Columnist Bob Roehr hits the nail on the head in his analysis of the Senate's marriage vote. He writes:
Most Democrats harped on the fact that, gasp, the Republicans were playing politics with the issue; all the while promoting their own set of political priorities. There was not a lot of defense of the gay community -- one of its most loyal constituencies in terms of votes, workers, and dollars -- which may signal a rocky future for that relationship.
Indeed, I'd be hard pressed to recall a single defense of gay marriage as a social good from the party that takes our money (yes, yes, the Republicans are worse; but we don't fund them).
Roehr goes on to note:
The Kerry/Edwards Democratic presidential team skipped the FMA vote, the only Senators to do so. The campaign staff said that Kerry was in Boston "preparing" for the Democratic National Convention.... During the preceding month the Kerry/Edwards campaign raked in over $600,000 at gay fundraisers in Boston and New York.
The day after the FMA vote Kerry was in Philadelphia at the NAACP convention. He criticized George W. Bush for claiming that a scheduling conflict kept him from addressing that group.
Can Sen. Kerry spell HYPOCRISY? As Roehr comments, perhaps we're just supposed to be grateful they're taking our dollars.
Dale Carpenter has more to say about this in "No
Excuse for Kerry"