The latest season has been a test of the States' electoral acceptance.

Never before have we seen a black man come so far along the Presidential path. It's apparent the United States is facing a social puberty of sorts, shedding its "traditional" views and expanding the national horizons.

And race isn't the only thing that's changing.

According to a Zogby International poll, a majority of Americans would vote for an openly gay president:

More than six in ten U.S. voters say they could support an openly gay candidate for president of the United States, and 70% say they’d support the appointment of an openly gay cabinet secretary, according to a new nationwide poll from Zogby International.

Sixty-six percent of poll respondents said they could support an openly gay vice-presidential candidate, while 69% said a gay candidate for U.S. Senate could get their vote. The poll of 1,089 adults was conducted August 13 to 15 for the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute (GLLI), a non-partisan leadership development organization.

Of course, these results could be a bit skewed. No one wants to come out and say, "No, I wouldn't vote for no homo." It's just tacky…

Will Charlie Crist be John McCain's running mate this November? That's what some people are saying. And the Floridian governor recently came out for the Republican candidate. Too bad he's also got loads of baggage - years of queer rumor. Those rumors will definitely grow come a nomination. Bob Norman writes:

If McCain chooses Crist, it would be interesting to see how the voracious national press (as opposed to cautious Florida newspapers) would handle the issue. Would the New York Times put a small team of reporters on the story in an effort to dig up the truth?

I think so. Just last week, a writer with a major national magazine called me on the topic. He said he was doing a general piece about the recent spate of Republican outings and scandals, but the V.P. talk surely has given a bit of urgency to the project.

Well, at least the McCain camp's getting a heads up, so to speak…

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had what may be their final debate last night…

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Left-leaning non-profit Code Pink protested at a Mike Huckabee rally this morning in San Francisco. Obviously perturbed by their presence, the Republican presidential candidate kept his cool as he exploited their activism for political gain:

"Thank you very much. You know what? The beauty of America is that a person can come and even make a disruption, and you know what, that person is not going to be taken out and shot… We live in a great country, folks, that a person can make her statement - and she's gonna get to be heard. She's probably get a nice little story on the news tonight for having disrupted this… Try that in Cuba. Try that in Iran."

Cue lap dog applause.

Some gay folk have very short political memories - or lack common sense!

Three days after John McCain used dirty tricks to scare up some homophobic votes, The New York Sun reports that a number of Giuliani's former gays are turning to John McCain. Said New York's former Log Cabin leader Scott Musch, "A lot of people are getting behind McCain, especially with the endorsement and Giuliani going behind McCain as well." We suppose the news shouldn't surprise us. The Log Cabin Republicans did recently defend McCain's gay-baiting, writing: "The attacks on Sen. John McCain by the gay Left are completely out-of-bounds and don’t reflect the facts." The facts? You want to talk about facts? Here's a fact: McCain's just as much of an opportunist as Mitt Romney. Or just as malleable, at least.

McCain once spoke out against a federal ban on gay marriage, but later aired ads advocating a discriminatory measure in Arizona, his home state. A ban may not be good for the nation, but it's good for his home state. If McCain thinks that, then what must he think for the rest of the country? Nothing good, we're sure. That said, we can't help but chuckle at another Musch comment: "Romney isn't going to get Log Cabin support at all, considering his about-face on most of the things he stood for in the Massachusetts government… He's turned 180 degrees around."

The "diverse" Democratic candidates are forcing identity politics down America's throat. So says Jeffrey Feldman, at least.

The gay vote matters, to be sure, but only minimally. That's why gay groups and individual activists are hoping to broaden the pink electoral power.

Via 365 Gay:

The LGBT vote is considered a decisive electoral force and according to exit poll data make up approximately 4 percent of the voting population. This year LGBT civil rights activists hope to increase that percentage and the Human Rights Campaign and National Stonewall Democrats have specifically targeted four states - Florida, Minnesota, Nevada and South Carolina.
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The workshops will consist of mock caucuses during which participants will learn tips on how best to discuss federal issues like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Matthew Shepard Act and marriage equality…

Will their efforts be in vain? Not if you get off your ass and vote!

