Ted Cruz Has Made Himself The Scourge Of Senate Republicans-- And They Don't Like That

In 2009, Nanci Griffith put out an album, The Loving Kind, inspired by the death of Mildred Loving the year before. Nanci and Mildred both saw the clear relationship between the landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v Virginia-- which struck down the miscegenation laws that remained in the South to prohibit marriages of whites and blacks-- to the struggle for LGBT marriage equality. Nanci's title song was an eloquent musical statement of what Judge Arenda Wright Allen did last night in declaring Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. “Our Constitution declares that ‘all men’ are created equal,” wrote Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen of United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, in Norfolk. “Surely this means all of us.”

At the exact same time that Judge Wright Allen was handing down the ruling in Virginia, reactionary extremists in the Kansas state Senate were trying to pass a shocking-- and clearly unconstitutional-- anti-LGBT bill in their state to shield anyone from refusing to provide service to same-sex couples. Although the Republican leadership is firmly behind it, a bit fewer than half the 32 Senate Republicans support the bill, which means they need Democratic support to pass the 40-member chamber.

In Virginia, we saw the leading candidate for the open House seat in VA-08, Patrick Hope, issue a statement of joy over the ruling in his state:

“Today is a great day to be a Virginian.  For far too long our LGBT brothers and sisters have been treated like second-class citizens.  There’s no place in a civilized society for discrimination of any kind, and as a member of Congress I will work towards nationwide marriage equality and push for sanctions on countries with poor human rights records.”

“While marriage equality is certainly a moral and civil rights issue, it’s also an economic issue.  State-sanctioned discrimination causes many businesses and talented workers to choose homes in other states.  While the appeals process is ongoing, I hope to soon see the day in Virginia where the only requirement for marriage is love.”

“On this particularly special day, Kristen and I wish couples all across Virginia a very happy Valentine’s Day.  We are proud that we can now say that Virginia is for ALL Lovers.”

And we saw Ted Cruz and his wingman, Mike Lee, just one day before the ruling in Virginia, introduce a bill to prohibit marriage equality for LGBT couples. Do Republicans really want to follow Cruz into another battle against the tide of history? Well, some do and some don't. And that brings us to the MSNBC clip from Chris Hayes' show last night. If you haven't watched it yet, please take a look now. Cruz's ideological fanaticism is wrecking the ability of Republican candidates to win in districts and states where they need independent voters. His across-the-board extremism on issues that are popular only with brainwashed consumers of Fox and Hate Talk Radio, will hurt Republicans trying to deal with the real world.

Yesterday it was Cruz's filibuster of the debt ceiling that mandated an embarrassing and politically divisive vote for Republicans who were forced to cross the aisle and vote with Democrats to keep the country from defaulting. Although the bill itself passed 55-43, every Democrat voting YES and every Republican voting NO (including fake blue state "moderates" like Susan Collins, Kelly Ayotte, Dean Heller, and Mark Kirk), the bill to shut down Cruz's divisive-- for Republicans-- filibuster passed 67-31, forcing 6 uncomfortable Republicans to change their votes midway through the count. Barrasso (R-WY), Cornyn (R-TX), Flake (R-AZ), Hatch (R-UT), McCain (R-AZ) and Thune (R-SD) were the switchers who would have preferred, for political purposes, to oppose the debt ceiling increase but were forced to do what's right for America because Cruz is a dick-- and, clearly, the most hated man inside the Senate Republican caucus.

Virginia Has A Sociopath Pushing Its Reactionary Agenda-- Meet Bishop E.W. Jackson

Saturday Ken Cuccinelli got a Lt. Gov. nominee just as extreme and out of step with Virginia as he is. Bishop Earl Walker "E.W." Jackson is, basically, a slick-talking religionist crackpot and well-practiced far right ideologue. He gained a national audience on the right-wing fringes after year old video above in which he rages against marriage equality, released as he launched his failed campaign for the Republican Senate nomination.

Obviously deranged and warped by too many hours of conspiratorial Hate Talk radio, he accuses Planned Parenthood of “killing unborn black babies by the tens of millions” and being "far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was.” He insists Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Party, and civil rights leaders have been “partners in genocide.” The man needs a nice long rest, but instead he'll be taking his minstrel show oon the road for Ken Cuccinelli and the virulently racist Virginia Republican Party. He seems a little too obsessed with homosexuality for a straight man. When someone carries on about gays the way he does, it always leads to some kind embarrassing revelations in the not too distant future. Does Earl expect to keep his homosexual obsessions private?

