Liberal Hypocricy

Mordecai's critics are right. It is liberal hypcircy to give dems like even the progessively dreamy Paul Wellstone a free pass on their support of DOMA and criticize the current crop of queer hating republicans. And contrary to some assessments, DOMA was not an isolated incident in the Clinton years but part and parcel of his New Democrat centerism. Things like Welfare "Reform," our response to Rwanda etc, and an often anti-labor stance were integral to a Democratic Party and Clinton administration that was anything but liberal. I too miss Clinton, but not because he is any sort of ideal, only because he's not GWB: to put it another way-genital herpes ain't HIV, but it ain't great either. This valorization of the Clinton years has to stop. I hate Ralph Nader as much as the next guy but that doesn't mean the Democratic Party, or whatever eventual alternative we might in some great future be able to build ("build," as in it is no where near built at this point, being operative here) should look anything like the poor hating, queer exploiting, African-American taking for granted, god obsessed, antihumanitarian, free market loving, anti-organized labor party that Clinton helped to solidify.
On another brief note. After souring one of my political mentors and idols above (Wellstone) it is worth noting that two years after he voted for DOMA, he became incredibly vocal about the wrongheadedness of his vote. In print and speeches he criticized himself and vowed never to be on the wrong side again when it came to the social and constitutional rights of gays, lesbians and all Americans. Not a no vote, but about as good an apology as I've ever seen.