Gay Issues Still Not Important Enough

Gay issues still sensitive for ’08 Senate race
Democrats fault Chambliss for Bush cronyism

By ZACK HUDSON
Aug. 24, 2007

The first two Democrats to give chase to Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss for the 2008 election both remain mum on changing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibits gay people from serving openly in the military.

Chambliss’ current challengers — DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and Dale Cardwell, formerly an investigative reporter for WSB-TV — are each toeing the middle line as “conservative” Democrats in attempts to lure voters from both ends of the political spectrum. And while they are quietly taking jabs at each other, Cardwell and Jones’ knives are out and in view when it comes to Chambliss, Georgia’s senior U.S. senator.

Chambliss’ campaign did not respond to interview requests by press time.

“He’s had his chance. By giving Bush a blank check, he’s put us in a bind,” Jones said of Chambliss, who in 2003 defeated Sen. Max Cleland, a Democrat, to take the seat.

Cardwell pointed out the memorable campaign Chambliss lodged against Cleland, a Vietnam veteran who lost limbs in the war.

“I don’t have to be defensive against Saxby. He has to be on the defense with the people of Georgia, because I think he’s failed them,” Cardwell said.

Cardwell and Jones don’t visibly part ways on most major issues. Cardwell’s campaign has so far stressed his commitment to transparency and his refusal of Political Action Committee (PAC) money should it be offered him.

Jones highlighted his experience as DeKalb County CEO and a former Georgia state representative. As the highest-ranking official in DeKalb County government, Jones oversees an annual budget of nearly $3 billion and approximately 7,000 county employees.

“I’ve been there. And I know how to lead people to get things done. This isn’t a game or a hobby for me,” Jones said.

He first took the elected position in 2000. In 2001, he and the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners legislated domestic partner benefits for county employees. He said he supports extending the benefits to federal employees.

“That doesn’t endorse someone’s lifestyle,” Jones explained of his support for domestic partner benefits, which differs from his stance on gay marriage.

“That just says I want to have the type of benefits that attract the best employees,” he said.

Like Jones, Cardwell pointed to the expanding number of companies that offer domestic partner benefits to employees. Cardwell says he supports offering domestic partner benefits to federal employees.

“Why in the world should the federal government be hamstrung by not being able to recruit the best candidates in any field?” he asked.

Cardwell touted his own reputation in business and his personal life as proof of his qualification for the Senate race. As a celebrated investigator for WSB Channel 2 Action News, he took on hot-button issues and unearthed his share of official corruption including in the high-proile case of DeKalb sheriff Sidney Dorsey.

“I’ve been telling people the truth for 23 years. I never backed down off that story because the people deserved to know the truth,” he said.

GAY UNIONS

Cardwell and Jones differ slightly on the issue of gay marriage and civil unions.

Cardwell said simply that he is in favor of “equal protection under the law” for everyone. He said he voted against the 2004 amendment to the Georgia Constitution that limits marriage to opposite-sex couples only.

“It was an unnecessary amendment. I think it was done for a clearly political purpose, and I think it’s immoral to tinker with the constitution,” he said.

Jones said he voted in favor of the amendment back in 2004.

“I have my feelings about marriage, and I agree with most Georgians when it was put in the constitution that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” Jones said.

Jones promised to advocate on behalf of Iraq War veterans to ensure they receive better health care access once they return to the U.S. He said he has not examined efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” closely enough to take a firm stance on the issue.

“There are probably gays and lesbians who are in the military who are coming back home as veterans and not being treated with proper medical care,” he said.

Cardwell also said he will have to closely examine efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” before he weighs in on the subject. His own idea about being a conservative Democrat is rooted in what he calls “good American values,” like monogamy and fiscal conservatism.

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© 2007 The Southern Voice | A Window Media Publication

MY TAKE:

Here again, we have two candidates who are skipping around issues and almost all together avoiding the conversation about gay rights. I really wonder how people would feel if gays and lesbians were in the majority and it was heterosexuals who were fighting for their rights to live and exist free from oppression. To put it simply, the Constitution (US & GA) is to provide for the rights of its citizens, not to remove them. If these historic documents do not support its citizens or at least not provide for the rights of a certain segment of the population, then how can that population of people be held accountable to the Constitution or the other laws of this country?