The Democrat Party has equated homosexuality with being Black, which is another outrageous lie. They can keep their homosexuality private. You and I cannot hide being Black. I need not account to you the painful history of slavery, Jim Crow. lynchings and sterilizations all because of skin color. Anyone who dares equate the so-called gay rights movement to the history of Black Americans is exploiting the Black community. They say opposition to same sex marriage is the same as opposition to interracial marriage. That is an insult to human intelligence; it is a lie. No Christian should support this. Yet the Democrat Party has now declared same sex marriage an official part of its platform. And Black Christians remain in that party? The Civil Rights Establishment has embraced the lies and betrayed the Black community and God All Mighty for 30 pieces of silver from the Democrat Party.

Damn! He sounded just like the bigoted priests in Tbilisi Friday who whipped a mob of primitives up into a bloodthirsty frenzy or anti-gay rioting that sent 30 people to the hospital. He dresses well and speaks well, but, wow, is he ever a primitive hustler! "God will take care of us," he promises Blacks, if they just abandon the progressive policies that have fought slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings and sterilization and join up with the conservative perpetrators of these policies he has long ago sold his soul to. He won the nomination because he was the most radical and extreme and hate-fueled at the convention. He's likely to even further turn independents and mainstream voters away from the Republicans. As the Richmond Times-Dispatch put it, Cuccinelli "will head a ticket that cements the tea party’s takeover of the state GOP apparatus."

Jackson became the GOP’s first African American nominee for statewide office since 1988, overcoming six other hopefuls for the No. 2 spot on the ticket after four dramatic ballots lasting nearly 10 hours. He bested several candidates with deep ties to the state party, more money and long records in elected office, appealing to the more than 8,000 delegates in the Richmond Coliseum as a grass-roots crusader for the Constitution and social conservatism.

Before the balloting, the crowd erupted as Jackson vowed to “get the government off our backs, off our property, out of our families, out of our health care and out of our way.”

Jackson never trailed, leading after the first ballot and holding on despite sustained attacks and determined horse-trading by his opponents. He was joined on stage by Cuccinelli and Obenshain after 10 p.m., projecting an image of Republican unity at the conclusion of a fractious convention.

Right-wing Hampton blogger Tom Gear wrote an open letter to Virginia Republicans last week about what the Tea Party was about the shove down their throats.

Dear Republican Friends,

As many people know when they run for public office, the public has a right to full disclosure of their background. Everytime I ran I faced every question honestly and to the point. It seems that E W Jackson Sr. feels these rules do not apply to his candidacy. While I understand tough times, believe me I do, I also know that only thing that matters is EW Jackson Sr. is running to represent our Party as its nominee for Lt. Governor.

I asked EW Jackson, Sr to answer the following questions for the public record on May 5, 2013 and at the time of writing this email he has not responded.

• We have, without question, been through some of the toughest economic times our Country has ever experienced. That being said, it has been brought to my attention that you have had multiple bankruptcies, garnishments and tax liens. Is this true or just vicious negative campaigning?

It seems others feel the same as I do and a group called VA TRUTH documented the list of bankrupcties and they can be seen by clicking here.  As I said above there can be a good reason for asking for relief of debt but not disclosing this to the voters made me wonder what else is out there on EW Jackson. A simple online investigation showed the following;

1) On May 8, 2012, EW Jackson Sr. was issued a warrant in debt for not paying his personal property taxes.

2) On September 9, 2011, EW Jackson Sr. was issued a warrant in debt for a lawsuit involving his church.

3) On September 2, 2008, EW Jackson Sr. was issued a garnishment from a lawsuit involving his church.

4) On April 6, 2007, EW Jackson Sr. was served a unlawful detainer from a lawsuit involving his church.

Gear goes on and on and concludes that Jackson's financial baggage, inability to raise money (presumably from teh white racists who support the Virginia GOP) and his total lack of knowledge of state government will crush his chances to win. As for Jackson's claims about the fight against conservatives like himself for interracial marriage and the current fight against conservatives for marriage equality, Nanci Griffith and Mildred Loving could probably teach the bishop some good lessons on that one.

Who Remembers The Supreme Court Case Loving v Virginia? Nanci Griffith Says It Changed The Heart of America

Nanci Griffith put out an album in 2009 presaging the Supreme Court taking up the DOMA and Prop 8 cases today. Ostensibly the title track for The Loving Kind was about a couple in Virginia, Richard and Mildred Loving. Despite Virginia's anti-miscengenation law which prevented mixed-race marriages-- something that more the half the states in the country had when I was growing up-- the young couple got married in June, 1958 in Washington, DC. She was 19 and he was 25. The police broke into their home and arrested them in bed. They were found guilty and sentenced to prison sentences which were suspended on condition of them leaving Virginia. At the time of the sentencing (in 1959), Judge Leon Bazile read this excuse for bigotry from the 1700s:

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.

