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Loading ...Caroline Kennedy supports gay marriage
12.22.2008 10:49am EST
(New York City) US Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy says she supports the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Kennedy is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton who has been nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to be Secretary of State.Kennedy is one of several people seeking the seat. NY Gov. David Paterson has not indicated when he will make his selection.
Kennedy’s position on same-sex marriage puts her to the left of both Clinton and Obama, who have said they believe marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples but that they support civil unions for gay couples.
It does, however, put her on a par with Paterson, who supports legislation in New York state to allow same-sex marriage.
Kennedy’s position was contained in a policy statement released by her spokesperson after The Buffalo News sent her inquiries involving several policy areas.
“Caroline supports full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples,” Kennedy spokesman Stefan Friedman said.
Friedman also said that Kennedy “supports President-elect Obama’s plan to work with our military leaders to begin a responsible withdrawal.” He said she supports a ban on assault weapons and the expansion of health care coverage to all Americans.
Among the others seeking Clinton’s Senate seat is NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Uh, what elected office did Hillary hold before she moved to New York, carpetbag in hand, to become a senator? Yet people on both sides of the aisle talk about what an effective senator she has been for her constituents.
Clinton was elected to the Senator’s office, Kennedy would be appointed. While it’s nice that Caroline supports us, there is very little “there” there when it comes to actual voting or policy. Its up to Gov Patterson.
If my guess is right, Caroline will surround herself with the best qualified people, just as did her father.
The fact that she openly supports gay marriage in a state that supports it and where it’s poised to pass once the full democratic legislature is installed isn’t all that surprising.
But she at least makes one distinction by openly supporting equal marriage rights: she doesn’t pretend to walk that tightrope called Separate but Equal (set up in Plessy v Ferguson, 1896 and later overturned in Brown v Board of Education, 1954). ANY LAWMAKER should agree to uphold the basic tenets of Brown v Board of Education and state publicly that they cannot support a separate but equal stance on gay marriage!
To mention CK doesn’t have experience to have the senate seat is very moronic. Many of the senate come in there without holding a political seat…many. So Trace…look into the history of America, Its’ Senate and Congress, and you will be very surprised. How do we learn new thing in life….we invest ourselves into new directions of life. That is what CK wants to do, and I am behind her.
“Uh, what elected office did Hillary hold before she moved to New York, carpetbag in hand, to become a senator?”
President of the United States. Well you do you think was REALLY running the country while Bill was getting sucked off in the Oval Office. Of all the First Ladies in American history, it’s fair to say that Hillary Clinton had the most influence, to the extent that I’d say America had two Presidents during the time Bill Clinton was in office – one elected and one pulling the strings.
And even if you want to deny her influence over her husband, she achieved a hell of a lot on her own as First Lady. She was more than qualified to be a senator, and the people of New York clearly agreed.
“Caroline Kennedy has virtually no work history.”
Apart from being a respected author and editor, and competent attorney, she has also done extensive work for the public school system in New York, raising tens of millions of dollars, and has served on the board of directors of numerous organisations, both charitable and private.
No, she’s not the most qualified person for the job, but she’s a hell of a lot more qualified than many senatorial candidates, and she has twice the moral fibre and backbone of most of them. Whether or not she stands by her pledge to support gay marriage, and whether or not she stands up for gay rights, she will make a fine senator and I sincerely hope she is given a chance to prove herself.
Exactly my point. I’m not from New York, and I don’t give a crap about Caroline Kennedy; but, to say that she doesn’t have the capacity to do the job of senator because she’s never held elected office is silly.
As in mutual funds, past performance is only a small indicator of future returns. Nobody can predict what situations will arise that a senator will have to respond to. The most important things to look at are: does the person have core values that I trust (especially when to use governemnt and when to keep government out of my business); does the person surround themselves with trustworthy and intelligent people; is the person too arrogant to admit that there may be something they don’t know and must learn; and most important, does the person have the strength of character to vote against popular opinion when it is in the best interest of their constituents and the country at large?
I think those are far more important qualifications than whether they voted to raise dog registration fees when they were on town council years ago.
Well said, Gene.
There is no such thing as the right “qualifications” to be a Senator or any other kind of politician. Sure, you can study politics, but that hardly makes you “qualified”, does it? Think of all the senators who might have been considered “qualified” before they took office. How many of them are even worth shitting on?
The only things that matter, when it comes down to it, are the ability to recognize the right thing to do and the integrity to do it. I’m not sure if Caroline Kennedy has the integrity – only time will tell – but I’m more than happy to give her a chance.
I would vote for Caroline Kennedy in 2012….she is real and unqualified in her answers. A person can not claim on the one hand to be for Civil rights for all people and on the other hand deny a small minority the fundamental right to marry.
Obama’s position on Gay equality is tortured considering he is a Constitutional Law Professor…it would be a joke if real lives were not tortured along with it.
““Caroline supports full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples,” Kennedy spokesman Stefan Friedman said.”
That doesn’t say she supports gay marriage it could mean domestic partnerships or civil unions. Did she say somewhere she actually supports gay marriage?
OK, Caroline is slowly winning me over. But, and a big but, we need access to her asap. Senate business is cut throat and I am not sure if she has the guts for it.
Now for the real news: I am not sure if she knows how pissed off PWA’s are with her uncle Ted!
Ted Kennedy screwed Hillary and New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS in late 2006; the Long Island region is still suffering from over a million dollars lost each year since then!
So Mrs Kennedy has a LOT to make up for to us who refuse to bow to Camelot as if it were the ’60’s.
Caroline: do you have to guts to stand up to your uncle in the Senate and fight for New Yorkers, like Hillary did?
Caroline: do you know what a million dollars lost to AIDS services means?
Caroline: do you know where Long Island is? (Other than the place you drive over to get to the Hamptons.)
Caroline: do you know that the GLBT and the HIV/AIDS communities are so pissed off at the moment that if you turn soft, we will attack?
I like what little I am hearing; but dear Caroline, you need to talk to more of us than Al Sharpton.
I would invite you to our small non-profit on Long Island to help us provide social services to PWA’s, but I am too damn busy seeking funding after your damn uncle cut social service grants to our area.
I suppose NY could do worse than her.
Way to go, Caroline. But God, how many DEMOCRATS out there are too chicken to make good on their promises of civil rights for the gay community? It is time to put the pressure on them: http://onemillionlettersformarriageequality.blogspot.com/
Y’all need to jump this ship before it completely sinks!
Caroline is going no where near the senate because Gov.Patterson is not going to appoint her. He is an unelected governor and he knows the entitlement argument is not playing out well for her Upstate. Needless to say in New York city it is the same with the not so friendly to lgbt people, african american community. Who Al Sharpton aside have raised more than an eyebrow when they heard her support for gay marriage. Since giving equal rights to gays has never seem right to them.
Caroline Kennedy supports gay marriage
” This is AWESOME “!!