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Georgia U.S. Senate Candidates Tell Positions on Gays in the Military

There are five Democratic candidates vying to challenge Sen. Saxby Chambliss in the general election this fall. In a debate aired earlier today on WSB-TV, LGBT issues came up only in a reference to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In a year that saw Senate debate on Hate Crimes legislation and the Employment Nondescrimination Act (ENDA), not to mention gay marriage in California, I would have expected gay and lesbian issues to be a more prominent topic for debate. But what with two wars, a tanking economy, the mortgage mess, and the expense of tanking up with $4.00-plus gasoline, there was plenty else to discuss.

In the debate, three of the five candidates took a strong stand against the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Former State Rep. Jim Martin, a Vietnam veteran, made one of the most direct statements on the ban, saying that the policy was misguided to begin with. Candidate Rand Knight Ph.D., an Atlanta businessman, also said the ban should be lifted. Also in agreement: Josh Lanier, who pointed out that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has hurt our national security. He used the discharge of several gay Arabic linguists during wars in Arabic nations as a prime example. Mr. Lanier, a retired businessman from Statesboro, is a Vietnam veteran.

Less supportive were former investigative TV reporter Dale Cardwell, who gave a confusing answer that being gay in the military was not the issue, but rather sexual impropriety. He could be given the benefit of the doubt that he meant sexual impropriety by soldiers whether gay or straight. Or he could have been implying that gays are sexually promiscuous. Either way, his answer made me a little uncomfortable, especially when he added that the impact of GLBT servicemen and women on the other soldiers in the field needed to be studied. Mr. Cardwell, it already has.

Least supportive of all was controversial DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones. After a generic statement on non-descrimination, he ended his answer by saying he supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Mr. Jones also indicated that he voted for George W. Bush twice, which for me calls into question his candidacy as a Democrat as well as his overall judgement.

Feeling less than informed about the candidates’ positions on GLBT issues, I researched for any endorsements by GLBT political groups and coverage of the campaigns by the media. There has been virtual radio silence on this Democratic primary, leaving me feeling frustrated and uninformed. I then took a look at each candidate’s Website and contacted each campaign to get more clarification on their stands. More on what I learned will be blogged in my next post.

Republicans Replace Real Debate with Hillary Diversion

You have to hand it to the Republican spin machine. It is well-oiled and switches gears without so much as a sputter. Republican voters and the media gladly get on board. They don’t seem to realize they’re being taken for a ride. In a CNN/YouTube Republican debate Wednesday, retired Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, a gay man, asked the presidential candidates why they thought American soldiers were not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. It turns out that Brig. Gen. Kerr is associated with Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign, serving on the candidate’s steering committee on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and is one of 48 national co-chairmen of Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary.

So what? Brig. Gen. Kerr told CNN’s American Morning yesterday that he had decided to ask the question on his own, without prompting from the campaign. He is a registered independent voter in California, and he told American Morning that he has not actively participated in Hillary’s campaign and that he has in fact contributed to Republican campaigns this year. It’s clear to any rational observer with a passing knowledge of politics that names appearing on political lists of prominent LGBT leaders are most often merely a symbolic gesture. But even if the general had been put up to it, is the question any less relevant? With our military stretched across two wars and showing the strain, it’s important to ask the “pro-military” party why they continue to force dedicated, highly trained soldiers out of service because they were asked, they told or they were pursued. Watch Brig. Gen. Kerr’s response on CNN yesterday:

Is there anything wrong with opposing parties asserting a change of subject in another party’s debate? First of all, it is refreshing to see Republicans pushed off their “guns, God and (anti)gays” talking points. What our political process needs is a little less polish, a few fewer focus groups and a lot less spin.Yet, when Republicans ring the Hillary bell, the national pundits become nothing more than salivating Pavlovian dogs ready to attack. The pundits and the media who pay them talk about Hillary, not about our irrational, discriminatory policy on gays in the military. Don’t think about the hate and homophobia mixed in our conservative cake. Taste the delicious icing. And Republicans, the media and the right-wing blogosphere take a big bite.

In response, Democrats get defensive. They fall for it every time. Rather than redirect the debate back to the point, they legitimize the spin by responding to it. Democrats, wake up and grow a spine. Don’t dignify Republican diversion by getting distracted with it yourselves. If you don’t, it’s going to be a long, painful election year.