I was surprised that Antonin Scalia didn't find a way to read that into the record today. He restrained himself. Of course Nanci wrote the song not just to commemorate Richard and Mildred Loving, but to draw attention to the plight of gay and lesbian couples today in the same predicament they are in, thanks to bigots like Judge Bazile and Scalia. In 1964 the Supreme Court of the United States didn't have any hack rightist judges like Scalia or Thomas or Alito or Roberts. The court unanimously overturned the convictions and declared that Virginia's and other states' laws denying equality for people to marry regardless of race were unconstitutional. It changed the law for every single state in the South (although Alabama kept their own anti-miscegenation laws on the books until... 2000!) From the decision:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

Just before she released the album, Nanci told me that she had "read Mildred Loving's obituary in the New York Times and it just floored me. She never remarried after Richard died and in her last interview before she passed she expressed hope that their case, Loving v. Virginia would eventually be the open door to same sex marriage. In the New York Times Sunday Magazine (the last one of the year) Mildred was one of 08's year of brilliant folks we lost. It was such irony that their name was Loving. Also, when they were arrested, Richard was only held overnight while Mildred was held for five days and had to beg for food and was terribly mistreated." A year before she died, May 8, 2008, on the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made her marriage legal, she issued a public statement that has inspired many gay people fighting for their rights to marry:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

Dangerous Right Wing Cult, The Family, Involved In Move To Exterminate Gays In Uganda

Headquarters of a lethal cancer in the heart of our nation's capital

If you visit us here at DWT from time to time, you may recall how excited I was earlier in the year about Nanci Griffith's new album, The Loving Kind, especially because I learned all about a Virginia couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, who traveled to Washington, DC in order to get married in June, 1958. It was illegal at the time for black and whites to intermarry. They were dragged out of their bed and thrown into jail cells when they got back to sweet Virginie. Times have changed so drastically since then. Last year 1,959,532 Virginia voters (53% of those who went to the polls), helped elect the offspring of such a marriage. But, in some ways, time has stood still for homosexuals, who are still discriminated against by the same types of bigoted and insecure sociopaths as those who arrested and persecuted Richard and Mildred Loving. On the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made her marriage legal, a few months before she passed away last year, Mildred, having never spoken out on anything political before has this to say:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

So, I was heartened to read this morning that the Washington DC City Council voted 11-2-- despite threats and blackmail attempts from the Catholic Church and hysteria from right wing political hacks-- to approve legislation that would allow same-sex couples to get married in their city. Forget for a moment that bigoted Mormon fanatic Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has pledged to the satanic "god" he worships to use Congress to force DC to back away from the kind of equality for gays that was the salvation for mixed-race couples like the Lovings. Instead, let's take a look at something really insidious and dangerous to America that's going on among some of Jason Chaffetz' friends and neighbors, the demented, neo-fascist religious fanatics and sexual predators who live in the C Street House provided to the religious cult known as -- The Family.

Last night, Rachel Maddow did a segment on the relationship between the genuinely dangerous cult, The Family, and plans in Uganda to pass even more stringent anti-gay legislation, including the death penalty. Behind this move is a close political associate of both pop-pastor Rick Warren and the insidious Republicans and Blue Dogs who make up the viciously homophobic Family. Among the hate-filled bigots who make up The Family are Sam Brownback (R-KS), James Inhofe (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Ensign (R-NV), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Mark Pryor (DLC-AR), John Thune (R-SD), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Zach Wamp (R-TN), Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC), Bart Stupak (anti-choice-MI), and Health Shuler (Blue Dog-NC). Villainous members no longer in public office include John Ashcroft, Dan Quayle, Ed Meese, Strom Thurmond, Jerry Ford and Richard Nixon.

Summer Of Loving-- Roy Zimmerman Was Also Inspired By Loving Vs Virginia

DWT regulars are unlikley to have missed one of our dozen or so mentions of Nanci Griffith's latest album, The Loving Kind and an explanation of the unanimous Supreme Court case that struck down all of the remaining laws that prohibited marriage between men and women of different races. Just before she died last year, Mildred Loving talked about how her plight was virtually the same as that of same-sex couples today.

California singer-songwriter Roy Zimmerman, formerly of the Foremen, sent us a video of himself and some friends, Laura Love, John McCutcheon, and Sandy O. of Emma's Revolution, performing his own song along the same lines, "Summer of Loving," at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. In a note Roy pointed out the "obvious implications in the same-sex marriage debate currently raging in this cultural backwater we call California."

Equality, Equality Now-- Isn't That What Differentiates Democrats From Republicans?

