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News: Simmie Williams, Bill Richardson, Tyra Banks, Darfur

· Still no suspects after the murder of Simmie Williams Jr, the 17-year-old killed last month in Florida after an altercation with two men men who made anti-gay remarks. "That Fort Lauderdale's mayor hasn't said anything about [the] incident isn't surprising, since he still seems more passionately obsessed with men's rooms than Larry "Wide Stance" Craig," notes an op-ed in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

· Tyra Banks looking to leave America's Next Top Model? "Banks is feuding with photo-shoot creative director Jay Manuel to such an extent that the two don't even speak. OK also reports that Banks barely hangs out with the contestants and shows up only on judging days."

· Little Rock mega-church unveils 30 minute "sitcom-length Sunday worship service."

· American Airlines cancels 300 flights to "perform maintenance checks on its fleet of MD-80 aircraft [and] might have to cancel additional flights Thursday.

· Survey: "87 percent of Americans believe in the concept of 'sin' and most say racism is considered a sin," explains Frank Lockwood at Bible Belt Blogger. "Republicans are more likely than Democrats to call racism a sin. Conservatives are more likely than liberals. And Southerners are more likely than Northerners to label racism as “sin.” Part of the reason for the gap? Republicans, conservatives and Southerners are more likely to believe in the concept of sin overall."

· Fox News debates the significance of Gov. Bill Richardson's new facial hair. One "Democratic" strategist says the New Mexico governor wants to feel more "macho" because "after Al Gore lost his election, he also grew a beard. And I think it has to do with being sort of macho and wanting to feel like a man after you've lost something."

· Three relief workers with the United Nations World Food Program are "killed by bandits in separate attacks over the past week in Sudan's war-stricken western Darfur. ... The attacks highlight the security dangers in Sudan, where the world's biggest humanitarian operation is trying to cope with the crisis in Darfur while aid agencies are trying to help the south rebuild after decades of civil war."

Stage Directions for Richardson: "Turn Toward Obama and Smile"

Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic publishes the text of the "endorsement" speech given by Gov. Bill Richardson to Sen. Barack Obama. Oops. Someone forgot to remove the stage directions.

I know Senator Obama well.

I first got to know him when I chaired the last Democratic National Convention, where he gave that wonderful keynote address.

And then, last year, as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, I came to fully appreciate his steadfast patriotism and remarkable talents.

I also felt a kinship with him because we both had one foreign-born parent and we both lived abroad as children.

In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation’s special responsibilities in the world.

[Turn toward Obama and smile]

Barack Obama, you are an extraordinary leader who has shown courage, sound judgment and wisdom throughout your career.

You understand the security challenges of the 21st century, and you will be an outstanding Commander in Chief.

Turn toward Obama and smile. "Just words"?

Stage Directions Anyone? [Marc Ambinder]

More BILL RICHARDSON
More OBAMA

Some Background ...
Richardson Endorses Obama [R20]
Richardson Ends Presidential Bid [R20]
Richardson "Can Use a More Support from Gays" [R20]
"I'm the Most Pro-Gay Candidate" [R20]
Democrats Debate Homopohobia, Racism,HIV [R20]
Democratic Candidates Debate Gay Issues [R20]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate + PDF]

Richardson Endorses Obama

Some good news for the Barack Obama campaign. Former Democratic presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson endorses his former competitor. At a rally in Portland, Oregon, the governor "said the Illinois senator demonstrated his leadership abilities this week with his speech on race. 'You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader,' the governor said from the stage. 'Above all, you will be a president who brings this nation together.' "

Richardson—probably angling for the vice presidential slot—boasts an absolutely stellar resumé and the endorsement gives the Obama campaign some much-needed foreign policy bragging rights. The endorsement may have more impact around Super Tuesday or going into Texas, but it comes as a gift now, coming after the past five or six news cycles, which have been brutal.

Richardson is the nation's only Hispanic governor and there is some speculation this will give Obama traction with the Latino vote, which so far is going for Clinton two to one. Eh, probably not. Outside of New Mexico and Texas, Richardson, who is Mexican-American, probably doesn't have much of a constituency, Hispanic or otherwise. None of the states in the remaining primary roster boast a significant Hispanic population.

