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Loading ...Biden says gay relationships are protected by the Constitution
10.02.2008 11:11pm EDT
(St. Louis, Missouri) Sen. Joe Biden made a strong statement for gay relationship equality during the only vice presidential debate, held Thursday evening in St. Louis.
When asked by moderator Gewn Ifill, “Do you support, as they do in Alaska, granting same-sex benefits to couples?”Biden replied, “Absolutely. . . . Look, in an Obama-Biden administration, there will be absolutely no distinction from a constitutional standpoint or a legal standpoint between a same-sex and a heterosexual couple.”
He added: “The fact of the matter is that under the Constitution we should be granted - same-sex couples should be able to have visitation rights in the hospitals, joint ownership of property, life insurance policies, et cetera. That’s only fair. It’s what the Constitution calls for. And so we do support it.”
“We do support making sure that committed couples in a same-sex marriage are guaranteed the same constitutional benefits as it relates to their property rights, their rights of visitation, their rights to insurance, their rights of ownership as heterosexual couples do,” he added.
But when the question was put to Republican Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor skated around the question.
“Well, not if it goes closer and closer towards redefining the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman. And unfortunately that’s sometimes where those steps lead,” Palin said.
“But I also want to clarify, if there’s any kind of suggestion at all from my answer that I would be anything but tolerant of adults in America choosing their partners, choosing relationships that they deem best for themselves, you know, I am tolerant and I have a very diverse family and group of friends and even within that group you would see some who may not agree with me on this issue, some very dear friends who don’t agree with me on this issue.
“But in that tolerance also, no one would ever propose, not in a McCain-Palin administration, to do anything to prohibit, say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed, negotiated between parties.
“But I will tell Americans straight up that I don’t support defining marriage as anything but between one man and one woman, and I think through nuances we can go round and round about what that actually means.
“But I’m being as straight up with Americans as I can in my non- support for anything but a traditional definition of marriage.”
Palin has previously stated that she believes that homosexuality is a choice.
When Biden was asked about gay marriage he said he was opposed, as is Sen. Obama.
On Iraq, Palin accused Barack Obama of voting against funding for U.S. troops in combat and chastised his Democratic running mate, Joe Biden, for defending the move, “especially with your son in the National Guard” and headed for Iraq.
“John McCain voted against funding for the troops,” as well, Biden countered, adding that the Republican presidential candidate had been “dead wrong on the fundamental issues relating to the conduct of the war.”
Biden did not immediately reply to Palin’s mention of his son, Beau, the Delaware attorney general, who is scheduled to fly to Iraq with his National Guard unit on Friday.
Palin has a young son who is in Iraq with the Alaska National Guard, although she did not refer to it.
Biden was scathing in his criticism of McCain’s position on the Iraq war, calling him the “odd man out” for his refusal to accept a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
But Palin countered that a timetable was tantamount to “a white flag of surrender in Iraq,” and at a moment when victory was “within sight.”
On the economy Palin said Obama had voted to raise taxes 94 times - an allegation that Biden disputed and then countered. By the same reckoning, he said, McCain voted “477 times to raise taxes.”
Palin, who has been governor of her state less than two years, was under intense pressure to demonstrate a strong grasp of the issues as she stepped onto the stage. Polls show the public has become increasingly skeptical of her readiness for high public office.
She made only one obvious stumble, when she twice referred to the top U.S. general in Afghanistan as “Gen. McClellan.” In fact, his name is David McKiernan.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Per Joe Biden: Why should CIVIL marriage be left to the judgement of faith? What about the separation of church and state? I have never felt so deflated and depressed. I will not support this ticket unless Obama disavows Biden’s statement. I feel that homosexuals have once again been sacrificed.
We’re protected under the constitution hey, Joe? It sounded good till you threw us under the bus once again by saying “no” to our right to marry. And Sarah, well, ya probably think that your gay credentials are in purdy good shape ’cause ya have diverse friendships. I know ya practice tolerance, but honey, I’m havin’ an awful, gosh-darn hard time toleratin’ you.
This is obviously a biased article. Palin said she stands with Biden in what the definition of marriage is. The wording is not accurate to what was said. Both McCain and Obamas campaigns stand against us because anything short as equal to heterosexual relationships is unconstitutional. Supporting either on the issue does us not justice since it falls short of our right.
Come on people, time to get real. If Biden had come out 100% in favor of gay marriage the right wing would have everything they need to rile up the ignorant masses. I want to MARRY my fiance, but I’d rather have to settle for a civil union for a period than watch helplessly as a constitutional amendment was passed by another W.
Why does this story paint Biden as a big deal, and Palin as a hateful right-winger… when they AGREE!? Why do gays so blindly follow a party that takes them for granted?
-Signed, a Gay for McCain!
