The most that can be said about Bill Clinton's newfound (and
feeble) belief in marriage equality is "Better late than
never."
One would have expected the former president's change of heart
to garner more media coverage than it has. Clinton is, after all,
the only living ex-president to support same-sex marriage. Perhaps
the lack of attention was attributable to a belated realization on
the part of the media that political endorsements are overrated. Or
maybe it's because the public is tired of hearing about gay
marriage. Whatever the reason, I suspect that the press's
woolgathering had something to do with the fact that a sizable
portion of the population has finally come to the realization that
most of the things that emerge from Bill Clinton's mouth are
prevarications, hot air, outright lies, or some combination of the
three. One can hope.
At an annual convention of liberal college activists held in
Washington last week, Clinton was asked if he would publicly
support efforts to enact same-sex marriage. "I'm basically in
support," he answered. Asked if he personally believed in the
cause, he replied "Yeah. I personally support people doing what
they want to do. I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone
else from doing that."
What eloquence! What moral conviction! Remember that these
stirring words come from a man who, prior to the emergence of
Barack Obama, was widely considered to be the greatest political
communicator alive.
While few in the mainstream media seemed to care about Clinton's
inarticulate and hedging announcement, it did come as news to gay
activists. That's because when Clinton was last heard from on the
issue in May, he said that his stance was "evolving." At least
Clinton's "evolution" was faster than that of prehistoric man.
It bears repeating that the most pressing causes of the gay
rights movement today - repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and
"don't ask, don't tell" - are the result of problems he created as
the 42nd president of the United States. And despite the manifold
indignities that he inflicted upon countless gay Americans with his
role in implementing these two laws, Clinton still refuses to
acknowledge any wrongdoing on his part, never mind apologize.
Witness his angry and patronizing interview, so typical of his
undignified behavior during the last Democratic presidential
primary, with a group of college students assembled by MTV last
year. Asked about his 1996 signing of DOMA, Clinton portrayed
himself as some sort of hero who was actually doing gay people a
favor by preventing the worse option of a constitutional amendment.
But there was no talk of such an amendment in 1996, and plenty of
Democrats voted against the law. If the decision that Clinton made
in 1996 was so painstaking, why did he brag about it on Christian
radio stations during the presidential campaign?
And Clinton has the gall to accuse Republicans of using gay
issues for electoral gain!
To make his point, Clinton only mentioned the part of DOMA that
allows states not to recognize marriages or civil unions performed
in other states, giving credence to the specter of gays descending
upon red America in search of marriage licenses. In so doing
Clinton neglected to contend with the other and far more damaging
aspect of DOMA, which forbids the federal government from bestowing
the myriad rights and obligations (which the Government Accounting
Office has estimated to number 1,138) that straight couples receive
to same-sex couples.
Similarly, last January, Clinton ridiculed the notion that he
shared any blame for the passage of "don't ask, don't tell" or that
the statute is all that invidious.
" 'Don't ask, don't tell,' as articulated as I worked it out
with Colin Powell, who was then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, meant literally that ... that people would be free to live
their lives as long as they didn't go march in gay rights parades
or go to gay bars in uniform ... in uniform ... and talk about it
on duty, they would be all right. Now, as soon as he [Colin Powell]
left, the antigay forces in the military started using it as an
excuse to kick people out.'"
Discharges of gay soldiers rose under Clinton. If he was so
concerned about the way the law was being implemented, he could
have done something about it.
After leaving office Clinton added insult to injury. We also
know that in 2004 he advised John Kerry to support not only the
many state-level constitutional amendments banning gay marriage,
but also the Federal Marriage Amendment championed by President
George W. Bush. Five years later, with a series of states having
legalized same-sex marriage, the polls decisively showing a
generational surge in support for the cause, and - most important
in terms of this discussion - the definitive end of the Clinton
dynasty upon us, Bill Clinton wants us to know that he "basically"
supports gay marriage.
Pardon me for being cool toward the latest tergiversations of
this congenital liar and shameless opportunist.
The gay community has never come to terms with the true record
of the Clinton White House, as was evident by the overwhelming
support Hillary's primary bid received from gay men ... support so
slavish and irrational that it pains me to conclude it was
predicated on little else besides the woman's diva-like
qualities.
Earlier this week the Freedom to Marry coalition issued a press
release praising the former president. In their rush to extol him,
however, gay activists should be wary. For the most important thing
to know about Bill Clinton is that the man never takes a position
based upon considerations of things like morality or justice. He
takes positions based entirely upon a cold calculation of what will
advance his political (and, of late, business) interests. If, for
whatever reason, his cynical support for marriage equality gets in
the way of his wife's political career or a shady business deal
with an Arab oil sheik, Clinton will abandon the cause faster than
he fled the 1992 campaign trail to carry out the execution of Ricky
Ray Rector, a mentally retarded black prisoner who had shot himself
in the head after committing a double homicide.
To provide the most succinct and accurate description of the
Clintons, I defer to someone who knows them all too well and who
also happens to be the richest and most powerful gay man in
America: David Geffen.
Explaining his surprise support for Barack Obama in the
Democratic presidential primary, the record producer told Maureen
Dowd of The New York Times, "Everybody in politics lies, but [the
Clintons] do it with such ease, it's troubling."
Geffen, who raised millions of dollars for the Clintons and
twice slept in the Lincoln bedroom, came late to recognizing the
mendaciousness of this couple.
Hopefully other gays will follow his lead. Better late than
never.