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08/31/2007
Report: Ell channels her inner Rosie; Hill channels her typical 'Hey, let's talk about this instead'
At today's New York taping of "The Ellen Degeneres Show" (scheduled to air Tuesday), the celesbian host reportedly found an uncharacteristically political voice and asked guest Hillary Clinton why she supports civil unions rather than full marriage equality. This from the NY Times Caucus blog:
Ms. Degeneres, who is gay, pressed Mrs. Clinton about why she supports civil unions, but not gay marriage. Though her long-term partner, the actress Portia de Rossi, is often present at tapings, Ms. Degeneres’s lifestyle and politics are not a frequent part of the show.
“I think it was good to see gay marriage raised,” said Kristen Slavy, who came from Baltimore to New York City for today’s taping (the show is usually filmed in Los Angeles). “I think this interview for the normal ‘Ellen’ viewer might be a little different.”
That Mrs. Clinton’s response focused mainly on the first half of the question — discussing the need for equality in federal benefits — rather than the gay marriage part was not lost on some in the audience. Mrs. Clinton also said she thinks defining marriage should be a state matter, pointing to states like Massachusetts, Vermont and, most recently, a county judge in Iowa, that have allowed gay marriages or civil unions, though she neglected to mention the many states that have laws defining marriage as one man and one woman.
“She didn’t really answer the question totally,” said Colleen Milnes, who came with her daughter, Kelly, from West Milford, N.J. Nonetheless, Mrs. Clinton “scored points” with Ms. Milnes, who was “not a big Hillary fan.”
In a related story, we hear that during the popular dance portion that traditionally opens the show, Hillary spray-painted this on the floor....
...and proceeded to dance around it.
But indirect on our issues or not -- we (have) still (been told to) love her, right?
Degeneres/Clinton’08? [NY TImes -- The Caucus]
**UPDATE, 9/4: Video: Hill gets gay will Ell [G-A-Y]