You know, if this is a question of terminology then call same-sex marriage “shit on a shingle.” As long as we get the SAME rights and responsibilities that come with a TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE, who cares what it’s called?
Right now both parties are dancing around the issues claiming support of us and our “choices” and yet neither will, accept for Obama if I understood him correctly, say that same-sex couples get the SAME RIGHTS as straight couples.
I don’t understand this bullshit…what part of discrimination don’t they understand?
As if it was a sudden revelation that Obama and Biden don’t support same-sex marriage? Come on! We’ve known this for a long, LONG time. The Dems are too timid to publicly support same-sex marriage at this point. But they are far, FAR removed from trying to push for a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage between a man and a woman even at the federal OR state level. They are also far more in favor of civil unions that Repubs are. What, did Biden’s answer mean you’re voting for McCain? Or throwing your vote away on Nader? A little sanity check, please!
By their admitted intolerance of gay marriage both Biden and Palin are bigots plain and simple. And so are Obama and McCain. Sadly, we lose either way in this election, a bigot will be in the whitehouse once again, and we are forced to decide whom to vote for based on the other issues that don’t pertain to civil rights.
[Why do gays so blindly follow a party that takes them for granted? -Signed, a Gay for McCain!] McCain is better then? “We want to sit at the front of the bus, Dems prefer us at the back of the bus, Repubs want us off the bus, and the Religious Right would love to throw us under the bus.” In a less than ideal world, I know that McCain/Palin is certainly not the rational pick of any LGBT person!
Greg… what about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”? Obama has declared he’ll repeal it. McCain wants it kept in place.
Allen, re: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), Obama issued a statement two weeks ago that said he would not ask for its repeal. He said he preferred that it go away through the natural process of the replacement of the law. In other words, he isn’t going to do a damn thing. Obama’s support of gays is nonexistent and his belief that same sex marriage is wrong is disturbing and makes him even more of an elitist in my book because of his minority status, as one would think he would be more empathetic and more of a champion on civil rights while in fact he is just the opposite.
What was not asked or discussed today in the debate between Obama and Biden:
See the facts below from the Obama website at BarakObama.com, for millions to see every day. Clink on “People” then click on “LGBT.”
Try to find any reference to our existance on McCain’s website. It does not exist and neither will we in a McCain Administration.
Obama Supports legislation to outlaw
employment discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity.
Obama sponsored a fully inclusive non-discrimination bill in Illinois. He was a
champion of the bill for seven years, which later passed after Obama had been elected to the US Senate.
McCain voted against the Employment Non‐
Discrimination Act. McCain said “I don’t
believe that [homosexuals] belong in a special category.
ADOPTION
Obama supports full adoption rights for
same sex couples. Obama believes that LGBT people should have the same adoption rights as heterosexuals.
McCain opposed gay adoption. McCain said
“I don’t believe in gay adoption.”
DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT
Obama supports complete repeal of DOMA.
Obama believes we need to fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same sex
couples in civil unions and other legally recognized relationships.
McCain continues to defend DOMA. McCain
voted for passage of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which denies federal legal rights and benefits to same‐sex couples, and he continues to defend that discriminatory law to this day.
MARRIAGE AMENDMENTS
Obama Voted Against a Federal Amendment
to Ban Same‐Sex Marriage. Obama sided with
the vast majority of Democrats opposing
attempts by the Republican leadership to bring up a vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same sex‐marriage.
Obama opposes discriminatory constitutional Amendments state or federal.” This includes
the proposed amendments in California,
Arizona and Florida.
McCain said “I’m proud to have led
an effort in my home state to change our state Constitution to protect the sanctity of marriage between man and woman.”
McCain Supports the California Gay Marriage Ban. In an e‐mail to protectmarriage.com, McCain said “I support the efforts of the
people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state.”
When asked if he would sign the federal marriage amendment if elected President, McCain replied, “of course,” although he voted against the amendment in the Senate.
Obama and McCain on LGBT issues, black and white, no gray, and no pun intended.
A flaw in the strategy of Gay groups is that they’ve allowed the conversation to become about the word Marriage as opposed to the rights afforded in a Marriage.
The Constitutional aspect should have been the approach all along.
He said he wouldn’t repeal it via a signing statement on a military spending bill, nor will he require the Joint Chiefs to agree with him in order to be appointed. Instead he’ll opt for the legislative process. Meaning if Congress sends the repeal to him, he’ll sign it. Politicians can be weasels, but it sounds to me like he wants to repeal it in such a way that the Repubs can’t start some kind of propaganda campaign against him as a single person who “let homos serve with the troops.” It might not be a principled stand, but its pragmatic in terms of de-fanging the kind of criticism he’d get from the Right.
Jonathan, the real flaw is disregarding the feelings of millions of people who are hurt by the exclusion of their right to marry. It may be just a word to you, but it is not a case of separate but equal, not even close.