The Richardson endorsement is (somewhat) significant because it's another superdelegate for Obama and may create more supers to move. On the other hand, it raises more questions on the "will of the people argument." Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake quotes Richardson speaking on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer when he said, "Superdelegates should vote according to who they represent. If somebody's appointed as a superdelegate because they're Hispanic or a governor, they should pay attention to what their voters and their constituencies are saying." Richardson, Jane notes, "seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth on this one. New Mexico went for Clinton, and Hispanics in the New Mexico caucuses went 2-1 for Clinton. If Richardson thinks superdelegates should 'vote according to who they represent,' who does he think he's representing?"

That's a good question. Let's ask Deval Patrick, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.

NM Gov. Bill Richardson Endorses Obama [AP]
Unanswered Questions of Richardson's Endorsement [FDL]

More BILL RICHARDSON

Some Background ...
Richardson Ends Presidential Bid [R20]
Richardson "Can Use a More Support from Gays" [R20]
"I'm the Most Pro-Gay Candidate" [R20]
Democrats Debate Homopohobia, Racism,HIV [R20]
Democratic Candidates Debate Gay Issues [R20]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate + PDF]

News: New Mexico, Mary J Blige, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Edwards

With the full support of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a domestic partner bill that died in the state legislature last year gets a new lease on life and passes the House on a 33 - 31 vote. Under the bill, "couples would be guaranteed access to each other in hospitals and be able to make medical decisions for partners" and the state "will recognize same-sex marriages from other states as having the legal rights as a domestic partnership in New Mexico."

· Mary J. Blige, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood are announced as performers at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Beyonce previously announced she would perform at the Grammys, "even before an agreement was reached" with the striking Writer’s Guild of America.

· More on Mary J. Blige: The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, who once had her own well documented problems with drugs in the 90s, "is praying for singer Amy Winehouse to pull through her" highly publicized addictions. "Amy always tells the truth in her songs - be it about her problems or whatever - but it always comes across as the truth. It gives you the chills and it makes your stomach hurt and it's that kind of truth which is powerful."

· Maryland: More than a quarter of state lawmakers have signed up to sponsor a bill that would legalize same-sex marriages. Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch "prefer civil unions. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller opposes both same-sex marriage and civil unions."

· The governor of Puerto Rico will not block a referendum to ban on same-sex marriage.

· Microsoft Q4 earnings jump 81% "thanks mostly to strong sales of its Windows software."

· Jennifer Vanasco at LOGO's Visible Vote '08 on last night's gay and lesbian fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at Hiro: "She won us over by talking about how, after she and Bill named their daughter Chelsea Clinton, friends started asking them why she was named after two neighborhoods in New York. ... But Hillary was most impressive in the way she used her time to talk specifics. She quickly ran down what she was actually going to do to improve the economy and American life."

· The New York Times interviews Democratic presidential John Edwards who explains his plan for universal heath care, described by Republican detractors "as a back-door route to a so-called single-payer government system. Mr. Edwards brushed off that critique. 'There is nothing back-door about it," he said. "It’s right through the front door. We’re going to let America decide what health care system works for them.' "

Richardson Ends Presidential Bid

After a poor showing in the two early contests, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson decides to end his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for president of the United States," he told supporters in Santa Fe. "It's been an exhilarating and humbling year. An experience I will treasure and I will never forget."

Bill Richardson has posted several times at Bilerico and the site's publisher, Bil Browning, was among the first with the news and the scoop that Richardson would not endorse a candidate. The governor is very progressive and supportive of LGBT rights—background HERE and HERE—but ran afoul of the community over his comments at the LOGO presidential forum that suggested homosexuality was a choice.

In a field dominated by the so-called "rock star" candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the governor often expressed frustration "when speaking to crowds, saying that while he had the experience to win, the front-runners were making that impossible by out-spending him 20 to 1. Such was the case in New Hampshire, where the Governor spent a mere $500,000 on ads compared to the $4.5 million each spent by Senators Obama and Clinton."

