so far signed on to Freedom to Marry’s “Democrats: Say I Do” campaign, calling for the inclusion of marriage equality in this year’s Democratic Party platform. They join Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), one of many co-chairs of President Obama’s re-election campaign who spoken out earlier this week. The Blade will be updating its list as more senators respond: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Update
The count now stands at 21 with the support of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).
Update
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) makes 22.
NEWS FLASH
New York Attorney General Endorses Marriage Equality For Democratic Platform |
According to Amanda Terkel at The Huffington Post, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has added his support to including marriage equality as a plank of the 2012 Democratic Party platform, pointing out that “obstacles on the federal level stand in the way of full equality for all New Yorkers.” Several other prominent Democrats have joined Freedom To Marry’s “Democrats: Say I Do” campaign, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI).
LGBT
By Zack Ford on Feb 27, 2012 at 10:45 am
Speaking at a gay rights fundraiser in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned the crowd that a Republican president could undo many of President Obama’s advances for LGBT equality. Stopping short of outright condemning the state’s proposed amendment banning all legal recognition of same-sex couples on behalf of the administration, she suggested that organizing for the May 8 vote on Amendment 1 could serve as a practice run for supporting the President’s reelection:
SEBELIUS: I know there’s an important election in early May in North Carolina. And I think it’s a great template for what needs to be done to organize people and turn out people for November. North Carolina is hugely important in this next [presidential] election.
The Obama administration has struggled to address state-level action on same-sex marriage, owing at least in part to the President’s still-”evolving” position on the issue. In his speech to the Human Rights Campaign last October, he said that “we’ve got to work hard to oppose“ enshrining discrimination into state laws and constitutions, but he didn’t mention Minnesota or North Carolina by name. In 2009, Organizing for America (Obama’s campaign arm) encouraged Maine residents to vote, but stayed mum regarding the ban on same-sex marriage that was on the ballot. At an LGBT fundraiser in New York last June, just days before a contentious Senate vote on marriage equality, Obama mentioned the legislation but took no position on it, calling the deliberation “exactly what democracies are supposed to do.” And in January, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said he didn’t know if Obama opposed Republicans’ effort to repeal same-sex marriage in New Hampshire.
The Democratic National Committee has said it will “certainly consider” helping to fight anti-gay measures in states like North Carolina and Minnesota, but so far has taken no action on that front. The DNC will host its convention in Charlotte in September, but by then it will be far too late to prevent discrimination from being written into the state’s constitution.
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NEWS FLASH
Co-Chairs Of Congressional Progressive Caucus Support Adding Marriage Equality To Democratic Platform |
Momentum continues to grow for including marriage equality in this year’s Democratic Party platform, as the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus add their support. Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) have joined Freedom to Marry’s “Democrats: Say, I Do!” campaign in a letter today, calling upon the Democratic Party to “respect all families in the party platform”:
NEWS FLASH
Democratic National Convention Chairman Open To Including Marriage Equality In 2012 Platform |
The newly appointed chair of the Democratic National Convention, Antonio Villaraigosa, has reiterated his support for marriage equality, but said on a conference call today that “it’s not for me to dictate” whether that position is part of the party’s official platform. Villaraigosa made the comments in response to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) call for Democrats to embrace the position. Freedom To Marry and other LGBT organizations are lobbying the federal party to include same-sex marriage in this year’s platform.
LGBT
By Igor Volsky on Feb 15, 2012 at 9:05 am
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) — a long time supporter of the LGBT community and proponent of marriage equality — is calling on the Democratic party to include marriage rights for gays and lesbians in its 2012 party platform, Metro Weekly’s Chris Geidner reports. Pelosi’s backing comes in response to Freedom to Marry’s new ‘Say I Do‘ campaign, which is pushing Democrats to become the first major political party to adopt the policy:
The proposed plank states: “We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry. Government has no business putting barriers in the path of people seeking to care for their family members, particularly in challenging economic times. We support the Respect for Marriage Act and the overturning of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose discriminatory constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny the freedom to marry to loving and committed same-sex couples.”
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tells Metro Weekly, “Leader Pelosi supports this language.”
The Democrats’ 2008 platform opposed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the Obama administration is no longer defending in court, but took no position on marriage equality. Obama has said that he is still “evolving” on the issue, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers now support marriage. At least 91 Democrats in the House, including Democratic National Committee chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and 23 senators back same-sex marriage. Twelve Democratic governors (and one Independent, Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island) also favor full marriage rights.
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NEWS FLASH
DNC May Collaborate On Opposition To State Marriage Amendments |
The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), said on Tuesday that the DNC will “certainly consider” assisting state groups in North Carolina and Minnesota fighting constitutional amendments that would ban same-sex marriage. The DNC previously offered $25,000 to the 2008 effort to oppose Proposition 8, a small sum for an $83 million campaign. When Maine was fighting a marriage amendment in 2009, however, the DNC did not contribute any money. In fact, they emailed Maine voters multiple times the week of the vote to get out the vote and even ask for their help in New Jersey, but never once mentioned the marriage amendment. Wasserman Schultz’s comments echo those of President Obama, who said on Saturday that “we’ve got to work hard to oppose” discrimination in state constitutions.
Yglesias
By Matthew Yglesias on Aug 17, 2008 at 9:24 pm
The idea of a “convention bump” is the kind of thing I’m instinctively suspicious of, but apparently the best political science out there indicates that it’s a real phenomenon. Via John Sides, Tom Holbrook has a discussion of the issue. I reproduced his key chart above.
Speaking at a gay rights fundraiser in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned the crowd that a Republican president could undo many of President Obama’s advances for LGBT equality. Stopping short of outright condemning the state’s proposed amendment banning all legal recognition of same-sex couples on behalf of the administration, she suggested that organizing for the May 8 vote on Amendment 1 could serve as a practice run for supporting the President’s reelection:
