LOGO will re-air the Visible Vote ‘08 Presidential Forum tonight (as well as this coming Monday) at 7 p.m.
Of course, clips from the show are all available online right here, but hey - why not take the excuse to have another viewing party?
Posted: Aug. 10. 2007 at 2:47 PM EDT
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Where did you get your sources from?...
Secondly, WE need real spokespeople that work for us so we can really be represented in this country. I do not find HRC to be enough clout to get anything done. Where are the people we are grooming? Which GLBT speaker moves us?
Thirdly, all of us need to get out of the closet today. Stop bulls***ting the world, stand up and be real. Please notice 8 years of Dems did nothing for US, 8 years of Republicans did nothing for us... Are we destined to have 25 more years of parade floats which do NOTHING to advance our cause? Stop dancing and start doing the work. Literally.
Best on debate was Obama that was most clear and inspiering, and also Edwards (even if many words). I Think Richardson did bader than i had belived and Clinton was not that good eighter. Perhaps Obama is better when more time to speak, and Clinton when just 30 sek. I really like this election. So exited. Not like Norwegian politics T_T
But its most important to get a democrat, because all better than now, but dont go for the most republican light. I belive the best for US is a democrat that thinks new, is inspiering but also clear on stands. I dont think its ok to take stands that are to moderate just to be electable. Im not talking against my self as starting. Because everything is not black/white hehe. Kucinich is to extreeme and its important to win an election if you will get anything done.
Kjetil, Norway
LOGO TRANSCRIPTS
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Aug. 9, 2007
Democratic Presidential Candidates Participate in
Forum Sponsored by Human Rights Campaign
Go Obama you BaROCK and thank you for inviting a T to dinner last month :) Even though she reclined we love that you kept your offer good.
it will also be available soon on Joost and iTunes (as a free download).
dates on both the above coming soon!
Ive seen clip and i like Barack Obama most. He is most direct and i belive he but also John Edwards will be those who will do most for gay people in US. I belive a bit in Clinton too but im afraid she will be to conservative because she has so many against her, that se will be afraid of beeing to unpopular against christian conservative voters.
I was chocked when i watched cnn debate when all the republican was against gay serving open in army. I can not see why they are. Why should not a soldier who are gay tell about the love one to his friends and talk about feelings? Why is that just allowed for straight soldiers!? I think thats unmoral of the republican. In Norway more easy because religion dont have so big impact. The primeminister in Norway is an agnostic, and same is president (leader of parliment). Even if privious primeminister was a priest hehe ;) and not supportive to gay most of people are. The labour goverment with socialist left party will together with liberal in opposition and some conservatives go for a equal marrige in 2008. Now the law is out for organisations. That means same right to adopt and stuff. Just one marrige law. But much have changes here in Norway also just last 10 years. Even if we in north europe is liberal, its still some strugle. But last few years the support for same rights has been very high. That was not the same numbers some years ago.
I wish you good luck with election, and i hope for Obama. If not another democrat ;)
Kjetil, Norway :o)
Or.. are the "clips" from eaxg candidate the whole thing?
I do not need to view video if I can't hear. Close caption or get the whole transcripts.
Talk about ignoring those without ability to read lips.
Get the transcript out, please.
There isnt ANY Democry that is going to get my vote. I am a gay man, and I dont feel like a second class citizen. I have just as many rights as straight people. I must be one of the FEW gay persons that doesnt think that my life revolves around being gay. Everything DOES NOT have to be about being gay. Im getting sick and tired of gay people thinking that it is all there is to my life,Rosie Odonnell(the worst thing that has happened to gays)
I will proudly be voting Republican AGAIN in the next election. I voted for George W Bush(twice) as well as his father.
They may be against gay marriage, so what. Why is it that only Democrats are entitled to an opinion?
Just because you dont agree with every gay person out there, your opinion doesnt matter. Gays want equality and freedom for everyone? Then start taking your own advise and let others have opinions of their own.
