On the evening of the day that our Senator, Mark Warner, has announced his support for marriage equality, we cats are thinking about others who opposed it in the past.
Specifically, two: Bill Clinton and Ken Mehlman. They offer a particularly interesting contrast on how folks "evolve" on this issue.
President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 as — if you accept this look back in The New York Times — a purely political dodge. Republicans hoping to put him on the spot as he sought reelection sent him the bill, knowing they had the votes to override if he chose to veto. So rather than play into their hands, Clinton signed DOMA in the dark of night. Today, a remorseful Clinton, like that famous woman he's married to, is strongly for marriage equality.
Ken Mehlman is himself gay. We knew this, but we didn't "know" it, if you know what we mean. Ken Mehlman also used to be chairman of the Republican National Committee, and he helped craft a 2004 reelection strategy for The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived that was purposely anti-gay and designed to flip big states like Ohio into Bush's column in November. Mehlman has since come out (ho, hum), expressed his regret, and is campaigning for marriage equality across the country.
While we cats are glad that both Clinton and Mehlman have come to Jesus on marriage equality, we see a striking difference. One man — who we think the entire world can agree is not gay — has been struggling for 17 years with a political decision he made because he can empathize with people who are different. The other — who we never doubted was in the closet — chose, in the name of political expediency, to demonize people who are exactly like him.
We'll take the straight guy who empathizes, thank you.
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