Richardson added diversity to the already diverse Democratic field, and, as a Mexican-American would have been the first Latino elected to the White House. He boasts an absolutely stellar resumé, having been elected to a second term as New Mexico governor in 2006, serving for 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and, served as Ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton Administration.

More BILL RICHARDSON

Some Background ...
Richardson "Can Use a More Support from Gays" [R20]
"I'm the Most Pro-Gay Candidate" [R20]
Democrats Debate Homopohobia, Racism,HIV [R20]
Democratic Candidates Debate Gay Issues [R20]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]

News: Federal Benefits, Hillary, Richardson, Tyson Beckford

Legislation is introduced in the Senate to provide domestic partner benefits to federal employees. The bill introduced by Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) has 19 co-sponsors and would enable a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner "to participate in federal health benefits, the Family and Medical Leave program, long term care, insurance, and retirement benefits. More than half of Fortune 500 companies and almost 10,000 other firms provide benefits to domestic partners, along with "hundreds of state and local governments and scores of colleges and universities.

· Happy birthday Tyson Beckford! The supermodel, actor and all-around Rod 2.0 fave turns 37 this week. Tyson's new reality competition show for Bravo, Make Me a Supermodel, launches in the new year.

· Citing the Bush Administration’s "failure" to treat global warming seriously, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) plans to sue the federal government after the EPA denied a waiver for the state’s tough greenhouse gas emissions law. At least eight other states will join.

· Climate Progress deconstructs the stripped-down energy bill signed by the President earlier this week: "The headline is a 35-mpg CAFE standard for cars produced 13 years from now. Big whoop... The reality is no removal of tax breaks for Big Oil; no 15% renewable standards for utilities; no plug-in hybrid incentives. Incentives for wind and solar were stripped ..."

· The Washington Blade endorses Hillary Clinton for president: "Why Hillary? Her chief rival, Obama, has disappointed in the debates, appearing to lack confidence and talking mostly in generalities ...

[I]n the end, Hillary Rodham Clinton stands the best chance of sending the Republicans into eight years of a well-deserved political wilderness. She’s smart, tenacious, hard working and willing to cede the spotlight in the interest of bipartisan cooperation. She has marched in our Pride parades, promised unprecedented access to her administration and backed nearly all of our issues."

· In the same issue of the Blade, Gov. Bill Richardson is the subject of an exclusive, in-depth interviews. (More on Richardson's gay positions HERE and HERE.) Chris Crain describes Richardson's plea as "an eloquent case for support from gay Democrats" but "unfortunately, even heart-breakingly, it all comes too late. Richardson came close but never broke out of the second tier."

Hillary Clinton Campaign Pledges $50 Billion in HIV/AIDS Financing

Perhaps in light of recent developments, the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton quickly defuses a potential public relations nightmare with gay activists and HIV/AIDS advocates and signs a pledge that commits "the next president to investing $50 billion by 2013 to combat AIDS around the world." The New York Times:

ACT UP, a coalition of gay and lesbian activists, had been planning a demonstration against Mrs. Clinton on Tuesday in Philadelphia, where the Democratic presidential candidates are meeting for a debate. Some activists had been complaining that she had not signed the pledge.

But when [The New York Times] contacted the Clinton campaign, a spokesman said that Mrs. Clinton would sign the pledge shortly; moments later she did.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is the only other Democratic presidential candidate who has signed he global HIV/AIDS pledge. John Edwards (here) and Barack Obama (here) have issued their own AIDS plans and "have agreed to many of the pledge’s goals but have not signed" the global Stop AIDS proposal."

Clinton has received strong marks from HIV/AIDS activists, especially from women and blacks after addressing the racial disparities that now characterize the pandemic. "If HIV-AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34," Sen. Clinton remarked at a forum in June at Howard University. "There would be an outraged outcry in this country,”

Clinton runs a pitch-perfect, general election strategy in the primaries and continues to surge ahead. The brand new Rasmussen Poll in New Hampshire shows the birthday girl—she reached the big 6-0 on Friday—holds "a sixteen point lead over Barack Obama" and a 23 percent lead among women.

