John Kerry, failed Democratic presidential nominee who still harbors White House aspirations, has declared it would be a mistake to include a statement of support for gay marriage in the platform of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Now, I'm on record advocating civil unions as a progressive step toward spousal equality that's less likely to be overturned near-term by a voter backlash, but unlike Kerry I don't encourage Democrats to vote in favor of state constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. And, unlike Kerry, I didn't take millions of dollars from gay and lesbian Democrats in return for an implicit pledge to represent their interests.
Many of those millions were produced through the efforts of the
Human Rights Campaign, which the
Washington Blade now reports has been wildly inflating its
membership numbers:
Today, under new director Joe Solmonese, HRC claims 650,000 members. In fact, those totals were guaranteed always to escalate impressively, and never to decline. That's because HRC counts "members" in a way that will strike many as curious. HRC membership numbers include the name of every person who has ever once given at least the minimum amount - currently $1 - and provided an address.
I think HRC is foolish to go to so much effort to create a big, bogus figure. What matters is how much cash you can convince your donor base to part with, and HRC can justly claim credit for raising several millions - for Democratic politicians who urge voters to pass gay marriage amendments.
I'm
not the first to note it would have been of far more value to
the cause of gay equality if those funds had been spent, with far
less partisanship, working to defeat the state amendments instead
of on behalf of politicians who supported (and continue to support)
them.
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