Reid needs someone to sponsor the abrogation of Don't Ask Don't Tell? Let's elect Jennifer Brunner in Ohio

In a whiny excuse for inaction, Harry Reid said yesterday there is no sponsor for getting rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell in the Senate. He suggests the White House do it-- or the House. Oh, really? No Kirsten Gillibrand? No Barbara Boxer? No Chuck Schumer? All three are up for re-election-- and the first two can't be re-elected without gay support. Democrats in office have taken gay voters for granted too long.

Today's NY Times castigates the Obama Administration for another Bush-like response over gay rights. Democrats are playing a dangerous game. When gays like someone they stick with them forever-- look at Cher and Lisa Minelli-- and when they turn... it is over.

The Obama administration, which came to office promising to protect gay rights but so far has not done much, actually struck a blow for the other side last week. It submitted a disturbing brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, which is the law that protects the right of states to not recognize same-sex marriages and denies same-sex married couples federal benefits. The administration needs a new direction on gay rights.

...In the presidential campaign, President Obama declared that he would work to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. Now, the administration appears to be defending it out of a sense of obligation to support a validly enacted Congressional law. There is a strong presumption that the Justice Department will defend federal laws, but it is not an inviolable rule... In a letter to President Obama on Monday, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization, said, “I cannot overstate the pain that we feel as human beings and as families when we read an argument, presented in federal court, implying that our own marriages have no more constitutional standing than incestuous ones.”

The brief also maintains that the Defense of Marriage Act represents a “cautious policy of federal neutrality”-- an odd assertion since the law clearly discriminates against gay couples. Under the act, same-sex married couples who pay their taxes are ineligible for the sort of federal benefits-- such as Social Security survivors’ payments and joint tax returns-- that heterosexual married couples receive.

President Obama has talked about the fact that when his black father and white mother got married, in half the states in the U.S. that marriage was illegal. Yes, until the Supreme Court threw out all the state's "miscegenation laws" in 1964-- a result of Loving v Virginia (something we've looked at before in relation to the release of Nanci Griffith's new album, The Loving Kind)-- interracial marriage was prohibited in many states. Had the federal government not overturned those archaic, discriminatory laws in 1964, it's unlikely that Obama would be president today.

As John Aravosis pointed out yesterday, gay donors are bailing on a $1,000 a head DNC gay fundraising dinner scheduled for June 25 honoring Joe Biden. Instead of writing $1,000 checks, rich Democrats should be standing outside the Mandarin Oriental with protest signs. Funny that Rahm Emanuel's Frankenstein Supplemental bill-- which contains a little something for everyone, from used car salesmen and parents worried about their children catching the flu to crooked European banksters looking for a bailout-- didn't include a Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal. That would have been the way to pass it.

Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, states unequivocally that she will sponsor the bill when she's elected to the Senate next year. Her record on gay equality bears out her promise.

“’Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ has outlived its usefulness. It may have been a first step to inclusiveness in the military, but it has proved to be another ‘separate but equal’ concept that is used to exclude those who understand that forced silence is demeaning and unacceptable. It’s time to allow people to be free to speak of who they are, to respect them and allow them to be fully a part of the community that will move us forward through the coming social and economic change.”

Forget that $1,000 check for the DNC and donate to Jennifer Brunner's campaign instead.



UPDATE: Reid Says "Oops"

He say he meant that... whatever he didn't say yesterday. I tried getting answers out of senators who are up for re-election in 2010 and who get substantial support from gay people. They all said teh same thing: "No comment." Bright side of the coin: this'll be the first time ever that I don't have to write a check to Barbara Boxer. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign did the right thing and pulled out of the Biden DNC dinner; others followed.

I spoke with Barney Frank's office and was told that Barney isn't concerned because he was completely confident that there would be a Senate sponsor but that right now Congress is concentrating on passing ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act). I wish I was as confident as he appears to be. I don't think this has been publicly announced anywhere but Barney rounded up 7 co-sponors, besides himself: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Mike Castle (R-DE) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). I wonder if he asked any of the homophobic GOP closet cases like Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Aaron Schock (R-IL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) or Adrian Smith (R-NE) to co-sponsor. I forgot to ask. ENDA hearing in July.


Better Than Nothing

Nanci Griffith At The Grammy Museum

I had never been to the relatively new (December, 2008) Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A. until Monday night. I went to see Nanci Griffith speaking about the making of her new album, The Loving Kind. The ocassion was the official release of the album (you can-- and should-- buy it at the link above; I explained why a few weeks ago) and the launching of a new program at the museum called "The Drop," which will highlight new album releases with this same kind of format. Nanci and her two co-producers, Pat McInerney and Thomm Jutz, were interviewed and then played some new songs. Amazing event in a small theater (200 people) with plenty of time for questions from the audience, almost entirely made up of real Nanci Griffith fans.