More HILLARY CLINTON.
More HIV/AIDS.
More POLITICS.

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Democratic Presidential Candidates on Gonzales: "It's About Time"

In Washington and on the campaign trail, the Democratic response to the Gonzales resignation was a collective sigh of relief and a huge "It's about time."

Speaking at the the Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum in Cedar Rapids, Sen. John Edwards introduced a new initiative to fight cancer and suggested those survivors should already be protected "by the nation's anti-discrimination laws and the justice department" and seized the moment to note "now that we've finally gotten rid of Alberto Gonzalez, I will have an attorney general who vigorously pursues the rights of Americans."

Sen. Hillary Clinton, also at the cancer forum, noted the next attorney general should "care about the rule of law more than he cares about protecting the president." The senator cited issues such as " torture, surveillance, military commissions, [and] the firing of U.S. Attorneys" and noted "we need to be especially vigilant and strong in making sure that whoever the president appoints will work with the Congress to bring us back from this precipice that this administration has put us on."

Barack Obama described himself as "pleased" and says Gonzales had long "subverted justice to promote a political agenda".

From the campaign trail in Iowa, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says the Gonzales resignation "is long overdue. The President must nominate an Attorney General who is a lawyer for the American people not a political arm of the White House."

Sen. Joe Biden's blog pointed to a March statement calling for Gonzales' resignation. Biden is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and voted against the confirmation of President Bush's nomination of Alberto Gonzales.

The AP rounds-up reaction to Gonzales' resignation from prominent Democratic and Republican lawmakers and officials.

HRC/Logo Presidential Forum: Notes on the Morning After

Six of the eight Democratic presidential candidates were put on the spot last night at the Human Rights Campaign/Logo Presidential Forum. (Live blogs on Rod 2.0, Advocate Insider, Huffington Post and Pam Spaulding.) The forum on gay and lesbian issues ranged from questions on adoption to religion but the vast majority of the questions focused on same-sex marriage.

The forum was held in a Los Angeles studio that resembled a talk show set and many of the live studio audience were newsmakers within the LGBT community—Susan Stanton, the dismissed transgender city manager from Florida; retired Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, the first U.S. service member injured in the Iraq war.

The candidates appeared one at a time and answered questions from a panel that included Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, singer Melissa Etheridge and Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart. HRC and Logo have been criticized for selecting rock star Melissa Etheridge as one of the three panelists. Indeed her questions were lengthy and sometimes (painfully) self-aware but Etheridge was responsible for two of the most memorable moments of the evening.

Etheridge asked Gov. Bill Richardson if he believed sexuality was biological or a choice. "It's a choice," he said. Etheridge rephrased the question—"I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say"—but the governor stumbled over his words and didn't change his answer, offering only, 'I'm not a scientist. I don't see this as an issue of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as people as a matter of human decency.'

Richardson explains his confusion to Queerty: "I just simply made a mistake. I misunderstood the question. My impression - I thought it was a tricky science question, where you put politics into science. I think the word Melissa used was "biological". Since I use "choice" so much, I'm so committed to choice - a woman's right to choose - I thought that was the appropriate answer."

The other Etheridge moment was when she told Sen. Hillary Clinton that she "came out [as a lesbian] the week that Bill Clinton was inaugurated as president. 'It was wonderful. We were very, very hopeful, and in the years that followed, our hearts were broken. We were thrown under the bus. We were pushed aside. Al those great promise were made to us.' "

The question crystallized much of the gay antipathy that surrounds Clinton's presidential campaign. "Well, you know, obviously Melissa, I don't see it quite the way that you describe but I respect your feelings," the senator responded.

Clinton was asked about her opposition to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to explain why she hasn't brought up a bill for its repeal in the Senate Armed Services Committee. The answer was very strategic: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a very "transitional solution" and its enactment has been flawed, she explained. "Up until now, the Republicans have controlled Congress" and certainly the Bush Administration would be opposed. "Rather than fight a losing battle. I'll work to repeal it when in my Administration."

