Gubernatorial Candidate Eliot Spitzer “made his strongest declaration yet” regarding same-sex marriage at last week’s Empire State Pride Agenda dinner, reports the NYT:
“Mr. Spitzer’s position could be a perilous one for a politician considered presidential material, and he has acknowledged that if elected governor, he would first push other legislative priorities including cutting property taxes and overhauling Medicaid . But last night he said he would not let outside pressures influence his stance. ‘We will not ask whether this proposition of legalizing same-sex marriage is popular or unpopular; we will not ask if it’s hard or easy; we will simply ask if it’s right or wrong,’ he told a crowd of nearly 1,200 gathered at a Midtown hotel ballroom. ‘I think we know in this room what the answer to that question is.'”
Spitzer has made his position known in the past, although he has made it clear that in his position as Attorney General he must abide by state law on same-sex marriage. If elected Governor, he would be in a better position to facilitate legislation in support of the cause.
The New York gay rights group has been critical of New York politicians, particularly Senator Hillary Clinton, for failing to take a strong position on gay marriage. Executive Director Alan van Capelle earlier this year wrote a memo to Pride Agenda members which was leaked to the press. It called Clinton a “complete disappointment” and urged members not to support an LGBT fundraiser for the former First Lady.
Meanwhile, others at the dinner expressed their disappointment at the absence of certain guests. Jimmy Fallon took the stage and had the dinner “howling”, according to Page Six, after taking a potshot at a certain CNN anchor. Said Fallon: “I’m kinda shocked that Anderson Cooper is never here. Isn’t that weird?”