The Museum picked Nanci as their first artist because they also opened a compelling and unique exhibition, "Songs Of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom," which explores the whole 200-year history of music and politics in America. The exhibition was the brain child of the Grammy Museum, bringing together more than 100 diverse artifacts, from both government archives and private collections, as well as from myriad musical artists who have participated in social movements during the last century. They use rare film footage and photos to explore the depth to which music has been, and still is, a political force in American society.

The exhibition is going to start traveling around the U.S. early next year. It includes guitars owned by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Josh White and Odetta, one of Pete Seeger's banjos, handwritten lyrics from Patti Smith, Tom Morello, Tim McGraw and others and, my favorite, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI summary of the MC5.

Here's a clip of the title track from Nanci's new album, one of the songs she played, acoustically, at the Museum. The acoustic version was absolutely thrilling and moved the audience to stand and cheer for five minutes. Listen to the lyrics and you'll see why:

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized In New Hampshire

In line with Dick Cheney's POV, both houses of the New Hampshire legislature passed an amended same-sex marriage bill which was promptly signed by Governor John Lynch, a reluctant convert to marriage equality. The bill passed in the House 198-176 and in the state Senate 14-10. It takes effect on January 1, 2010.

"Today, we are standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect, under New Hampshire law," Lynch said in a statement.

The law also recognizes out-of-state gay marriages and civil unions, which are legal in just a handful of U.S. states including New Hampshire. Same-sex couples who have civil unions in New Hampshire will automatically be married January 1, 2011.

...[G]ay-marriage laws are expanding swiftly on the East Coast, especially in New England where Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay people to marry five years ago.

Rhode Island is the only New England state without marriage equality, although legislation is wending its way through the system. New England was also the region that first began freeing slaves. In fact, Massachusetts, the first to back marriage equality, was the first to do so (in 1780). Each northern state followed between then and 1804 (although New Jersey still had "permanent apprentices" in 1860!). Rhode Island was the first state to ban importation (1774).

When we heard Cheney grousing a few days ago that marriage equality is the domain of the states and not the federal government, he was lying.

I guess there was no one in the press corps with much knowledge of history-- and no fans of the new Nanci Griffith album, The Loving Kind. On the title track of her new album Nanci lays out the story of how the miscegenation laws-- which prevented mixed race marriages well into the 1960s-- were struck down... nationally. Her song is based on the story of Richard and Mildred Loving and their court battle against the commonwealth of Virginia, which arrested and imprisoned them for getting married. Eventually the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down the miscegenation laws in all the states (although Alabama insisted on keeping it on its books, unenforced). Both Mildred Loving and Nanci Griffith have made it clear that the quest for marriage equality for gay couples is no different from the quest the Lovings went through in the '60s. I guess Cheney was too busy dodging the draft back then to have caught the news.

Meanwhile, Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin are voicing dissatisfaction and impatience with Obama from the gay community in today's Politico. I know I feel it myself. After all, he's been in office almost 5 months and he still hasn't righted the wrongs of 2 centuries. The military ban on openly gay men and women is still not on the front burner, a victim to more general priorities, like preventing a Depression and pushing health care reform.

“Obama is out of step with his party, which is overwhelmingly in favor of marriage at this stage,” said David Mixner, a veteran gay rights activist who is among the organizers of a march on Washington for same-sex marriage scheduled for this fall. “He’s out of step with the next generation.”

...“Politicians are finding out that their voters are moving faster than they anticipated,” said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who called Obama’s place behind that curve “surprising, because he is the next-generational candidate.”

She noted that Obama could be concerned about alienating older voters in the Midwest who would be turned off if he came out in support of same-sex marriage.

New Hampshire is the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, following Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and Iowa. Nancy's song:

Two Congressional Democrats Join GOP Anti-Gay Jihad In DC

A few weeks ago I mentioned how clueless Mormon demagogue and extremist Jason Chaffetz volunteered to lead the crusade against gay families in Washington, DC. I doubt it will get anywhere but Chaffetz and a couple dozen other congressional bigots signed on to a bill that would force the Washington, DC government to stop recognizing same-sex marriages. The bill was formally introduced by two of Congress' worst hate-mongers, Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK). The man recently voted the most disliked member of Congress by his colleagues, Georgia reactionary Tom Price, couldn't wait to sign on as a co-sponsor. "Nothing," he said, "can be more important than the sanctity of our families." What a clown! I'm certain he doesn't even see any irony in his hateful statement. Presumably they're just practicing for this, the pending battle over Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It's why I'd like to see someone like Anthony Woods in Congress; it's about time!