The Rev. Jerry Ness
Church of the Mediator
Chicago, IL
And our community has to stop with their "opinions" about marriage...we are second class citizens paying the same taxes as anyone else and deserve the rights..responsibilities and choices everyone else has.
HRC, if you are going to play "gay-leaders" then actually speak for the average gay people. We are concerned about many of the same things the rest of the population is concerned about with a little tweaking. In stead of just finding and keeping a job we are concerned about hiring and subsequently job discrimination; hate and bullying legislation; adoption and foster care equality; equal access to serving our country. Plus, you were talking to possible the next leader of the free-world...why wouldn't you talk about the role a president will play in foreign affairs relative to human (LGBT) rights in other countries (IE: "18 arrested at Nigerian gay wedding....may face death by stoning." Copyright 2007 Associated Press)
HRC JOIN THE MAINSTREAM ALREADY AND GET BACK TO THE TRENCHES AND OUT OF THE CAMERA LIGHTS.
Overall, I would have to say it was a success and a first for the GLBT community as a whole. Sure, there were questions that weren't asked, as with most debates or forums. All in all, I think it went well
by Scott A. Giordano
It may not be a home run, but Barack Obama was the strongest player in the Aug. 9th HRC/Logo debate on GLBT issues.
It may not be a home run, but Barack Obama was the strongest player in the Aug. 9th HRC/Logo debate on GLBT issues - with unwavering support for repeal of the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act and "full civil union" benefits for GLBT couples.
In addition, Obama told those in a private conference call after the debate that he would continue supporting the GLBT community in the general election, speaking to non-gay audiences and Independent and Republican voters, in the same manner he does before gay audiences.
End result: Barack leads the online poll at LOGOonline.org, where you can also view video clips from the debate: He has a strong 42 percent of the vote, followed by Dennis Kucinich with 24 percent, and so-called frontrunner Hillary Clinton lagging behind with only 17 percent of the online vote.
The first ever Democratic "debate" on GLBT issues was actually more a conversation between panelists with the Democratic candidates, one at a time, than it was an actual debate. Sen. Barack Obama was the first at bat - being the first to have responsed to the request to attend the debate.
Nothing substantivively new came of the debate. The candidates' positions really didn't change. All three in the top tier held steady with their support for civil unions and against marriages for GLBT Americans.
All three - Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards - also called for a repeal of DoMA, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA) that defines marriage between a man and a woman and also authorizes states to pass bills that could either ban marriages between gay couples and/or any equivalent benefits.
But Obama was the only one of the three major candidates who unequivocally stated he remains fully opposed to DomA - and has been, on record, since he ran for the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton stuck to her script of wanting to repeal the portion of DomA (section 3) that allows the federal government and states to prevent civil unions but stopped there - indicating she would continue supporting language from the original DoMA signed by her husband that states marriage is between one man and one woman.
Perhapst the biggest surprise from the evening came when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson suggested that homosexuality is a choice - drawing gasps from those in the audience.
Back to Senator Obama, who handled the conversational tone very well with moderators and was the only candidate who used the word "transgender" in the debate and also the only one who factually mentioned the more than 1,100 benefits that come with marriage - clearly showing he has done some studying on the issue.
"As president of the United States, I'm going to fight hard to make sure that those rights are available," Obama said - also noting how he addressed the same topic during a forum of black ministers in Tennessee.
"I specifically talked about the degree to which the notion of gay marriage in black churches has been used to divide, has been used to distract," he said. "I specifically pointed out that if there's any pastor here who can point out a marriage that has been broken up as a consequence of seeing two men or two women holding hands, then you should tell me, because I haven't seen any evidence of it."
The clincher came in a press call after the debate, in which this writer was able to directly ask Senator Obama a question.
