In the News: Pelosi wants same-sex marriage plank in 2012 Dem platform
from Politico.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi supports a pro-gay marriage plank in the 2012 Democratic platform, her spokesman Drew Hammill confirms to POLITICO.
Pelosi's office endorsed a push the Freedom to Marry campaign's platform push to the publication MetroWeekly:
The proposed plank states: "We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry. Government has no business putting barriers in the path of people seeking to care for their family members, particularly in challenging economic times. We support the Respect for Marriage Act and the overturning of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose discriminatory constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny the freedom to marry to loving and committed same-sex couples."
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tells Metro Weekly, "Leader Pelosi supports this language."
Obama currently supports much of the Freedom to Marry plank language -- outside of the marriage equality language itself. He has endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA, and opposes "divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples." After several requests by Metro Weekly, however, the Obama campaign is yet to provide specific comment on the proposed platform language.
Platform fights often fall into the sideshow category, but this one has the potential to be different; same-sex marriage is perhaps the most prominent issue on which the president's stated views and the official views of the Democratic Party are out of alignment with the party base and many of its prominent liberal officeholders.
One of those officeholders, significantly, is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a supporter of gay unions who was just named chairman of the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