DC is a heavily Democratic city. It is also heavily African-American. Chaffetz and the other bigots pushing the anti-gay agenda are also all notorious racists who are never on the same side of the battle lines as black people. Can they make common cause now? Some African-Americans, largely because of shameful cowardice and misdirection from candidate Obama, helped the Mormon bigots outlaw marriage equality in California last year. Ironically, when southern blacks and whites sought to marry in the 1950s and '60s they fled to Washington, DC, where it was legal. The Supreme Court didn't strike down "miscegenation" laws until 1964 (Loving v Virginia). Yesterday at Crooks and Liars we talked with singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, whose new album, The Loving Kind was inspired by an obituary she read last year when Mildred Loving died and talked about her struggle against racism in terms of the LGBT struggle against bigotry. Nanci's album comes out in 2 weeks and I hope many people in DC get a chance to hear it. If you haven't heard the title track, give it a listen:

Nanci Griffith Blogs Today About Her New Album, The Loving Kind, Live At Crooks & Liars

When I mentioned to Rolling Stone writer (and author) Eric Boehlert that I was going to be talking with Nanci Griffith, his response was positively over the top. "I'm such a big fan. Right after college I discovered her. Sorta weird, I was such a huge rock fan and suddenly at 22 and 24 years old I'm listening to "Spin On A Red Brick Floor," and "Gulf Coast Highway." My friends thought I was nuts." Now they probably think he was prescient. Eric reminded me that Nanci was part of the proud and breathtaking legacy of MCA/Nashville President Tony Brown, along with Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett. Brown produced her biggest charting country album, Lone Star State of Mind but these days most people think of her as a folk singer.

Funny, she always has seen herself that way. "I've always written about social issues," she told me on the phone a couple of days ago, "because I consider myself a folk song writer. I started writing "Not Innocent Enough," [the chillingly gorgeous song about the 2007 execution of Philip Workman from The Loving Kind] 4 years ago, long before Philip was executed. It just didn't have an ending. Sometimes an issue like that one... it just takes a while to see how it's going to reconcile itself." A decade and a half ago Nanci won a Grammy (Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms.

And the death penalty is hardly the only contentious issue Nanci has taken on with her new album-- which will be out June 9. The title track is what hooked me to the album and opened me up to her new record. "The Loving Kind" floored me and I couldn't wait to make a clip for it and write about it. I had never heard about the precedent-setting Loving v Virginia Supreme Court case, which led to an ending to dozens of states' laws that criminalized interracial marriage, until I listened to Nanci sing it. She had never heard about it until she read Mildred Loving's obituary in 2007. "I read that obituary and I just broke down in tears, that I had never heard of this case. It really struck me, especially Mildred's comments about gay marriage. It just brings the whole thing home-- her hopes and her dreams that someday, although she was not a political person, that their case, Loving v Virginia would make a difference for people who are in love with each other. Government does not belong in love."

In 2004 Nanci joined with other progressives in the Nashville music scene to form the Music Row Democrats which worked to prevent Bush from getting an undeserved second term. She said she was surprised by the response. "We all came out of the closet because Nashville is pretty much known as a Republican town and all of these record executives and music people and publishers came out as Music Row Democrats. There were people who never in my life would have thought were Democrats." I asked her if she'd ever considered running against Nashville's reactionary Blue Dog congressman, Jim Cooper. Unfortunately, she laughed.

"I could never get into politics; my past doesn't hold up too well. Being on NPR talking about all the LSD I did when I was in my teenage years... I don't think will hold up very well in running for office... The first song I remember writing was 'Where Are You Now, Dr. Timothy Leary' and I clearly wrote the song when I was doing LSD. I made it through typing class on LSD"

Anyway, Nanci has a bigger stage than Jim Cooper anyway and her songs move and effect a lot more people than his speeches. Judging my the artistic growth in  evidenced in The Loving Kind she'll be writing songs for many, many years to come. I doubt anything's going to ever shut her up. When I asked her about the Bush Regime allies who savaged the Dixie Chicks and tried putting them out of business, I could hear the edge of anger in her sweet voice. "I never stopped saying whatever I was saying against the Bush administration abroad. I don't care what those people who crucified the Dixie Chicks... they're not my fans anyway."

Before joining us at the Crooks and Liars comments section (4pm, PT/ 6 in Nashville) take a listen to another one of my favorite songs on the new album, "Across America," which her record company will asking radio stations to play.