The question:
When you are the Democratic nominee for president, how will you address GLBT concerns in the general election - and how will you specifically respond to concerns from Independent and conservative voters who misrepresent the fight for GLBT equality as being a fight for "special rights"?
I was very impressed with Barack Obama's response to me and to all others in the private conference call, in which he cleverly noted the days of "You Tube" and home videos prevent any candidate from pandering to different audiences and getting away with it. He further noted how he will continue to engage all voters in discussion and appeal to their sense of common humanity without changing his principles or his beliefs, reiterating his unequivocal belief in civil rights for GLBT Americans as being one about equality and not one about special rights.
"Truth is easier to remember," Obama said, then specifically mentioning how he speaks the same whether in a church or at the HRC Forum.
He pledged that he will continue speaking from this place of truth and encourage conservative voters to focus more on the greater issues that have a personal impact on their own lives - such as Iraq and health care - and to move beyond divisive politics because the Republican fear tactics of the past no longer work today.
So while the ball didn't go out of the park, Barack Obama clearly did make it home by the end of the inning - leaving the other top tier candidates lagging behind with their continued efforts to pander for votes ane make it to base.
It should be noted that lower-tier candidates Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel both showed political courage in calling for full marriage equality in the name of marriage for GLBT couples. I give each a lot of credit for this.
But, overall, I still believe in my heart that Barack Obama has the most authenticity, diplomacy, practicality and leadership skills to effectively navigate the political waters for an election victory that will unite America and bring GLBT Americans closer to the American dream.
I want to see the entire forum not clips!
Will the entire forum be available online at some point?
Thanks!
Our community was given ample time to sit these candidates down and speak about topics that affect us directly! These candidates had to sit amongst our community and answer questions from important LGBT figureheads. As Edwards pointed out, "political doublespeak" was not going to be possible for him or other candidates. They were aware that everything they had or would say, would be remembered. They had to look us in the eye and tell us that "No, I don't think you should be able to get married (BUT, GO CIVIL UNIONS!!!)" We could see the honesty from each of them, and I have to say that my viewpoints were changed. I don't want a candidate who is willing to nod at the LGBT community one day and then ignore us the next.
Let us look at this for what it was: A wonderful step forward for the LGBT community. We are not second-rate citizens waiting in the wings - we have to be addressed just like everybody else. I also hope that any gay republicans out there will notice the lack of representation at the forum. I'm just saying...
I have supported full equal marriage rights since the Hawaii case, long before HRC came on board. HRC has alot of nerve to contest the word "marriage" after so many mealy-mouthed campaigns in which they stated "this bill is mean-spirited and unnecessary because we (GLBTQ) can't get married anyway"--really got my goat for many years. If HRC had shown some backbone during the Clinton administration, maybe there never would have been a federal DOMA, nor the state-by-state DOMAs that followed.
As it is now, the populace is half hypnotized by the Bush administration's projected fear of terrorism (which has nothing to do with Iraq). The Republican party as a whole would like to turn back the clock to the 1950's (when women were domestic housekeepers and blacks could not find a decent job)--essentially the straight white male patriarchy.
I think that Obama truly does support equal marriage rights, but cannot say so because he would have a snowball's chance in hell of being elected if he did. There are a lot of conservatives out there--more than ever before--and no Democratic candidate can afford to alienate them basis a single word. Loving vs Virginia (equal marriage rights for mixed race couples) and Brown vs the Board of Education (separate but equal is unConstitutional) came about gradually, and basis the current climate-- which is not what is was during the Clinton years--so will equal marriage rights. Back in the Clinton years, even GLBTQ were divided about marriage. Let's take responsibility for our own missed chances and move forward with what is reasonably possible. Obama has the passion for us--don't screw him over. Keep our eyes on the prize, we *must* defeat the Republicans!
They all seem to agree, and it's only a matter of semantics.
Why don't they just call everybody married and united
or
united and married
or
marriage and holy marriage
or
civil marriage and religious marriage.