Full Q-Notes endorsement: John Edwards
Q-Notes, the leading news source for the LGBT communities of North and South Carolina, has published its full endorsement of John Edwards. Before the New Year, Q-Notes editorial staff announced our intention to endorse the former Democratic Senator from North Carolina and released a short statement. In our Jan. 12 issue, we delved further into the issues and expanded upon our thoughts:
Q-Notes endorses John Edwards
Populist candidate the best choice for PresidentAfter a series of meetings between the editors, the staff and the publisher, Q-Notes has endorsed John Edwards for President.
Our method for arriving at this decision began late last summer with a simple question: who’s best on LGBT issues. In years past, this alone often narrowed the field to a single contender. This election cycle, however, has been decidedly different from years past.
Each of the Democrats vying for the nomination passed muster on our suitability test. They all support the Matthew Shepard Act and a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. They all oppose “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act. They all back legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich earned bonus points for being the only candidate to support full marriage rights. Again, this alone might have sealed the deal in previous elections. However, the stakes today are too high for that. Two terms of President George W. Bush have America teetering on the brink of economic collapse, while the disastrous “War on Terror” expands and our precious civil liberties shrink.
Under these conditions, viability trumps degrees of support. Following the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus, it was down to John Edwards and Hillary Clinton.
Obama is out because he stepped on our necks to gain a political advantage. His campaign organized “Embrace the Change,” a gospel tour in South Carolina to shore up support among the state’s black evangelicals. Over a profusion of objections, “ex-gay” singer Rev. Donnie McClurkin — who claims that homosexuality is a “curse” and that gays “are trying to kill our children” — was booked to perform in Columbia.
To quell the uproar, Obama issued a tepid statement that “gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens.” McClurkin wasn’t swayed and neither was the audience, who cheered loudly when the singer reiterated his anti-gay beliefs on-stage the night of the show.
Obama never apologized for facilitating this debacle. He simply moved on.
[...]
In contrast, John Edwards has stumped on a bona fide progressive platform. His core issues include ending poverty and rebuilding the middle class, reversing global warming, ending the Iraq War, restoring civil liberties and establishing universal healthcare. Also central to his campaign is his pledge to reclaim the government from the control of lobbyists and multinational corporations.
These populist themes resonate deeply with us — and with working-class Americans from coast-to-coast, as national polling for the General Election makes plain.
Edwards fares best against all the potential Republican candidates in head-to-head match-ups. He puts more traditionally “red” states in play than any other Democratic contender. Significantly, his presence on the ballot will translate to additional votes for Democrats in tight down-ticket races across the country.
The choice is clear. John Edwards is the most progressive, most electable Democrat in the race. Q-Notes encourages all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters to support him in the primaries and beyond.
Read the full endorsement at the Q-Notes website.
Technorati Tags: John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, South Carolina, North Carolina, endorsement, election, 2008, Q-Notes, LGBT, president
About the Author: Matt
3 Responses to “Full Q-Notes endorsement: John Edwards”
Matt: You know I love you. But I feel as though this particular post misses something huge:
You say: “Rep. Dennis Kucinich earned bonus points for being the only candidate to support full marriage rights. Again, this alone might have sealed the deal in previous elections. However, the stakes today are too high for that. Two terms of President George W. Bush have America teetering on the brink of economic collapse, while the disastrous “War on Terror” expands and our precious civil liberties shrink.”
It is almost as if you believe that Kucinich’s only strong point is his support of gay marriage. But you have overlooked the rest of Dennis’ platform– there are so very many aspects of the Kucinich campaign that are ideal– very promising.
Aside from personality differences and the occasional political blunder (ie- Obama’s contradiction about LGBT equality), all three of the leading democratic candidates are cookie cutter versions of each other. Kucinich is the only real candidate who offers a new, fresh perspective– a perspective necessary for the “change” we all desire.
Kucinich, man, Kucinich.
By Cylest on Jan 16, 2008
It is almost as if you believe that Kucinich’s only strong point is his support of gay marriage. But you have overlooked the rest of Dennis’ platform– there are so very many aspects of the Kucinich campaign that are ideal– very promising.
Cylest… Kucinich’s idea’s may by “ideal” and “very promising” to some, but Kucinich himself is far from being “very promising.” Polling consistently in 4th or 5th place in single digit numbers isn’t my definition of “very promising.”
Thanks for stopping by. And, if you are in the mood for a debate, I’ll be waiting!
By Matt Comer on Jan 16, 2008