Politics Ladenburg vs. McKenna
posted by on July 31 at 9:40 AM
I’m listening to Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg on KUOW right now.
Ladenburg is running for Washington state Attorney General, challenging Republican incumbent Rob McKenna. A caller asked about gay marriage and Ladenburg said that he supports civil unions, not marriage equality, but added that the state should treat everyone equally and perhaps it was a mistake for the state to get into the marriage business at all, since marriage is a religious institution wocka wocka wocka. Ladenburg wants to swing both ways on marriage equality: He’s against marriage rights for same-sex couples, he’s for civil unions, but he believes the state should treat everyone equally. But wouldn’t equal treatment require the state to allow same-sex couples to marry or to get out of the marriage business entirely and make only civil unions available to all couples, gay and straight?
Steve Scher, perhaps not wanting to put the Democrat on the spot, neglected to ask this obvious follow up.
I’ll probably vote for Ladenburg in the fall—his position on marriage equality is indistinguishable from this guy’s position—but I’ll do it with some reservations. Rob McKenna is a GOP hack and all, but he is the only female-to-male transsexual that has ever won a state-wide race in Washington state. I want to be a good Democrat, but I also want to support FTM visibility and McKenna helps break down stereotypes about transsexuals.
Man, this is a tough one.
I'm no fan of the guy, but I agree with the Sierra Club that he's the best candidate for Attorney General.
Ever since your original "outing" of his trans-gender status in your election issue a few years ago, I haven't been able to see a picture of McKenna without the fact being painfully obvious -- I'm surprised none of the other media outlets have caught on!
The State has no place defining marriage of any type: gay, straight or otherwise.
If you want to have benefits that apply to you and one or more other persons, then that's all you have to say. Especially now that adding people to things like health care requires a fee anyway, it should just be something like "You may add 1 to 5 people to your health care plan...they don't have to be related to you."
Marriage is a religious ceremony. The State should not define it (or enforce it). The taxpayers should not fund it (do away with tax penalties for single people).
Um... Isn't it misogyny to ridicule someone for being female?
If I called him a "cocksucker" as an insult, would that not be homophobia?
Why not leave his gender out of the discussion?
Ridicule? Savage is giving him props.
"Rob McKenna is a GOP hack and all, but he is the only female-to-male transsexual that has ever won a state-wide race in Washington state."
That made me choke on my breakfast. Nice one, Dan!
@4 - nah, we do it to ECB all the time.
McKenna's politics stink, but he runs a professional, nonpartisan law office. That's what we hire attorneys general for. Or that's what we should elect attorneys general to do. A leftist attorney general who politicizes her office is a bad attorney general. We have a known quantity who does his job well vs. Ladenberg, who perhaps will do a good job or perhaps not. Of course, voting for McKenna may advance his ambitions, which would not be good. As governor, for example, it's all politics. Tough call.
Rob McKenna is a GOP hack and all, but he is the only female-to-male transsexual that has ever won a state-wide race in Washington state.
OMG! I thought I was the only person on earth who thought McKenna must have once been "Robin" or "Roberta."
Ladenburg likely supports gay Marriage but, like most politicians fears losing the freak-o religious vote if he makes a blanket statement. Thus, the dancing around.
He did March in Pride though.
Mckenna seems unsavory on Soooo many levels...and frighteningly power-hungry. Blah Blah Blah
Ladenburg likely supports gay Marriage but, like most politicians fears losing the freak-o religious vote if he makes a blanket statement. Thus, the dancing around.
He did March in Pride though.
Mckenna seems unsavory on Soooo many levels...and frighteningly power-hungry. Blah Blah Blah
LMAO...
but when will we hear how he overcame gender dysphoria??? Cue Dr. Marcy Bowers for an expert's view....
@11 is right. Ladenburg has been supportive of the gay community in Pierce County, which takes more guts than it does for someone in a similar position in Seattle or King County.
It's so hard to tell when you're joking sometimes.
How can we get someone to ask McKenna the transgendered question at a press conference? Pretty please?
the FTM thing is a joke. the stranger started it. were he really an FTM, someone would have found out long, long ago.
FTMs are not a joke, Scary Tyler Moore. I'm shocked at you.
@7: So if you do it all the time to ECB... I think that definitely means it's misogyny.
Just because people use "female" as an insult "all the time" doesn't mean it's not offensive every time.
without joking - I bet McKenna was often called fag in high school..... very femmy guy
he is very right and lots of smarts in the political world ... yes he will run for Gov. next time for the Rs ... beware Dems.
Sweet blond Rob makes Rossi look like the scum he is ... and not too bright to boot ... beware, he can rebuild the Republican party in Washington to powerhouse status
@18 - no, it's not misogyny. We don't do it to annie or most female writers.
Just ECB.
I never thought of McKenna as particularly "femmy". I did always think it was strange that we elected an 11-year-old as AG, though. Makes it kind of hard to take him seriously when he talks all tough-on-crime.
"Oh that's very good, Robbie! Isn't he a pip!"
@15 Well...Mckenna's office has FINALLY called me back re a BSL issue...Only after King 5 did some follow up.
His office was suddenly apologetic that my 4 unanswered e-mails and 2 phone calls had been "overlooked".
I'd be Happy to slip the transgender question in should I have the chance.It's not a press conference, but it'd still be fun.
Republican FTM's are a subset of the Log Cabin Republicans. Or as Barney Frank refers to said members: "Uncle Tom's Log Cabin Republicans".
Ask my opponents if they are for marriage equality and then go to my website: www.blossforthe36th.com
Leslie Bloss
Ask my opponents if they are for marriage equality and then check out my website: www.blossforthe36th.com
Leslie Bloss
for State House Rep., 36th District, Position #1.
Ask my opponents if they are for marriage equality and then check out my website: www.blossforthe36th.com
Leslie Bloss
for State House Rep., 36th District, Position #1.
Welcome to the world of Slog commenting, Leslie Bloss!
FYI, it's the European approach to marriage: all marriages are civil, and people have the option of also having a church wedding, too, if they want to be "married in the eyes of God." I think that's a good solution to the marriage equality issue: let governments provide statutory unions to everyone, and those who want to be church-married can go have one at their church (for gay people, including their churches if they wed same sex couples, and some do).
@24-26 for the EPIC FAIL!
Here goes Dan Savage, insulting the trans population again, by drawing association with a politician he doesn't like.
Way to go, again, Dan. For shame. Your actions and words still define yourself as the long archetypal drag queen, showing your misogyny through mockery.
Wow. Sometimes you really surprise me, Dan.
I live in Washington state AND am FTM, and even I didn't know that Rob McKenna was transsexual. I really need to read you more, LOL! ^_^
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