Hillary Clinton made her well-publicized appearance on Ellen Degeneres‘ show this morning. Ever the gracious guest, Clinton brought Ms. D a campaign survival kit. Ain’t that sweet?
Speaking of sweet: watch Degeneres dig into Clinton for her gay marriage stance – or lack thereof. Clinton stands by her civil union platform. The Senator from New York also reiterates her distaste for her hubby’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. After the jump: Degeneres getting to the bottom Clinton’s professional relationship with Barack Obama.
It’s nice to see Ellen – whose coming out paved the way for countless queers – using her powerful, mainstream platform to explore gay issues. Girl’s about to turn fifty and she’s still pushing the envelope – and, hopefully, pushing America in the right direction.
PS: Is the homo in this clip serious? Everybody wants to know what Bill does while Hillary’s out campaigning? Seriously? You have time to ask one of the most powerful people in the world a question and that was it. Shoot.
ProfessorVP
Here’s something that happened here, and happens everywhere when Hillary is cornered about same-sex marriage.
Ellen: You’re against same-sex marriage
Hillary: Yes.
Ellen didn’t say: “Why?”
Thus, Marriage Expert Hillary dodges the bullet again. How does this foul-mouthed, lamp-throwing, philanderer-enabling harridan even utter the word “marriage” without cringing, then melting into an invisible puddle like Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz? And Hillary’s against Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell. Gosh, where did that awful policy come from? Uh… Bill and Hillary, y’know, “two presidents for the price of one.”
Stenar
ProfessorVP, apparently you didn’t watch the clip closely. Ellen did ask “Why?”
Mikester
Ellen seemed nervous around Hill, but I’m really impressed she talked personally about gay issues; I often feel like Ellen hides that part of her to appeal to a more conservative audience.
Hillary did good, but it was nowhere near as good as her appearance on Letterman last week, she kicked ass there. They edited a lot out of this show.
ProfessorVP
Okay, Stenar, here’s what they said.
Ellen: You support civil unions but not gay marriage. (I assume Ellen meant same-sex marriage, but children are watching!)
Hillary: Uh-huh.
Ellen: Why?
Then Hillary went into her standard paragraph about why she is for civil unions provided they are identical to marriage, which we all know is bullshit, a civil union can mean 50 different things in 50 states, plus you can’t make a private employer recognize a civil union if it doesn’t want to. Unless you change the laws of that state, and the employer can move. Hillary then goes into a spiel about how it is a states’ rights issues, so let the states decide. Many states have decided. Every time an anti-same-sex marriage law is proposed, it passes. It passed in my home state of California a few years back by 60%, and it would pass today easily. So thanks, Hillary, for letting the states decide.
Okay… Ellen did ask “Why?” but Hillary only answered the part about why she is for civil unions. Ellen did not then ask “Why” Hillary is against gay (sic) marriage. The subject was then dropped. I have seen this over and over. The questioner asks Hillary “Why are you opposed to same-sex marriage?” and Hillary gives this smarmy smile and says, “Let me tell you why I am for civil unions.” And everybody just drops it. Hillary dodges the bullet again. Nobody ever insists upon an answer from her, knowing it would be like getting nectar from a block of granite.
hisurfer
Fela Kuti on marriage:
“I do not believe any more in the marriage institution. The marriage institution
for the progress of the mind is evil. I learned that from prison. Why do people
marry? Is it to be together? Is it to have children? People marry because they are
jealous. People marry because they are possessive. People marry because they are
selfish. All this comes to the very ugly fact that people want to own and control
other people’s bodies. I think the mind of human beings should develop to the
point where that jealous feelings should be completely eradicated.”
As for me? I’m ok with civil unions. I say let the religious-based institution of marriage wither and fade away.
Now I realize that’s a minority opinion. I do support people who are fighting for gay marriage, even if it’s not for me. I’m disgusted by the religious oppostion to gay marriage. But I’m tired of gay-marriage being the barometer by which we measure how gay-friendly a politico is.
matt.harding
Professor VP, regarding:
“Every time an anti-same-sex marriage law is proposed, it passes.”
Arizona became the first and only state to defeat a same-sex marriage ban in 2006. Why this seems to have passed under everyone’s radar I don’t know. We were very proud of the victory here.
ProfessorVP
Matt, I stand corrected, it did get under the radar. I looked it up. But there are 2 things I don’t like: 1) Of 28 states that took on the issue, 27 states voted yes on the ban. 2) Arizona had the decency to reject the ban, but the vote was 51 to 49. This was in 2006, the year of the big Democratic sweep.
So, when Hillary deflects the question from herself and breezily says let the states decide, no, that doesn’t reassure me.
Mr. B
Hisurfer, I’m with you. On all counts. I understand why some people want same-sex marriage and I am supportive of that for them, but I am also tired of the issue being treated as if it is something we had that has been taken away. “Civil unions aren’t good enough” is, I think, an overly ambitious stance at this point and keeps people from seeing the forest for the trees.
Also, people, Hillary Clinton is a politician. This is what EVERY presidential candidate (with a serious shot at winning) does–they’re not going to tell the voting public anything except why we should vote for them. Yes, it’s frustrating and I’m not implying that Clinton is some sort of blameless pillar of good (although I do like her for a lot of reasons), but this isn’t anything new. Your golden boy Barack does the same thing, only most of his pandering involves calling on God.
Paul Raposo
At this point, the only thing I like about Hillary is that she’s making the right wing shit their pants with loathing and fear. If the right is so terrified of her, perhaps she should be the great female hope, so to speak.
Also, check out some rightwing websites ridiculing Hil and Ellen for daring to walk and talk together; especially the homocon sites. Compassionate conservatives indeed.
borgrav
Good for you nymikeg. I sure wish I could have met Mrs. C and appeared on national TV with E. It’s a comedy show. Loosen up people.
Another “homo”
italio10003
Hey nymikeg, you’re cute…if that’s really you…..you can ask me stupid questions any time
ProfessorVP
The idea of Bill “helping out around the house” is an example of the pure, unalloyed bullshit that keeps America in its trance. Saddam and Osama are really the same person? Okay. Fight them there or they’ll follow us here? Sure. Iraqis are ungrateful, it’s all their fault? Whatever. Television is a great big dose of stupid.
I assure you that Hillary Clinton does not do household chores, Bill Clinton would certainly not help her around the house, and I’ll go a step further. I find it difficult to believe that those marriage experts Bill and Hillary cohabit, and impossible to believe they share the same bedroom.
Iraqis will throw flowers at us as liberators? Sure, sounds cool!
borgrav
Nymikeg,
Did you see your picture in today’s (9/5) print version of Politico? It’s distributed for free all over DC maybe in other cities too. Perhaps you can catch it on-line at http://www.politico.com. Of course it was an AP wire photo so your picture is probably in a lot of papers and on many web sites.
ProfessorVP,
Such disrespectful discourse. Such nastiness is what turns me off of politics and encourages me to retreat into a trance. Perhaps you are part of the problem.
ProfessorVP
Well, if being lied to makes you all warm and fuzzy, then you and such folks are the problem. I assure you Bill Clinton wouldn’t so much as clean up his own carpet stain. Apparently one missed, and it is now Chelsea.