Bruce Springsteen, Nanci Griffith And The GOP

Bruce Springsteen plays in DC tonight. I had to laugh when I read how over a dozen Republican members of Congress are throwing fundraisers at the sold-out Verizon Center show. Lobbyists were buying scalped $100 tickets from the congressmembers for $2,000 a pop. I hope right-wing kooks like Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Dave Camp (R-MI), Baron Hill (Blue Dog-IN), Tom Petri (R-WI) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) aren't expecting any nostalgia for the good ole Bush days. Like most artists-- and most Americans-- Springsteen has come to detest all Bush stands for and was very outspoken about his feelings that Bush was unworthy of the presidency.

In preparation for hosting a Crooks and Liars live blog session Thursday afternoon with Nanci Griffith I spent some time with her on the phone talking about her soon-to-be-released new album, The Loving Kind. It didn't take long before Bush's name came up. Nanci was active in Nashville's Music Row Democratic Club and worked actively to defeat him in 2004. On the new album a song she wrote with Ricky Ross, "Still Life," sums up her feelings about the ex-president:

You need to change
You don't know how
Your life could use a reformation
If you could see you
As I see you now
I know you'd change the situation

The contretemps that was engineered by Bush allies to hurt the Dixie Chicks careers didn't even come close to shutting Nanci up. "I never stopped saying whatever I was saying against the Bush administration abroad. I don't care what those people who crucified the Dixie Chicks... they're not my fans anyway." Nanci's a Grammy Award winning artist and it wouldn't surprise me if some tone def Republicans are fans of hers. I hope they wind up coming by Crooks and Liars Thursday at 4pm (PT) to hear what she has to say about the issues that mean most to her.

Meanwhile, tonight's clip isn't music from Nanci or The Boss. It's just something I like to look at whenever I start thinking that Obama is screwing up badly and could do things so much better. It's by DJ RX:

Marriage Equality Passes BOTH Legislative Houses In Maine-- Immediately Signed By The Governor!

Utah obstructionist, Jason Chaffetz, to lead GOP's latest anti-gay crusade

Nice that the House has passed the Matthew Shepard Act, the latest hate crimes bill, despite the best efforts of every single Republican and 15 mangy, homophobic Blue Dogs. The Senate seems to be less polarized about this and it is expected that several Republicans will vote with virtually all the Democrats against hatred, once Reid schedules a vote. Obama has signaled that he's happy to sign it.

Meanwhile, the Maine House of Representatives voted 98-57 to decriminalize same-sex marriage this morning and the bill, already passed by the state Senate, was immediately signed by Governor John Baldacci (who had 10 days to sign it).

Supporters of same-sex marriage have won victory after victory this spring, with the legislatures of Vermont, New Hampshire and now Maine embracing it. The region is close to offering such marriages full support; Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to let gay couples marry in 2004, and Connecticut began allowing same-sex marriage last fall.

But in Maine and New Hampshire, the governors, both Democrats, will be pivotal in determining whether same-sex marriage proponents succeed in winning over an entire region of the country. Neither Gov. John Baldacci of Maine nor Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire has made his intentions public. Both men opposed same-sex marriage in the past but have indicated they might be reconsidering.

Governor Baldacci's signing statement:

I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully. I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.

I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue. This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.

In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.

Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’

This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State.

It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.

Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word. Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.

While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do.

Yesterday Washington DC's city council voted (12-1) to recognize the legality of same-sex marriages (opposed by the one council member who has been seen on video taking bribes and smoking crack) performed in other states and is sure to be signed by Mayor Adrian Fenty, a supporter. At that point the committees in each house of Congress that oversees DC have 30 days to veto it. This morning Speaker Pelosi said that Congress shouldn't interfere. Not all members of Congress feel the same way, of course. Many of the virulent bigots and homophobes who opposed the hate crimes bill are also hysterical about "gay marriage" and are vowing to kill it.

Even the Republican House closet queen caucus-- Patty McHenry (R-NC), Adrian Smith (R-NE), David Dreier (R-CA), Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)-- are all vehemently opposed. And most of the members of the secretive Mormon bloc in the House-- Robert Bishop (R-UT), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Buck McKeon (R-CA), Wally Herger (R-CA), Mike Simpson (R-ID)-- are working hard to undermine the bill. Jason Chaffetz, a huckster and sleazy political operative from Alpine, Utah, is leading the fight. Chaffetz and Flake (as well as far right closet case McHenry) are on the House Oversight Committee, which oversees DC. The ranking Republican is homophobic hate-monger Darrell Issa (R-CA). "Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them," said Jason Chaffetz, who is the ranking Repug on the subcommittee that deals with DC. "It's not something I can let go softly into the night... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue." I wonder when Chaffetz and his obstructionist buddies will declare their fealty to the dogma of John C. Calhoun and insist on the right of nullification.