Roseanne Barr's never been a shrinking violet, but her latest rant is beyond heavy-handed. The comedienne took to her blog to take on presidential candidate Barack Obama and his medial mogul booster Oprah. Preemptive sic:

barak obama is an empty suit selling "hope" in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their "fair share" of Cali tax.
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Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.

You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting!

Roseanne's blog has since been suspended. Don't fuck with Oprah.

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Another one bites the dust! Though he hasn't yet made it official, Democrat Bill Richardson dropped his presidential bid.

Richardson is shelving his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination after back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Richardson, 60, planned to announce his plans Thursday, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke late Wednesday on condition of anonymity in advance of the governor's remarks.

Richardson has not given an other candidate his support. He did, however, tacitly endorsed Obama during the Iowa caucuses, which no doubt pissed off the Clintons.

Bill, of course, gave Richardson a seat in his cabinet. We doubt Hillary will do the same…

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared at the George Bush Presidential Library this morning to deliver his "defining" speech on religion. The Mormon explained that his particular beliefs will not influence his decision making, just as John F. Kennedy kept his Catholicism private. Here are some of the more disingenuous excerpts:

Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
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As Governor, I tried to do the right as best I knew it, serving the law and answering to the Constitution. I did not confuse the particular teachings of my church with the obligations of the office and of the Constitution – and of course, I would not do so as President. I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law.
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Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty?

"They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united.

Read the entire text after the jump….

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The Log Cabin Republicans took another swipe at Mitt Romney.

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The queers keep flocking to Hillary Clinton's camp. The Democrat's campaign released yet another list of pro-Hill homos. The Washington Blade reports that 21 gay "professionals and activists" are throwing their weight behind the Senator from New York.

Names on the list include H. Alexander Robinson, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition; Dana Beyer, who is transgender and a member of the Human Rights Campaign board of governors; and Rep. Patricia Todd, the first openly gay member of the Alabama House of Representatives.

“I am honored to have the support of these leaders in the LGBT community,” Clinton said. “Together, we can end the divisive politics of the current administration and renew the promise of fairness and equality for all Americans.”

No doubt the campaign's tickled pink over the recent show of support, particularly Barney Frank's rip-roaring endorsement.

John McCain and his Republican pals had quite a laugh when one of McCain's lady friends referred to political opponent Hillary Clinton a "bitch". Here's Talking Point Memo's take:

"How do we beat the bitch?" McCain's supporter asked him. And as you can see, it appears that after McCain joked about offering a "translation" of his supporter's query, he said: "That's an excellent question."

A McCain spokesperson has since released a statement ensuring the public that the Arizona Senator "respects" Clinton, much like he respects the Vietnamese.

Australian politician Kevin Rudd's got a cold, cold heart. The Labour leader, who's hoping to oust Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal Party, says that though he'd accept a rhetorical gay child, he'd still keep gays from marrying.

When asked how he would feel if someone equated his views with racism, Rudd seemed unperturbed:

I accept that. You asked me a direct question, what do I believe in, what do I stand for, what's my party's policy, and I have to be up front with you and say that's it, and there is a reason for it.

Rudd believes in, of course, the heteromonogamous marriage. Reason? Because that's how it has been and that's how it should be. "[My party's view is between a man and woman and it's just been our traditional, continuing view."

Because change can only bring bad things, right?

Lance Bass may not be the first person when you think "politics," but the former boy bander definitely gets political in this post over at Logo's Visible '08 blog.

Bass says it's time for Democrats to take a stand for the last gay right frontier: marriage. Not only will it bring gays in line with their straight counterparts, but it may just save a life. Bass writes:

I often wonder how many teens have committed suicide because they’re struggling with their sexuality and feel the incredible weight of the shame their community puts on homosexuality? I am hoping in this election we have Democratic candidates who feel as passionately about this issue as I do.
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I understand this issue isn’t going to win an election for the Democrats and may even cost votes, but supporting gay marriage is the right thing to do. I think that the Democratic Party needs to rise above the past and help all people have the right to marry whomever they choose. I want to live in a place where no one has to feel ashamed of who they are, who they choose to spend their life with and a place where everyone can make the choice if they would like to get married. Now is the time for our Democratic candidates to stand strong and fight for what’s right

Sing it loud and sing it proud, Bass!