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PERSPECTIVE
Q-Notes endorses John Edwards
Populist candidate the best choice
for President
special to Q-Notes
After a series of meetings between the edi
tors, the staff and the publisher, Q-Notes has
endorsed John Edwards for President.
Our method for arriving at this decision
began late last summer with a simple ques
tion: who’s best on LGBT issues. In years past,
this alone often narrowed the field to a single
contender. This election cycle, however, has
been decidedly .different from years past.
Each of the Democrats vying for the nomi
nation passed muster on our suitability test.
They all support the Matthew Shepard Act and
a transgender-indusive Employment Non-
Discrimination Act. They all oppose “Don’t
Ask, Don’t TeU” and the Defense of Marriage
Act. They all back legal recognition of same-
sex relationships.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich earned
bonus poiiits for being the only can
didate to support full marriage
rights. Again, this alone might have
sealed the deal in previous elections.
However, the stakes today are too
high for that. Two terms of President
George W. Bush have America teeter
ing on the brink of economic col
lapse, while the disastrous “War on
Terror” expands and our precious
civil liberties shrink.
Under these conditions, viability
trumps degrees of support.
Following the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus, it
was down to John Edwards and
Hillary Clinton.
Obama is out because he stepped on our
necks to gain a political advantage. His cam
paign organized “Embrace the Change,” a
gospel tour in South Carolina to shore up sup
port among the state’s black evangelicals. Over
a profusion of objections, “ex-gay” singer Rev.
Donnie McClurkin — who claims that homo
sexuality is a “curse” and that gays “are trying
to kill our children” — was booked to per
form in Columbia.
To quell the uproar, Obama issued a tepid
statement that “gays and lesbians are our
brothers and sisters and should be provided
the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citi
zens.” McClurkin wasn’t swayed and neither
was the audience, who cheered loudly when
the singer reiterated his anti-gay beliefs on
stage the night of the show.
Obama never apologized for facilitating
this debacle. He simply moved on.
Clinton isn’t acceptable due to her policy
positions and negative polling numbers rela
tive to the general election.
She is the most hawkish among the candi
dates. Her September 2007 vote in favor of the
Bush-backed Kyl-Lieberman Amendment,
declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a
terrorist organization, was a thorough
disappointment.
Twenty Democratic senators, including
presidential contenders Joe Biden, Christopher
Dodd and Mike Gravel, voted against the
amendment, labeling it the administration’s
first step toward its next military target, Iran.
(Barack Obama missed the vote stumping in
New Hampshire, but said he would have voted
against it.)
Clinton’s coziness with big business is also
vexing. Through her record fundraising,
which includes gifts from traditionally GOP-
supportive industries and institutions, she
has aligned herself with the special interests
that have wrested control of this country from
its citizens.
Finally, with her 48 percent unfavorability
rating (based on a USA Todoy-Gallup Poll), a
Clinton run at the White House likely gives the
GOP its best shot at uniting the Party and ral
lying undecided and independent voters.
Bottom line: With Clinton as the nominee,
the risks are too great for the potential
returns.
In contrast, John Edwards has stumped on
a bona fide progressive platform. His core
issues include ending poverty and rebuilding
the middle class, reversing global warming,
ending the Iraq War, restoring civil liberties
and establishing universal healthcare. Also
central to his campaign is his pledge to
reclaim the government from the control of
lobbyists and multinational corporations.
These populist themes resonate deeply
with us — and with working-class Americans
from coast-to-coast, as national polling for the
General Election makes plain.
Edwards fares best against all the potential
Republican candidates in head-to-head
match-ups. He puts more traditionally “red”
states in play than any other Democratic con
tender. Significantly, his presence on the ballot
will translate to additional votes for
Democrats in tight down-ticket races across
the country.
The choice is clear. John Edwards is the
most progressive, most electable Democrat in
the race. Q-Notes encourages all lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender voters to support
him in the primaries and beyond. I
Speak out!
Send your letter to the editor or any other thoughts to editor@ci-notes.coni.
Limit letters to 150 words or less and include
your name, city and state and a phone number where you can he reached.
4 JANUARY 12.2008 • Q-NOTES