 
Kweisi Mfume fumes over missing Democrats (left) and John Kerry faces hissing queers (right).
Interest groups need to cool their jets
Progressive interest groups sure aren't acting like they want to win a presidential election in 2004.
We have this from the Associated Press on Monday:
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- NAACP President Kweisi Mfume criticized Democratic presidential candidates Dick Gephardt, Joe Lieberman and Dennis Kucinich on Monday for skipping the group's presidential forum, saying the three have become "persona non grata" among black voters.
Mfume lashed out at the three during a speech to the thousands gathered for the NAACP's convention. Each time Mfume mentioned their name an organmaster played a death knell chord.
"In essence, you now have become persona non grata," he said. "Your political capital is the equivalent of confederate dollars."
The crowd responded to his condemnation with applause and then a chorus of "oooo" at the mention of confederate money.
Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards were not planning to take part in the forum with Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton. But Kerry and Edwards escaped Mfume's wrath by deciding late Sunday to join their rivals.
Gephardt said he had a prior family obligation, Lieberman said he had campaign events in New York and Kucinich said he wanted to be in Washington to make votes in the House. Spokesmen for all three said their absence wasn't meant to be a snub and they hoped to work with the NAACP throughout the campaign, but Mfume wouldn't excuse them.
And this from the AP yesterday:
WASHINGTON -- Most of the Democrats running for the White House said Tuesday that gay couples should have the same legal rights as husbands and wives, but the leading candidates stopped short of supporting homosexuals' right to marry.
The only three candidates who say federal law should protect the right to same-sex marriages are Al Sharpton, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. [Note that Howie Dean, the fags' golden boy, does not support same-sex marriage; but before we crucify him, note that it's pretty politically safe for Sharpton, Braun and Kucinich to support same-sex marriage, since they have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the 2004 election.] Most of the others at a presidential forum sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign back the less controversial right to gay civil unions.
The audience hissed when Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Kerry of Massachusetts said marriage is a right reserved in America for men and women....
Vermont is the only state that has a civil-unions law giving gay couples the full legal rights as married couples — a law signed by former Gov. Howard Dean, one of the presidential contenders to address the forum. Dean said civil unions give gays legal rights, such as health benefits, inheritance, child custody and hospital visitation, in the absence of marriage....
Despite the differences over gay marriage, the Democratic presidential candidates agree with most of the policy positions of the Human Rights Campaign, including support for anti-discrimination laws, hate crimes legislation, increased funding for HIV/AIDS research and treatment, and federal domestic partnership benefits.
Mfume's remarks were way over the top. All nine Democratic contenders were to attend the NAACP's forum -- or else? Is that how political candidates are supposed to feel -- scared that if they don't come to your function you'll fuck them hard? Do you want people to be with you because they want to be with you and are able to be with you or because they're terrified of how you'll retaliate if they decline your invitation? Is that a healthy situation?
I do not believe for a second that Kucinich or Gephardt or even Lieberman is racist and/or takes the black vote for granted. They are busy people and they can't attend everyfuckingthing to which they are invited. But Mfume would punish them for their inability to be at two places at once.
Mfume's out-of-bounds rhetoric surely made him feel pretty good about himself, but it has lowered my esteem for the NAACP, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
And as a faggot am I happy to hear that my beloved John Kerry does not support same-sex marriage?
No!
But I'm not going to brand him a "persona non grata."
Admittedly, partially this is because heterosexual marriage's track record sucks ass -- look at the divorce rate -- and because I don't understand why queers feel the need to mimic every fucking heterosexual institution whether it is worth mimicking or not. (Queers are even copying bad reality television.) And, I wouldn't want someone getting half of my stuff when the marriage fizzles.
So I'm not aching to marry another guy and so I wouldn't be one of those hissing queers in the audience.
But larger than my own selfish reasons for not abandoning Kerry over the issue of gay marriage is the concept of selfishness itself: Are we progressive interest groups going to allow a Democratic candidate to beat "President" Bush in 2004 or are we going to hiss at every Democratic candidate who doesn't promise us everything we want and declare him a "persona non grata" if he can't show up at our gig?
We progressive interest groups need to lose our victimization, which we carry around with us like a security blanket and/or an ID card, and we need to stop throwing temper tantrums if a candidate doesn't promise to deliver every fucking item on our lengthy Christmas lists and/or can't come to our birthday parties.
We need to realize it when we have it good:
Six of the nine Democratic contenders showed up at your shindig, Mr. Mfume. Two out of three ain't fucking bad.
And those hissing faggots at the HRC convention probably could not appreciate that, as the AP reported, "the Democratic presidential candidates agree with most of the policy positions of the Human Rights Campaign." They just want to be able to get married -- so that they can be able to get divorced -- just like straight people.
If we progressives want to take back the White House, we had better be willing to sacrifice the relatively small items on our wish lists and get over it if not every candidate can come to our parties.
Update (July 17, 2003): I was sickened to read this from the Associated Press today:
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Three Democrats apologized to the NAACP convention [today] for bypassing a presidential forum in a political act of contrition.
Joe Lieberman, Dick Gephardt and Dennis Kucinich rearranged their campaign schedules to appear before the NAACP gathering and say they were sorry. The three White House hopefuls had drawn the wrath of the nation's oldest civil rights group when they skipped Monday's forum, earning the description "persona non grata" from the NAACP leader.
At the start of the gathering [today], convention officials suspended the rules to allow the candidates five minutes "for the purpose of public apology and explanation."
What, no flogging?
12:21:16 AM 
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