South Dakota bigot John Thune has already demanded that Obama not consider any gay men or women for the Supreme Court nominee. It wasn't that long ago when right-wing hate mongers like Thune were outraged about African-Americans or women being considered!

"I know the administration is being pushed, but I think [a gay nominee] would be a bridge too far right now," said GOP Chief Deputy Whip John Thune. "It seems to me this first pick is going to be a kind of important one, and my hope is that he'll play it a little more down the middle. A lot of people would react very negatively."

There was once a time-- in the 1960s, so not that terribly long ago-- when interracial marriage was a crime. Mixed race couples were arrested and imprisoned because of small minded bigots like Jason Chaffetz. That ended in-- much to the anger of hate-mongers and racists in the very same states where same sex marriage is most adamantly opposed-- in 1964 when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Virginia in the case of Loving v Virginia. Nanci Griffith has a new album coming out next month, The Loving Kind where she draws the obvious parallels between laws against interracial marriage and laws against same-sex marriage. Watch the video:

Breaking News: Vermont Anti-Gay Veto Overridden In BOTH Houses!

If you missed Nanci Griffith's song about marriage equality yesterday, please be sure to watch it today as jaws drop all across the nation. Vermont's homophobic Republican Governor Jim Douglas vetoed the same sex marriage bill that passed in both houses of the state legislature. This morning both houses of the state legislature voted to override his veto! The Senate vote was 23-5, which was expected, but the House over-rode by one vote, 100-49! This is a truly historic moment. The key to the win was that 3 Democrats who voted against the bill voted for the override and that one who was on the fence as late as last night, didn't show up this morning.



Nanci Griffith: "I read Mildred Loving's obituary in the New York Times and it just floored me.  She never remarried after Richard died and in her last interview before she passed she expressed hope that their case, Loving v. Virginia would eventually be the open door to same sex marriage. In the New York Times Sunday Magazine (the last one of the year) Mildred was one of 08's year of brilliant folks we lost. It was such irony that their name was Loving. Also, when they were arrested, Richard was only held overnight while Mildred was held for five days and had to beg for food and was terribly mistreated."

Iowa won't be voting on overturning the Supreme Court ruling that favors same sex marriage. Listen to Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal take the principled stand that we should expect from all Democrats. Next up: New Hampshire.

Nanci Griffith Has A New Song You Should Hear-- Even If You're Not A Music Fan

Nanci Griffith has a new album coming out in early June, The Loving Kind. I'll try to remind you about it when Rounder releases it. The record is spectacular but today I just want to say a few words about the title track. It's a really powerful song about a couple in Virginia, Richard and Mildred Loving. Despite Virginia's anti-miscengenation law which prevented mixed-race marriages-- something that more the half the states in the country had when I was growing up-- the young couple got married in June, 1958 in Washington, DC. She was 19 and he was 25. The police broke into their home and arrested them in bed. They were found guilty and sentenced to prison sentences which were suspended on condition of them leaving Virginia. At the time of the sentencing (in 1959), Judge Leon Bazile read this excuse for bigotry from the 1700s:

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.

Judge Bazile, or any like-minded Republican today would have to find a different excuse for denying gay people the right to marry. Last week we saw the Iowa Supreme Court strike down that state's anti-gay marriage law. Obsessed and hysterical, the far right will fight it-- just the way they fought against interracial marriages.

In 1964 the Supreme Court of the United States didn't have any hack rightist judges like Scalia or Thomas or Alito or Roberts. The court unanimously overturned the convictions and declared that Virginia's and other states' laws denying equality for people to marry regardless of race were unconstitutional. It changed the law for every single state in the South (although Alabama kept their own anti-miscegenation laws on the books until... 2000!) From the decision:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

Mildred Loving died on May 2, 2008. A year before she died, on the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made her marriage legal, she issued a public statement that has inspired many gay people fighting for their rights to marry:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

UPDATE Here's Nanci performing an acoustic version of "The Loving Kind" for the BBC:



Electing people like Dan Gelber in Florida-- he's running for the U.S. Senate seat being abandoned by homophobic Republican Mel Martinez-- will help make marriage equality a reality. Watch this short clip of him explaining where he stands on the issue-- from a very personal perspective.


UPDATE: What Is It With States Starting With V?

If anyone in Vermont knows Republican Governor Jim Douglas, could they forward him a copy of Nanci's song? Douglas just vetoed a marriage equality bill that passed in both houses of the Vermont legislature. Tomorrow the Senate, which passed the bill 26-4 will override and then the House will try to get to the 2/3 majority needed. Conservatives are too busy preventing loving couples from getting married to take care of "religious" predators raping their own children.