LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Capital Letters |
by Hastings Wyman |
Another Year of the Woman? In 1992, five women were elected to the U.S. Senate, prompting pundits to declare it the Year of the Woman. Today there are 10 womenand 90 menin the Senate, and next year at least eight seriously competitive US Senate candidates will be female. Three are incumbentsDemocrat Dianne Feinstein of California and Republicans Olympia Snowe of Maine and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texasand early favorites for reelection. The five Senate wannabes are all in competitive races, some stronger than others, to wit: New York. Assuming Hillary Rodham Clinton runsand you should assume she willshell be one tough candidate with an equally tough opponent in Gotham Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Clinton is likely to endorse more pro-gay policies than the mayor, but Giuliani wont give up the gay vote without a fight. New Jersey. Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican, is the early favorite here over ex-Gov. Jim Florio, the likelybut not certainwinner of the Democratic primary. Both have gay-friendly records. Michigan. Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham doesnt give gay concerns much weighthe rated a measly 17 percent on the Human Rights Campaigns legislative scorecard of issues important to the gay community. Abraham is in an evenly matched battle with Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Stabenow, who scored 100 with the HRC. Washington. Democrat Deborah Senn, the states activist insurance commissioner, is in a close contest with Republican Sen. Slade Gorton, who votes with HRC half the time. Nevada. Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, a Democrat, must first win her primary; then, she still faces an uphill battle against the GOPs John Ensign, a former congressman. Del Papa gets so-so marks from gay activists here. Ensign has cast some pro-gay votes, but he is a member of the socially conservative Promise Keepers. Other women could end up on the November ballot next year, as well. In Pennsylvania, either former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky or state Sen. Allyson Schwartz could end up as the Democratic nominee against U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum. In Florida, state Senate President Toni Jennings, a Florida Republican, could announce for the seat of GOP Sen. Connie Mack, who is retiring next year. And it wont stop there. Already, the word in Minnesota is that Sheila Wellstone, wife of feisty liberal Sen. Paul Wellstone, may seek her husbands senate seat in 2002 if he keeps his promise to retire at the end of his second term. Gay men and lesbians are likely to benefit from more women in the Senate because women lawmakerswhatever their party affiliationseem more sympathetic to our causes than do men. In Texas, for example, Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison scores 40 percent with HRC, but the states other senator, Phil Gramm, rates a zero. In Louisianathe Deep Southwhere both senators are Democrats, Mary Landrieu rates an 83 with HRC, while John Breaux rates 67. And among Democratic women in the last Senate, Landrieu was the most conservativethe other six were all HRC 100 percenters. Lesbians and other women should also benefit significantly if more women are elected to the Senate. Such issues as breast cancer research and treatment, child care, abortion policies and equity in funding for a variety of government programs generally get a more attentive hearing from women lawmakers. There are only one or two more women in serious contests for the Senate this year than in the recent past. Nevertheless, according to straight-but-savvy commentator Stuart Rothenberg in his Roll Call column, the chances are "decent" that the 1992 record will be matched or exceeded next year. The Senate would have a dozen or more women, a new high. Democrats Pitch for Gay Support In 1984, when Walter Mondale was seeking the presidency, one of the gay activists who met with himan unprecedented occurrence in and of itselftold me that the former vice president appeared noticeably uncomfortable in the company of avowed homosexuals. A mere 15 years later and Vice President Al Gore is enthusiastically hobnobbing with the folks at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Center and similar spots across the country. Moreover, President Clinton, anxious to see his heir-apparent nominated and elected, has been going all-out to put the administration in a pro-gay light. In the past few weeks, the presidentover right-wing objectionsmade a recess appointment of gay philanthropist Jim Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg, designated June as "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," and urged Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would give gays and lesbians civil rights protections in the workplace. The Democratic National Committee, the commander-in- chiefs political operation, has followed suit, with DNC Chair Roy Romer writing an op-ed in honor of gay and lesbian pride, which was distributed to the media. Romer cited chapter and verse his partys commitment to ENDA and hate-crimes legislation and noted DNC Treasurer Andrew Tobias is openly gay. In sum, recent events underscore the fact that gay votes, gay money and gay muscle are now much-sought-after components of the Democrats presidential strategy. Even if Gore wins the presidency, its unlikely that all the promises will be keptbut some of them will. Republicans Inch Forward The GOPs record on gay concerns is pretty shabby if you compare it to that of the Democrats. But the Grand Old Party does look better if you measure it against its presidential campaigns of the recent past. When Carl Schmid, a longtime gay Republican activist, shook Texas Gov. George W. Bushs hand at a recent fundraiser, Schmid identified himself as a gay Republican and said, "I want to work with you" on gay issues. Bush replied, "We can work together. We may not agree on everything." Schmid then said, "I understand, as long as we have communication with you." Bush answered, "You will, and I promise I will always treat you with respect, and that is what you deserve." The last comment, according to Schmid, was "said with great emphasis and conviction." This is nowhere near Gores current stance, but its further along than Bob Doles in 1996or Mondales in 1984. Other recent pro-gay straws in the GOP wind: Elizabeth Dole said that, if the Log Cabin Republicans sent her a check, "I would not turn it away"unlike husband Bob in the last campaign. Bush, Dole and McCainthe GOPs top three presidential contendershave all said publicly they would not discriminate against gay people in making White House appointments. (Will someone point this out to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, who held up the Hormel nomination?) Congressman Tom Campbell, Republican of California, has come out against the anti-gay marriage initiative, which will be on his states ballot next year, and urged other lawmakers to do the same. Finally, Rich Tafels new book, Party Crasher: A Gay Republican Challenges Politics as Usual, got a reviewalbeit mixedin the hard-to-crack New York Times and Log Cabin Republicans got a mention in a New Yorker cartoon. Ils sont arrives! Hastings Wyman has been a D.C. insider for more than three decades. He publishes Southern Political Report, a nonpartisan biweekly political newsletter. He can be reached in care of LETTERS from CAMP Rehoboth or at HwymanSPR@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 9, July 16, 1999 |