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#20: Al Franken As Consistent As John Kerry

    On page 88, in a brave attempt to defend the position that Senator John Kerry is not a flip-flopper, Franken writes (emphasis mine),

"Kerry’s position has always been consistent on [gay marriage] ... Kerry has always been against gay marriage. He is for civil unions."

    Needless to say, any time that the words "Kerry" and "consistent" appear in the same sentence, a red flag should go up.

    Try this 2004 USA Today headline on for size:

    Gee. That headline doesn't look like "Kerry has always been against gay marriage," as Franken claims!

    The facts: Senator Kerry signed his name to a July 2002 letter written by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). (Barney Frank is an openly gay Congressman and an ardent proponent of legalizing gay marriage.) Addressed to Massachusetts legislators, the letter sought to stop the creation of a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage in Massachusetts as "only the union of one man and one woman."¹ (By the way, this article argues that Kerry and others violated the law in sending their letter!)

    ^{As much as Kerry spokespeople and supporters claim that he has "always been consistent" on gay marriage (as they assert in the USA Today article above), Kerry's actions suggest otherwise.}

    John Kerry also opposed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). He claimed that this measure would somehow threaten civil protection and the possibility of civil unions for gays. Others didn't see it that way. Several high-profile politicians who have shown support for civil unions voted in favor of DOMA (see below)!² The DOMA had no issue with civil unions; it passed overwhelmingly. Kerry was one of only 14 Senators who voted against it.

    ^{With Kerry appearing to play both sides of an issue by saying one thing but doing something else, it's hardly the sign of someone who's "consistent."}

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Notes:

1  "Kerry Opposed State Gay Marriage Ban," Human Events, February 16, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200402/ai_n9367631. Also: Dave Eberhart, “Kerry on the Record: The Gay Marriage Flip-Flop,” NewsMax.com, Saturday February 28, 2004. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/2/27/220527.shtml. (Note: The Massachusetts legislature adjourned in July 2002 without ever voting on the amendment. A series of events (i.e., lawsuits, court rulings) then led to Massachusetts offering legal gay marriages in May of 2004.)

2  DOMA passed by a vote of 85-14 in the Senate and 342-67 in the House. Other politicians knew that DOMA would have no bearing on the establishment of civil unions.
Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC), Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), and Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) are just some of those who have stood for civil unions but voted for DOMA. Information gathered from these sources: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00280 , http://www.clsnet.org/clsPages/lobbying/fma/SenPositionList.php , and http://www.panix.com/~danielc/usa/domavote.htm.