A Democrat I Could Support

Eight years of Bill Clinton's broken promises and cowardly behavior in matters concerning gay rights has left me even more leery of Democrats and the Democratic Party than I was before. I agree with what some African American leaders say about the Democrats: they get lip service from them but little else. Gay and lesbians are even worse off when it comes to the Democratic Party. However, the newly elected governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, has made good on his promise to introduce a gay marriage bill in the state assembly. He knows it won't pass initially, but he's doing it anyway because it's the right thing to do. Hillary, of course, is opposed to gay marriage and has never renounced the hateful "Defense Of Marriage Act" that her husband signed in to law. Too bad Spitzer isn't running for president instead of Hillary.

The photo is of Sufjan Stevens at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia taken last fall. It was a great concert.

My Episcopalian friends are justly proud of their leadership in standing firm against the anti-gay bigotry of the reactionary elements within the Anglican communion. It's interesting to watch this play out. The big disappointment is the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has sided with the bigots. He knows better.

I had a brief discussion at dinner the other evening with a friend. The topic was power in relationships. He feels that, in relationships one partner has the most power and the other is "needy." I don't think it's quite that simple. I think a partner that has a lot of power power can be needy, and the "needy" partner can have quite a bit of power. Successful relationships play out over time and lots of interpersonal "territory," and shifting dynamics of power and need.

We're off to the Big Apple today to enjoy the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Puccini's "Il Tritico."

Jim