Mrs. Clinton also referenced Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva who was sitting in the front row. No other candidate did this.

It probably was no coincidence that Jonathan Capehart posed a question regarding the homophobia in the black church to Barack Obama.

"I've already done so," the candidate said. "Some of you saw at the Howard debate, I specifically raised homophobia as an impediment to dealing with HIV/AIDS. I don't only discuss homophobia with the HRC. I remember setting up a meeting with ministers with Harold Ford," he added, mentioning the former Tennessee congressman and current chairman of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. "I told them, if they think same-sex marriage is the most important issue" facing "the black family, which is under siege, than the fact that black men don't have jobs, I respectfully disagree."

Obama also said that he didn't want to be held to a higher standard because he was black, which is a very good point t keep in mind. I want to do what is right," he said, and repeated this on a conference call with reporters.

Most of the questions—indeed the first question of the evening—were devoted to same-sex marriage. That is certainly a key issue among the base but it's a non-starter because 44 or 45 states already prohibit same-sex unions. It probably would have been more productive to discuss repealing Section 3 of DOMA or strategies around ENDA or Hate Crimes, two pieces of legislation that would affect the entire country and are supported by much of the population. It's also curious that more discussion wasn't given to health care or HIV/AIDS, which is a tremendous issue for the working poor, women, families and minorities.

However, the live presidential forum was historic, if for no other reason than it happened. The logistics were considerable and it's no small feat that all of the major players attended and this was broadcast live—everyone knows that or background is television news, so this was no small feat. Congrats to the Human Rights Campaign and Logo for pulling off a major production. If you missed the forum, it will be rebroadcast tonight on Logo. Clips and video on demand are available at Visible Vote 08.

Some Background ...

HRC/Logo Forum: Richardson: Sexuality a "Choice" [R20]
HRC/Logo Forum: Obama Conference Call [R20]
Rod 2.0 on Logo [R20]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate]
Reverend Gene Robinson on Endorsing Obama [Advocate]
Obama Campaign Names Gay Supporters [R20]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
Obama and Edwards on DOMA [R20]
Obama Campaign Names Gay Supporters [R20]
Memo to Mr. Geffen: Get Over It [R20]
Video of CNN Comparing Obama to Axis of Evil [R20]
CNN Compares Barack Obama to Ahmadinejad [R20]
"Would You Let a White Supremacist..." [R20]
Hillary vs Obama [R20]
"Christians" Opposed to Obama [R20]
Obama Strategist Behind Hillary Big Brother Ad [R20]
Clinton Launches LGBT Steering Committee [R20]
Democrats Debate Homopohobia, Racism,HIV [R20]
Democratic Candidates Debate Gay Issues [R20]
Clinton Names Prominent Gay Supporters [R20]
Clinton Camp Targets Gay and Lesbian Donors [R20]
Clinton, Edwards Oppose Surgeon General Nominee [R20]

HRC/Logo Presidential Forum: Bill Richardson: Sexuality a "Choice"

Gov. Bill Richardson has an incredible résumé but consistently fails to hit the mark in these debates. Tonight he crashed and burned. (MORE)

Richardson was asked did he believe sexuality was a choice. "Yes."

Melissa Etheridge—who has been doing most of the questioning tonight—does her best to ask the candidate to qualify his response. "I'm not a scientist," he explains. "But I don’t see this as science or a definition, I see this as people but I don’t like to categorize people..." He lost us. (MORE)

Richardson attempts to explain his record—New Mexico is only one of five or six states that does not have a statewide Defense of Marriage Act or constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage, he called his legislation into special session to expand domestic partnerships—which is actually very good but he continues to stumble on the "choice" question. "I've been outspoken on these issues and supportive," the governor says.

Richardson also calls sexuality a "lifestyle."

We've said this several times before: Richardson has impeccable credentials but suffers from a certain lack of strategic thinking. It's not that he isn't strong on the issues—he is very strong but consistently has foot-in-mouth. Good luck on the campaign trail.