Why do Democrats get a free pass

[Max]

On this website--and on other liberal-dominated websites--Republicans are constantly bashed for their stances on gay marriage and the Iraq War. Yet, when it comes to holding the Democrats accountable, you folks seem to be completely silent.

When it comes to the issue of gay marriage, almost all Republicans oppose it. However, many in the party--including Giuliani, McCain, & Romney--support civil unions. Coincidentally, this is the exact same position held by most of the Democrats (excluding the ones who represent the most liberal wing of their party): they too oppose gay marriage but support civil unions. Now, Republicans (who happen to actually support civil unions) are bashed for their position and are blamed for shamelessly catering to their religious base. On the other hand, Democrats are not criticized at all for failing to embrace gay marriage; indeed I have read posters (not on this board, but on other ones) give the Democrats a free pass on this issue because it is something they need to do in order to win elections. (In other words, many Democrats say that it is alright for members of their own party to refuse to support gay marriage because--if they actually did support it--Democrats would be unable to win general elections.)

Now, as opposed to (the support of) gay marriage, many more Democrats have been opposed to the Iraq War from the beginning. However, half of the Democrats in Congress (back in 2002) voted in support of the war, mostly because it was the popular thing to do at the time. In fact, it turns out that only seven U.S. Senators even bothered to read a 2002 intelligence report that casted doubt as to whether Iraq even had WMDs. In regards to all of the Democratic members of Congress who chose to vote for the war, what makes them any less culpable than the Republican members of Congress who did the exact same thing?

To be fair many prominent Democrats who actually did vote for the war--including John Kerry and John Edwards--have recently stated that their votes were wrong. Yet there is one Democrat--Hillary Rotten Clinton--who refuses to admit to any mistakes. Of course, as you all know, she is in the process of cruising to the Democratic presidential nomination. Amazingly, however, very few Democrats are holding her accountable for her 2002 vote and for the fact that she strongly denies any wrongdoing on her part. (Because, obviously if she was being held accountable, she would not be so far ahead in the polls.) Please, will somebody explain to me why liberals are being such hypocrites by giving Clinton a free pass on the Iraq War?

[NYC123]

I agree. People are too harsh on the Replican!

[Roman]

So, instead of this being a question of what for and why not, it's a question of why Liberals basically have looked the other way at HRC and let her off the hook.

One. I, personally, have not let her off the hook. I have also heard her say that her vote was wrong, and I put that vote from Dems in the very same category - they were scared that the party would be perceived as week if they would have voted against the war. No one could look into a cyrstal ball and see the outcome, but people knew that the run-up to the war (Led by a Republican President and his Admin.) was going to lead us to where we are now.

And, even though it did take her and other Dems WAY too long to say the fact, at least she and other Dems have done something that the current sitting president has NOT done - admitted that this was a HUGE mistake. Oh, I know we will hear that he now says that he agrees with the stance of his general now, but that's like being a kid who kept getting in trouble for breaking things in the hosue. How long will it take the kid to get the damn hint that maybe he/she needs to stop being so damn hard headed and listen to other people?

As far as gay marriage, I just have one answer.......

How many Dems and liberals, who have opposed gay marriage, have either had affairs with gay men BTS or got caught tapping the feet of an undercover cop in a bathroom stall for solicitation of gay sex?

When that number is the same as the current hypocritical Repulicans who cry "Moral values" and do stuff that would make a porn star blush, then we can continue that part of this debate.

Until then, why don't the Republicans do what most Dems and Liberals do - live and let live.

[Max]

Actually, the number of Republicans who have opposed gay marriage while secretly having affairs with gay men--one--is exactly equal to the number of Democrats who meet this criteria. Roman, do you happen to remember former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey? McGreevey, a Democrat, had opposed gay marriage (while he held public office) even though he himself was a closeted gay man.

Note that while Senator Larry Craig was merely guilty of soliciting sex from other gay men, McGreevey's offense was much worse: Prior to becoming governor, he had an affair with another man. Fearing that the information would destroy his career if it became public, McGreevey convinced his former lover to keep quiet. However, upon taking the governor's office, the former lover demanded that McGreevey give him an important government position (in exchange for keeping quiet). McGreevey obliged, and decided to make his former lover the head of New Jersey's Homeland Security department (despite the fact that the lover had no qualifications for such a job and the fact that 9/11 had occurred only four months earlier).

It's certainly interesting how the liberal media spent so much less time covering the McGreevey story than it has spent talking about Craig.

