Spitzer To Push For Gay Marriage

If there is any doubt Spitzer is spending his political capital like a drunken sailor, I give you his push for gay marriage to a divided legislature.

Spitzer is a strong support of gay marriage and has vowed to work to make New York the second state to legalize it, and the first to do it by legislation.

Some polls have shown a small majority of New Yorkers support gay marriage. A larger majoriity support civil unions and domestic partnerships. More over, although I have no proof of this, my belief is that to most New Yorkers, gay marriage is low on the issues meter; meaning if it was legalized, the large minority who opposes it would not suddenly begin rioting and picketing, nor would it destroy Spitzer or the state's Democratic Party.

Still, Spitzer's chances of getting a bill to sign into law are slim. Although a majority in the legislature supports it, some Democrats oppose it and the Republicans still control the State Senate.

While I applaud the Governor's spending of political capital to do what's right, perhaps if this fails, he should consider civil unions as a means to begin giving legal rights to gays and lesbians now, with gay marriage coming down the pike. Progress takes time, remember.