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Something is very wrong with this picture. Michael Scott Brumback is the democratic candidate for Washington state Legislature in legislative district 14. The seat is currently held by the pro-equality republican Rep. Norm Johnson (R-Yakima). This is what the Yakima Herald reported from an interview with Brumback on the day he filed:
Along with his fiscal views, Brumback is socially conservative on the gay marriage issue.“I’d say no, absolutely,” he said.
He also said he probably would have voted against last year’s expansion of state rights for same-sex domestic partners. That’s been a key issue already in the race; Strobel has criticized Johnson’s vote in favor of the expansion. That stance could put Brumback at odds with much of the state Legislature, which pending this fall’s elections remains under Democratic control.
He seems fine with that.
He’s fine with that? Pathetic. Are the Yakima County Democrats fine with that? They shouldn’t be. Their newly-minted platform states quite clearly:
We support:
Civil marriage as a legal union of consenting adults, not restricted by sexual orientation or gender identity.
And lest anyone think the Yakima Democrats are an outlier in their staunch pro-equality stance, the platform of the Washington State Democratic Party states:
We believe:
Marriage, as a legal union of consenting adults, should not be restricted by sexual orientation or gender identity.
Brumback, incidentally, was formerly a Republican precinct committee officer. Amazingly, word from the Yakima County Democrats is that they’re likely to endorse him. So that leaves the question, is Scott Brumback going to come around on the issue of marriage equality, or is the Democratic Party going to make a mockery of their commitment to civil rights by inviting an anti-equality candidate into the fold? Answer me this, Yakima County Democrats: are civil rights negotiable?
Cross-posted at Washblog.
8 Comments
I still remember the 1998 state Democratic convention, when support for equal marriage was first added to the platformThis was when I was still an avid, active member of the Washington Democratic Party. In February 1998, we organized and worked hard to get a platform resolution supporting equal marriage passed at the district caucuses. The resolution passed on to most of the county caucuses in April, and enough of those passed the resolution to bring it to the floor of the state convention that June. (Despite our work, the State Legislature — with a slight Dem majority in the Senate and an equally divided House — passed the Washington
DenialDefense Of Marriage Act that spring.)The procedure was to propose a “blanket” pass of all resolutions. During the discussion part of the motion, various resolutions were struck out for separate motions; the equal marriage resolution was one of them. When it was moved, several state Representatives and Senators were adamantly opposed to any such plank: they were God-fearing Christians, their consituents were devout religious folks, and they were NOT going to let the state party endorse such an abomination!
Then Janice Van Cleve — a transgender woman, long-time activist in the Seattle community and the prime mover behind this resolution — took the floor. She explained to these politicos that the platform was nothing more than a piece of election-year propaganda, and that legislators were in no way obligated to support, endorse or otherwise act in favor of any plank therein. “We are not the GOP with enforced standards of ideology.”
The resolution was passed very narrowly, and I have adamantly refused to have anything to do with the state Democratic Party ever since.
So yes, there are an awful lot of bigoted Democrats in the Washington party. They don’t care about what is in the platform: they don’t have to care, as every last plank and position are optional. The platform is, according to the State Convention of 1998, nothing more than election year propaganda anyway.
And as for the county organization endorsing him, why shouldn’t they if he is the only Democrat that makes the general election ballot? After all, the one and only thing that matters is getting more people into the legislature who have a D after their name than have a R.
after 12 additional years of hard work,i think the atmosphere has changed a lot and for the better in washington concerning marriage equality. we’re not where we want to be, but we’re far better off now than we were in 1998. the many pieces of landmark legislation passed in this past 3 or 4 years is proof of that: hate crimes, safe schools, non-discrimination, domestic partnerships. the work is paying off and we even have some republican friends. it’s fair to criticize the state of the state in 1998, but i hope nobody makes the mistake of assuming that was was must and will always be.
Looks like people in District 14 will have to hold their noses at the pollsand vote for a Republican.
“He also said he probably would have voted against…”So he’s telling us he didn’t vote? On an issue of such vital importance to him?
What’s all the hoopla about. He IS a Democrat. Brumback has the same position on same sex marriage as Obama, Clinton and most of the leaders of the Democrats.
He’s a perfect representative of Democrats, not the dwindling number of GLBT voters who still have delusions about them, but the party’s inner core.
And at least Brumback didn’t sabotage SSM in California. Obama did. And he didn’t sign DADT or DOMA. That was Clinton.
If you vote Democrat Brumbeck and Obama are what you get.
A Republican will call you a queer, faggot, dyke or tranny to your face and then sneer.
A Democrat, on the other hand, will wait until you leave the room, sneer, and then call you a queer, faggot, dyke or tranny.
Vote against the Democrats on Tuesday, November 2nd. Or just don’t vote.
Vote against the Republicans on Tuesday, November 2nd. Or just don’t vote
he wasn’t in the legislature thenhe’s trying to unseat the incumbent, a republican, who did vote for the domestic partnership law.
The Washington Legislature has a clear pro-equality democratic majorityYour blanket statements do not apply here. We need to recognize that there are legislators and other public servants who truly do believe in and work towards equal protection of the laws. That shouldn’t be too surprising, since the electorate itself is pro-equality. Remember, in 2009 Washington became the first state in the nation to approve a domestic partnership law at the polls. And a fully comprehensive one at that. I am proud of this state and its legislature and governor.
That’s fine for Washington and California. two states where many, but not all. Democrat legislators are anti-GLBT.In states where we have large densities and activist communities we often win local battles, although little in the way of comprehensive change. Nevertheless, Lurleen, it’s true that in many other states plenty of Democrats can be counted on to side with their bigot buddies across the aisle to cause us trouble, especially on questions relating to the rights of transgendered folks, HIV/AIDS prevention and same sex marriage.
We all have to be pleased that our struggle, as opposed to the generosity of Democrats and Republicans, has forced some legislatures and some courts to grant us what’s ours by right.
The fact remains though, that the key leaders of the Democrat Party are bigots like Obama or bigot panderers like Barney Frank. The Republicans are just as bad on LGBT issues but a good deal more honest about it. Democrats gave us DADT and DOMA and now ENDA, weak as it is, may be delayed for quite a while, especially if Republicans cash in on Obama’s bungling the Gulf spill, his four wars and the economy, which seems likely.
Domestic partnerships are for second class citizens, those whom the legislature judges not quite good enough to have the rights everyone else has. Domestic partnerships and civil unions are a step to the side, avoiding the question of full rights, not a step forward.
A Republican will call you a queer, faggot, dyke or tranny to your face and then sneer.
A Democrat, on the other hand, will wait until you leave the room, sneer, and then call you a queer, faggot, dyke or tranny.
Vote against the Democrats on Tuesday, November 2nd. Or just don’t vote.
Vote against the Republicans on Tuesday, November 2nd. Or just don’t vote