Also, getting back to the Iraq War issue, although Clinton may have stated that the war was wrong, she herself has never admitted any wrongdoing on her part.

[Roman]

So, we are breaking this down to "The Liberal Media" once again.

And yes, I heard of that govenor, as I also remember getting sick of hearing about it on the news. He got exactly what he deserved: kicked out of public office. He did NOT get arrested, plead guilty, said he would step down, then chnage his mind, saying that he was going to get the charges reversed. Who did that? Larry Craig.

And, is McGreevey still hodling public office? How about Craig?

You know, if all you can do is spout "The Liberal Media" at every single turn, why don't you condemn people like Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage, and the like? What about the hate filled "Conservative Media"? But, I guess they get a fee pass from you, becasue they are telling it like it is, right?

Here we go again. Nobody wated to admit that the people they follow can do wrong. And, didn't I admit that Dems did some wrong here, or are you just hearing what you want to?

Must be election season again.

[David_Vickers]

I am so sick of Republicans calling all of the media the "Liberal Media". Sorry but if it's NOT FOX News (or Faux News as I like to call it), or spoken by Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, Ann Coulter, et. al., it's not really news to them.

[DevotedToAMC]

I actually disagree with Hillary's vote for Iraq and do hold her accountable for not voting the right way but I also see the reasons behind the vote...she was persuaded by the intelligence and briefed on the NIE and thought it would be justifiable to disarm Saddam Hussein. But the fact of the matter is she was misled and lied to by this administration over the intelligence that either they doctored or someone close to them did (the Downing Street Memo shows that Bush knew all along there were no WMDs in Iraq but he invaded anyways for a personal vendetta). I see the bigger picture in HRC's vote and how I am upset with her vote but see why she did it....but overall the real crooks are Bush and his administration for lying about the intelligence and misleading Congress on the entire concept of the Iraq War. Hillary has more than made up for her mistake in that vote by calling for a withdrawal of troops, an end to the war, and is cutting off funding for it.

As for gay marriage, most Democrats tend to opposite it for some reason with very few supporting it (Russ Feingold and Ted Kennedy are the only two I can think of off the top of my head who support it)....I, on the other hand, support gay marriage and would like to see more Democrats take a proactive role in pushing for its legalization and go for that option that best benefits the gay community. If it is not about gay marriage, they will go for civil unions and at least are not about to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Now civil unions may not be the same as the marriage but it is a step forward and guarantees some commitment by the government to pushing for equality....plus civil unions might be easier to fight for since most Americans are logical and support its idea if they are not for same sex marriage. But again I hope in the near future we see more Democrats come out in favor of same sex marriage but if not then let's hope they still go for civil unions.

[DevotedToAMC]

Amen. In fact, I do not even worship any liberal media although I have been accused of doing it. I find today's media has no spine and backbone to really go after the crooks in The White House and are just pandering to them while not giving us the overall news. Now if this were the days of McCarthyism and Watergate, then you would see journalists risking a lot to give us the entire scoop and informing us of what is really going down in D.C. But that media is gone and has been replaced by a bunch of weenies. So no I do not support the "liberal media." The only one who seems to have a spine these days is Keith Olbermann but just him. Lou Dobbs, as much as I respect him, is still just another weenie in the grand scheme of things.

[Kylie]

We spend so much time trying to blame one side or the other, but both sides have done an equal share over time to [!@#$%^&*] up this country. Until we stop blaming one side or the other, and make both sides live up to the [!@#$%^&*] they've caused, we're going to go nowhere.

I don't feel for the Democrats, and I don't feel for the Republicans. Both sides have fucked up, both sides have made the bed this country lies in, and both sides need to clean up their [!@#$%^&*].

[Tishy]

Thank you so much for articulating what I just spent twenty minutes trying to write. I'm tired of people blaming each other. Our whole country has to accept responsibility for it's actions and fix the messes we have made.

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

If the opposite of a pro is a con, what is the opposite of PROgress?

[Scotty]

Actually it's REgress.

But I see what you mean.

[DevotedToAMC]

While I agree both parties are responsible for messing up, the majority of the blame needs to go to the Republicans who had been in power for Bush's first six years and limited debate and dissent amongst the people and in Congress

[RuAsRuAnAu]

This part of the hegelian dialectic.

[Keith]

Amen Kylie, Tishy, and Jay.

Until I see a Democratic politician who recognizes what the word democracy is supposed to mean, and behaves accordingly, I have zero faith in just about anyone I vote for.

Until I see a Republican politician who recognizes what the word republic is supposed to mean, I will never give them anymore leeway.