Equality California endorses Hillary Clinton for 2016

[Stonecold]

A major LGBT group on Monday announced it has endorsed Hillary Clinton in her likely bid for the White House in 2016, even though she hasn’t yet declared her candidacy.

Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, declared the group’s support in a statement, making the organization the first LGBT group to formally back Clinton.

“We want Hillary Clinton to run and are ready to mobilize our 800,000 members to help her win,” Zbur said. “We’re enthusiastic about her candidacy because she has the best record of accomplishment on LGBT issues of any potential candidate. Equality California is ready for Hillary!”

A two-page fact sheet from the organization ticks off a dozen of Clinton’s pro-LGBT accomplishments.

As a U.S. senator, Clinton is credited with voting twice against a Federal Marriage Amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage and for voting in favor of HIV funding as well as hate crimes protection legislation.

During her tenure as secretary of state, Clinton is credited with making LGBT rights a priority for U.S. foreign policy, implementing policies at the State Department on behalf of LGBT Foreign Service officers and leading efforts to pass a United Nations resolution on LGBT rights. Also noted by Equality California is a high-profile 2011 speech she delivered in Geneva, Switzerland, in favor of international LGBT rights.

“While serving as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton made her support for the LGBT community abundantly clear when she said ‘gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights,’” Zbur said. “Although she has yet to formally announce her candidacy, we unequivocally believe that she is not only the most qualified candidate, but also the best candidate to advance LGBT rights.”

Not mentioned in the fact sheet is Clinton’s decision to withhold endorsement of marriage equality until March 2013. The timing of that endorsement made her one of the last top Democrats to come out in favor of same-sex nuptials.

During an interview last year on NPR, she bristled at the suggestion that she couldn’t speak out sooner for political reasons.

In the interview, Clinton also talked about supporting state efforts to advance marriage equality, despite pending litigation that seeks to make it legal across the nation, and said enacting the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act had value because it prevented Congress from passing a more restrictive measure against gay people.

According to the news statement, Equality California is set to initiate a campaign aimed at building a diverse coalition of support for Clinton among its members across the state and country.

Clinton has offered no public commitment that she’ll pursue a bid for the White House in 2016, although she’s participated in public events that give the appearance she’s planning a run.

On the heels of a controversy revealing that she used her personal email address when writing correspondence as secretary of state, Clinton is expected to formally announce her candidacy in the next month, according to a recent report in the New York Times.
First 2016 Stand with Hillary Video with a vgl country singer

 

[gb2000ie]

I worry that the apparent lack of a democratic primary this year will mean that an un-tested Hillary under-performs in the general.

On the other hand - if you can head to the centre from the start instead of having to pivot for the general, that could be a big advantage too. I bet Mitt Romney would have loved to be able to go straight for a general instead of having to pander to the loonies first!

B.

 

[Stonecold]

CNN Poll March 18th 2015
In seven potential general election matchups tested by CNN, Clinton leads by between 11 and 16 points over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

The email controversy's lack of impact on the polls isn't too surprising: People's reactions to the issue tended to depend on how they already felt about Clinton. In a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll, Republicans were increasingly convinced the emails were a big deal, while Democrats thought the issue was overblown, and independents were somewhat concerned, but less likely to be paying attention.