The big contrast: inclusion

There are many contrasts between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

One that was very obvious at their conventions has to do with equal rights for all.   The Repubican party platform calls for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.  Can you imagine it?   They want to enshrine the banning of equal rights in the Constitution?  It's "We the People . . . unless you love the wrong person."

Of course it will not happen;  the Founding Fathers made it hard to amend on purpose.   Three-fourths of the states would have to ratify it -- when only 45% still oppose gay marriage and 53% support it.   And these polls were before President Obama and the Democratic convention endorsed it so strongly.

No, the GOP is safe in pandering to their extreme right wing for political gain on this.   They'll get credit for the lip service from their bigoted base, and then won't have to deal with because it won't gain the state support required.

In contrast, at the Democratic convention, speaker after speaker mentioned gay equality in a very positive way.  And always, without fail, there was a surge of applause from the audience.  Contrast that audience support with the audience that booed the mention of a gay soldier at one of the GOP primary debates.  It was not just the Democratic convention speakers who identified themselves as gay or lesbian, or the young man who had been invited to speak about being raised by two moms.

It was in the platform and proudly proclaimed by the big name speakers:   Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Joe Biden, and the president himself, who we all know gave his leadership to end DADT, to support marriage equality, and to end DOMA.

That is what inclusion and a commitment to equality looks like;  that is what it feels like.

Ralph