Year: 2009

The price of hate: In a panic over the prospect of gay couples having the right to marry, homophobic lawmakers in Texas passed an amendment to the state constitution in 2005 that was so poorly worded that it banned all marriages, including those that the anti-gay amateur porn star Carrie Prejean once described as “opposite marriages” — or so suggests the Democratic candidate for state attorney general:

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.
The amendment, approved by the Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that “marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” But the troublemaking phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares:

“This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”

Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. But Radnofsky … says the wording of Subsection B effectively “eliminates marriage in Texas,” including common-law marriages.

Radnofsky blames the inclusion of such poor wording in a document as august as the state constitution on the current Republican attorney general, who approved the language.

While there’s little chance that the poorly worded clause will put the marriage rights of straight Texans into play, Radnofsky says, “This breeds unneeded arguments, lawsuits and expense which could have been avoided by good lawyering. Yes, I believe the clear language of B bans all marriages, and this is indeed a huge mistake.”

Most people were stunned when, after weeks of auditioning the Republican party’s best and brightest, Sen. John McCain chose the unknown and inexperienced Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign. But Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was probably even more disappointed than most. After all, Crist battled hard for the number two spot on the ticket, ignoring the needs of his state, becoming engaged to a female New York socialite, and even talking about selling Florida down the river and reversing the state’s policy on coastal oil drilling.

“I’ve sold my soul,” Crist must have thought, “and he picks somebody that’s prettier on the outside? Eff that!”

Crist might soon have even more reason to resent Sarah Palin. She’s considering endorsing his opponent in the 2010 Florida U.S. Senate race.

She suggests, meanwhile, that there might be encouraging news coming Marco Rubio’s way. She says she’s had a chance to look at the Crist-Rubio race “just on the surface.” But she adds, “I’m just being asked about it really in the last week or two, so I’ll dig more into it. I’ll find out what the guys are holding in terms of positions and see where maybe I can help.”

Even though it’s possible that Doug Hoffman, the candidate who recently appeared to go down in flames after Sarah Palin campaigned on his behalf, might yet win, it’s safe to say that Palin’s backing is a mixed blessing.

Rubio is a strong candidate on his own, and unlike Hoffman, to whom big bucks flowed from the various PACs backed by lobbyist Dick Armey, Rubio’s campaign is, so far, focused on substance and experience in public service. While he might accept a radio spot voiced by actor Fred Thompson, as Hoffman did, he likely won’t need one. And trying to imagine him sharing a stage with Sarah Palin, while plausible, is just…well, awful.

It’s obvious Rubio is highly motivated in his race against Crist. Whether he’s willing to do as Crist has, and sell his soul to win, remains to be seen.

Anyone planning to read the Sarah Palin book should bookmark these sites. Both the A.P. and Media Matters have printed lists of the inaccuracies and falsehoods in Going Rogue: An American Life. Media Matters is maintaining theirs as an ongoing work in progress, since drilling down through Sarah’s muddled speech and thought is, in the words of the former defense secretary, a long, hard slog.

In addition to the well-publicized and seemingly false slams at the John McCain team, Palin can’t keep the facts straight concerning her travel (and the bills involved), cap and trade legislation, whether Obama wanted to kill fetuses that survived botched abortions, her support of hunting wolves by shooting them from helicopters and small planes, the disconnect between Palin’s opinion of stimulus funds and Alaska’s dependence on federal subsidies, and so much more.

Of course, most people who read the book will accept Sarah’s version of the events without question, no matter how much evidence is provided to the contrary.