"Well, you know, we all grow as we get older and we learn things and we become more sensitive to people and people’s lives and the more I’ve looked at that [gay marriage], I’ve grown to think differently about how we should live. I guess I’ve got to the point of live and let live," says Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who in 1996 voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. Now is this change a flip-flop, or an evolution? [AP]
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Tom Harkin is actually a US Senator from Iowa — and a former presidential nominee / supposed VP possibility for Obama. The story is a much bigger deal than the headline suggests.
… or, I guess, than the original headline suggested.
Why would you be critical of someone who grows? What kind of message is that?
"Now is this change a flip-flop, or an evolution?"
Maybe a little from column A and a little from column B. Maybe he is learning that the American public is evolving on this issue. There is a huge generational divide when it comes to support for marriage equality. Most people under forty support marriage equality, most people over forty (especially those over 65) oppose marriage equality. Each year, a segment of those over 65 die. Each year another crop of eighteen year olds become old enough to vote.
It is pretty clear, marriage equality will come, and those who opposed it will be seen as narrow-minded bigots just as those who opposed marriage equality for mixed race couples. And statements like "I oppose same sex marriage because God is in the mix…" will make a certain someone go down in history as a narrow-minded bigot and coward.
Not the stuff saviors are made of, or leaders for that matter.
It's called a good change of heart. Hooray for Tom Harkin! :-D
And jeez, Queerty, why must you always be such a negative nellie?
@atdleft:
I totally agree. Queerty has taken a negative stance on almost every subject they write about these days, that or they get an In your face attitude about things that they get excited about. Usually I don't mind, but lately its getting a little overboard.
Harkin could kill a child in cold blood and still get re-elected in Iowa. This probably is a genuine evolution on the issue, in part guided by the recent Iowa SC decision.
He is a great man. I have met him several times when I was working on the caucuses last year and on the UDEMS Exec board here last year in Iowa City. He is awesome. This says a lot. He is uber popular.
This is the sort of change of mind we want of the population at large; why not of our senators?