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04/05/2013
Sen. Landrieu's misguided political calculation
It's certain that her 2014 reelection plays into this answer:
[Sen. Mary] Landrieu told CNN National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta in an interview Friday that she personally believes "people should love who they love and marry who they want to marry," but that her obligation rests with the people of Louisiana who elected her.
"My state has a very strong constitutional amendment not only against gay marriage but against gay partnerships. So I'm looking at the people of Louisiana trying to represent their interests," she said. [CNN]
A very silly stance for the senator to take. With this, she has come out and admitted where she personally stands, so anyone who wants to hold marriage equality against her already will. However, by refusing to take a courageous stand against bad policy (and Louisiana's overreaching marriage amendment is indeed really bad) she is relinquishing her chance to fire up those who'd be far more enthusiastic about a pro-equality candidate than they would a middle-roader. The senator very well might face a challenge from both her right and her left in 2014. This statement is very unlikely to shave off even a shred of the former while it's a considerable liability in terms of her ability to stave off the latter.
Courageous voices lead and teach. Come on, Senator—a "very strong" amendment that is so clearly wrong-headed deserves an equally strong oppositional voice!