Jason West, Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom represent transformational change

[ruggerson]

Two out of the three engaged in civil disobedience, risking their political careers (including future Presidential runs), using their executive authority to stand shoulder to shoulder with their LGBT constituencies, friends and family, against monstrous, institutional discrimination.

In so doing, they brought transformational images into homes all across the United States - images of joyous same sex American couples finally realizing the dream of having their relationships recognized by the state with the same legal responsibilities and privileges that their straight brothers and sisters have long enjoyed.

Transformational images that began to crack hard hearts and broaden narrow minds.

Governor Cuomo has made marriage equality one of his three top priorities and started working on it immediately after taking office. Win or lose the current battle in NY, he actually wrote and introduced the legislation which now holds the possible promise of full marriage equality for all citizens residing in the state of New York. He is fully engaged in the fight: spending long days and nights in Albany, meeting with legislators, individually and in groups, in a forceful, public, determined and focused all-out battle for equality.

Two out of these three politicians harbor possible Presidential ambitions. But future political ambitions have never been a calculation in their present day decisions about fighting for basic human and civil rights.

LGBT Americans are often asked, here and elsewhere, just what kind of political leadership they are looking for, what are they seeking from their political leaders and their President?

For many of us, the answer is this.

Just this.

[Autumn]

1. Jason West was on Rachel tonight,

I was so impressed with his sense of doing the right thing no matter what. We all need leadership like these men have shown. K/R

[applegrove]

2. The psychopaths on the right have used the gay issue to such an extent that the glbt community

is always cutting its losses. Again and again. That is how psychopaths work.

[Unvanguard]

3. I would take Barack Obama over Andrew Cuomo any day.

But, you're right. Andrew Cuomo illustrates fierce advocacy on this issue in a way Barack Obama hasn't.

(The situations are not entirely analogous. For one, the Governor of New York has powers the President doesn't: the President can't introduce legislation, for example. And it's not clear Cuomo is primarily responsible for being as close to victory as we are; there has also been an on-the-ground campaign by LGBT organizations that has been impressive in communicating strong constituent support for equality to the legislators, and that probably counts most. But there's no doubt that Cuomo's involvement here is a showcase for the way a strongly dedicated executive can influence recalcitrant legislators, and we haven't seen that from Obama except on health care reform, toward the very end.)

[ruggerson]

8. True, a President cannot introduce legislation

but they are free to have a friendly congresscritter introduce it for them.

Historically, many bills are written by the Executive branch and then given to a congressional ally to sponsor.

And I fully concur with your last sentence.

[William769]

4. K&R.

[RufusTFirefly]

5. Cuomo? No thanks. I prefer his dad by a long shot. DINO. n/t

[girl_interrupted]

6. That "Dino" has done more trying to legalize Gay Marriage

than Obama and a whole lot of other Democrats. He's my Governor, and I thank him for his efforts & I'm damn proud of him too.

[RufusTFirefly]

9. Since when did supporting the rights of two human beings to marry make you a Democrat??

I'd say it makes you a human being.

Meanwhile, Cuomo Jr. is clearly anti-labor, which should be a litmus test of whether you're a Democrat or not.

[ruggerson]

10. For politicians, the dividing line appears to be how religious

and/or calculating one is.

[girl_interrupted]

7. West, Cuomo and Newsom aren't just talkers

They really put themselves on the line for this. What a disappointment Obama was tonight. He really could have given words of support, instead of waffling on the subject like he always does. It's been such a trying week in NY, hopes up, then down, a real roller coaster. No matter how it turns out, thanks to Governor Cuomo and so many others, who have worked tirelessly to try and get this legislation passed. And thanks To West & Newsom for all their efforts too. I'd vote for Cuomo for President, in a NY Minute. Hope he decides to run someday.

[karynnj]

13. Newsom chose the summer of 2004 to grandstand by declaring that

gays could marry in SF, while it was illegal in CA.

Two questions:

Did the coverage of SF gay marriages give fuel to the Republican use of gay marriage to get the vote our for Bush? That election was so close there are many things that could have made the difference.

Did his action in any way lead to proposition 8?

Cuomo deserves major credit for the thoughtful way that he has led to this to a possible success.

[LetTimmySmoke]

21. Cuomo's 2011 victory was made possible...

in part by Gavin Newsom bringing the issue to the forefront in 2004.

[BklnDem75]

11. Weird...

I thought compromising with the opposition was bad in these parts. Why is it acceptable now?

[Thrill]

12. You are right. That does take serious courage.

But I wonder would any of them do it knowing they have to run across the entire country trying to get people to vote for them?

[ImNotTed]

14. Well-written

Too late to rec, but I can still :kick:

[ClarkUSA]

15. Laying it on a bit thick. When you're gov. or a mayor of deep blue NY and the mayor of indigo SF...

... it's not hard to play the political considerations and boost your presidential primary aspirations by taking on a hugely popular move such as gay marriage. I doubt either of them would have taken the same position had they had been, say, governor or mayor of PA or IL, much less the POTUS. In fact, there is already talk of Cuomo being a frontrunner for 2016 with this move. Coincidence? Not with his "relentlessly strategic mind" as the NYT says.

When Cuomo rejects huge donations from the like of the Koch Brothers, then I'd say he represents transformational change. But he hasn't. I wonder what those boosting him for a presidential candidate will say about that and all his Wall Street donors? Business as usual.

[Phx_Dem]

16. +100

[dsc]

17. one of the three lost his reelection bid

almost solely based on his conduct of those marriages. I am referring to West.

[Ken Burch]

19. I agree with you on the corporate donors/Koch Bros. thing

n/t.

[okieinpain]

20. thank you. n/t.

[Ken Burch]

18. Newsom was only transformational on LGBT issues

His policy towards the poor and the dispossessed was pretty much the same thing Reagan would've done as mayor. You stop being a Democrat when you demolish homeless camps without even giving the homeless enough warning to go collect their stuff. Democrats are never supposed to punish the poor for being poor.