Signorile: Dean a winner due to fight for equality and principled stand

[Brian_Expat]

Mike Signorile gives his take on Dean's popularity in the GLBT community as well as an explanation of why his principled progressive moderate credentials are winning him so many fans.

http://www.nypress.com/17/1/news&columns/signorile.cfm

But now that the Washington Post has shown how Howard Dean’s base of his support grew from the gay community outward, the Vermont governor, should he get the nomination, is going to be targeted by fundamentalists even more than previously imagined. These attacks, we can be sure, will then be quietly exploited by Karl Rove. That’s not necessarily a bad thing this time around. I’ve maintained that the push for a federal marriage amendment in the wake of the Massachusetts decision could hurt Bush more than the Democrats, as the issue continues to split the Republican Party and conservative pundits. (And, yes, I still believe this, despite a recent New York Times poll–criticized even by the Times’ own public editor Daniel Okrent last Sunday–that contradicted every other poll, claiming that the majority of Americans would favor an amendment.) Dean himself seems to agree, noting on his website that he "can’t wait to ask the President of the United States . . . to repudiate the GOP-authored Defense of Marriage Act , an unconstitutional, mean-spirited law that stoked fears of homosexuality."

. . . snip. . .

The reasons for Dean’s huge support among gays and lesbians–one survey showed him having a 33 percent lead among gays over his opponents–are more complicated than they appear. And unpacking them is instructive in understanding Dean’s appeal across a broad swath of voters, as well as why the pundits and the pollsters continue to underestimate him. Even after the pummeling Dean has taken in recent weeks from John Kerry, Wesley Clark and Lieberman–all hitting below the belt and giving ammunition to the Republicans–the latest CNN poll shows him doing better than any of them agaist Bush whom he now trails by only five points.

. . . snip. . .

Dean’s popularity among gays and lesbians has less to do with his support for civil unions and gay rights than it does with the simple fact that a majority of Democratic voters in national polls support him: He’s giving Bush a good, swift kick in the butt on a variety of issues, from the war to the economy–something few of the other viable candidates have done with passion. The latest CNN poll has Bush beating Kerry, 54-43 percent, but only beating Dean 51-46, meaning that some people who favored Bush against Kerry switched when Dean is put up against Bush. The idea that even a small percentage of people who would vote for Bush might move over to Dean–a candidate portrayed as a leftist firebrand pushing gay rights–is quite interesting. It’s something the Bushies might think about before stoking homophobia next November.

[slinkerwink]

1. good post!

:bounce:

[cprise]

2. Banking on an exclusionary Constitutional ammendment = Bush loss!

"... the issue continues to split the Republican Party..."

Yes, far more than it splits the Democrats, and the trend is exacerbating the problem for conservatives. The case for gay civil rights is too strong, so intense exposure of the issue means we win if they attack.

[Scott Lee]

3. They don't get it - Dean stands up and doesn't apologize

for his stands even if the political "climate" runs against him. Gay civil unions is one example. This country is actually getting more hostile to Gays, not less (imho), and Dean is the type of guy to say "Fuck you all - I'm supporting them and defending their rights and privileges as Americans", regardless of the prevailing social winds.

This is a big reason he is the frontrunner.

[ozone_man]

4. Good article.

Even has something good to say about Lieberman. This was interesting:

The idea that even a small percentage of people who would vote for Bush might move over to Dean–a candidate portrayed as a leftist firebrand pushing gay rights–is quite interesting. It’s something the Bushies might think about before stoking homophobia next November.

[MoonAndSun]

5. this part of the article is exactly the reason why so many people

support Howard Dean:


Dean’s popularity among gays and lesbians has less to do with his support for civil unions and gay rights than it does with the simple fact that a majority of Democratic voters in national polls support him: He’s giving Bush a good, swift kick in the butt on a variety of issues, from the war to the economy–something few of the other viable candidates have done with passion.





I could not have said it better myself.