by A. Caleb Pritt

When former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer announced he might run for President in 2012, Caleb was encouraged and intrigued. But that didn’t last long — especially after reading what Roemer had to say about marriage equality and DOMA.

One of the first political campaigns I ever remember was the 1991 Louisiana Governor’s race. You had pretty much it all in that race. You had a gambler and colorful former Governor who was known to party in Vegas with strippers (Edwin Edwards). You had the former Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan and an American Nazi who had cleaned up his image and bought 30 minute paid infomercials where he talked about values we later learned he didn’t believe in (David Duke).

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, at campaign event for presidential candidate John McCain in Kenner, Louisiana. 4 Jun 2008. From Wikimedia Commons."][/caption]Then you had a progressive governor of Louisiana who was fighting for reform (Buddy Roemer). This person had switched parties but had overhauled the state’s education system, imposed campaign finance laws, given raises not just to state teachers but also to state employees, and even though he was a social conservative he vetoed a bill that would have limited a woman’s right to choose. This governor justified the veto as opposing Roe v. Wade. It was a defining moment. There were two other lesser candidates who would go onto bigger and better things. There was a U.S. Congressman who had the endorsement of the sitting President of the United States but that did little for him otherwise (Clyde Holloway). And finally there was a woman who was on the Public Service Commission who thought she could make Governor but eventually withdrew at the last minute and went onto become first lieutenant governor and then later governor herself down the road (Kathleen Blanco).
 
But when Roemer said no to an attempt by state government to take away civil liberties, it was a defining moment for the “New South.” A region where governors in the 1960s like George C. Wallace, Jr. in Alabama or Lester Maddox in Georgia had used all means available including policemen with firehoses and angry dogs to attack civil rights demonstrators, were not used to these governors in the 1980s and into the 1990s like Bill Clinton in Arkansas, Ray Mabus in Mississippi, and Roemer in Louisiana who used the power of their office to protect and defend the constitution.
 
The ads for Roemer that year said boldly, “Don’t turn the clock back on Louisiana!” Sadly, the Klansman Duke would edge out Roemer for the runoff slot against Edwards. But Roemer left office with a sense of being a statesman and being a leader, not a follower.
 
Fast forward to 2011. I was encouraged and intrigued when I heard Roemer announce his presidential candidacy for 2012. As a Democrat, I still value the right to hear everyone speak before I vote, and honestly I have worried about the Republican Party. The Republicans of today are no longer the party of Wally Hickel, Michael Stepovich, and more nationally of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. and Nelson Rockefeller. Those Republicans believed in balanced budgets but also believed in less government intervention. Those Republicans believed in live and let live and defending an individual’s rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. So when Roemer announced his Presidential candidacy, I watched with eagerness. Here was a chance for the Republicans to redeem themselves. A chance to show they haven’t caved to the religious fundamentalism & Tea Party radicals who do not understand how to govern responsibly.
 
Roemer was more than a reform-minded governor. He had entered the U.S. Congress in 1977 as a deficit hawk. But his votes in Congress never were on the anti-gay side. In fact, he was one of the few Southern Congressmen in the initial stages of the AIDs virus to call for more funding for the CDC to study and hopefully eradicate this disease. He was a man who, while conservative, had a conscience.
 
The interest and eager respect of Roemer lasted all of one week. Initially the Huffington Post reported that Roemer was going to take a very hand’s off approach on gay marriage. He initially said it was a state issue and while he might not support it, he certainly was not going to tell others how to be in their state of choice, no pun intended.
 
The old campaign slogan about Roemer from his successful 1977 special Congressional race and 1987 successful race for Governor was, “Watch Out, Here Comes Buddy!” To echo that refrain, watch out, because here comes Buddy and while he sounds like a Democrat talking about education & taking only $100 per person campaign contributions, he had to restate his positions on GLBT issues. And the answer is not pretty.
 
As reported by the Huffington Post, Roemer has now “clarified his position.”  In an email to The Huffington Post, Roemer took umbrage with the write-up of an earlier interview he had done with the website. “The issue of gay marriage is one on which I am clear,” Roemer wrote.
 

As I said in the interview, I am a traditionalist on this issue as is my Methodist Church. A marriage is between a man and a woman. Gays will not be slandered by me or my church, but gay marriage is not an option.

The Defense of Marriage Act, with which I agree, prohibits the Federal Government from recognizing any marriage not between a man and a woman. Each state has the right to set these boundaries within its state, and I would stand with the traditionalists in my state and prohibit gay marriage.

Roemer added that if he were to be elected president, he would instruct his Justice Department to enforce DOMA — something that the Obama administration has decided not to do, citing concerns over constitutionality.

What a complete 180 for a man whose finest hour was defending civil liberties as governor. What’s even more sad is this is just one more saint — and I purposely mean little “s” — in politics who built a career and a reputation on integrity and a conscience and has not backslid into the depths of depravity to say or do whatever it takes to get elected. And Republicans are not the only party sadly with such backslidden saints. John Edwards….need I say more?

*SIGH*

Well, I had hopes for the Republicans. I still am a Democrat but should something happen, I would like to see nominees for president of both the major parties, for once in my lifetime, support & defend the Constitution as written in the oath of office and as their conscience should demand.

So looks like we have gay-bashing Mormon poster-boy (Mitt Romney), the last gasp of the Old South demagogues (Haley Barbour), Mr. I am against gay marriage but for civil unions though ten years ago I supported gay marriage, the Donald (Trump) himself, multi-married/multi-divorced anti-gay former Speaker & professional instigator (Newt Gingrich), and of course the Thrilla from Wasilla herself who “has some gay friends” (Sarah Palin) populating the Republican field for President. There also is that legend in his own mind who has such devoted followers that Jim Jones would have been jealous (Ron Paul).

To all my Log Cabin Republican friends I urge one thing….maybe you should write-in the following name, “L-I-S-A  M-U-R-K……”

Seriously, the Moral of the Story for the GLBT Community?

Let’s dance with the one who brung us….Barack Obama!