Reply #34: If you are going to lecture us about our lack of knowledge

[dsc]

you might, just might, get your own facts correct. In the post you site, you said that funding for AIDS research and treatment went down under Clinton. That is categorically false. I can link the data but can't copy it here. The Clinton budgets are 1994 through 2001. In 5 of those 8 years the increases were double digit with one of those years being a 24% increase. By contrast in the four Bush years one was double digit (2002), two were single digit, and 2005 was less than 1%. I will grant that some of the percent increases under Reagan were much larger but the base was much smaller.

http://search.conduit.com/Results.aspx?q=aids+research+funding+federal+government&ctid=CT1060933&octid=CT1060933

Go to second link

As to the other points. I am shocked, shocked, that the Republican blames Clinton. Gee what a surprise. But, unfortunately for both of you, I actually was around in 1993 and know what actually happened. First, this wasn't a huge part of his campaign. He went on a MTV forum and was asked about it and answered that he wanted gays to be able to serve openly. During his transition, Clinton reiterated his promise. At the time they honestly believed that he could do what Truman did in regards to African Americans. Turned out he couldn't. He needed Congress to change the law. He simply got beat. And while there were more than a few Democrats who belong on a wall of shame here (Sam Nunn comes to mind) the vast overwhelming majority of the opposition was GOP. Dole, Powell, and Ginrich are three examples. DADT was a defeat inflicted upon Clinton, not Clinton's original program.

As to the marriage issue. Marriage will not happen in the federal legislature. It just won't. We need 61 Senate votes and no Senator from any of the following states will support marriage. FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, OK, AR, TN, SC, NC, VA, WV, MO, NE, UT, KY, ID, ND, and SD. Assuming we got every single other vote in all the rest of the states we still don't have the 61 votes we need. We will win this with judges, or we won't win it at all. Hillary, and every other Democratic candidate, will appoint judges who are vastly more likely to give us that win.

For the record, I haven't made up my mind in this primary season, but I will stand up for any candidate who is being told stories on.