One of the things we see coming out of the Bernie camp is how evil the Clintons are for DOMA, even though public opinion 19 years ago was radically different than it is today regarding gay marriage. (Nevermind that 1996 was a presidential election year in which a Democrat, Bill Clinton, sought to be the first Democrat in what was then 60 years to win re-election, and he succeeded by a margin of 220 EVs and 8.5% points. That was a big thing back, especially since the concept of a "blue wall" was so radically new.) Let's also not forget Bernie's true record on this.
I am not defending such bigotry against gays that was held almost a generation ago, but at the same time, politics does kind of involve public opinion. It's not easy when by 3-1, voters were against marriage equality and veto-proof majorities existed in both houses of Congress with broad bipartisan support. LBJ and JFK didn't just stuff thru Civil Rights you know. Kennedy was criticized for going too slow on it, and LBJ probably wouldn't have gotten it thru but for the fog of the Kennedy assassination. He also used the n-word in WH conversations, as depicted in "The Butler."
However, while we're on the subject of policy vis a vis public opinion, let's look at one of the candidates, Bernie Sanders, on the issue of guns, especially since aspects gun violence, like mass shootings, are worse today than it was 19 years ago, unlike the LGBT situation.
Here's a good take:
In 1993, then-Rep. Sanders voted against the Brady Act, which mandated federal background checks for gun purchasers and restricted felons’ access to firearms. As a senator, Sanders supported bills to allow firearms in checked bags on Amtrak trains and block funding to any foreign aid organization that registered or taxed Americans’ guns. Sanders is dubious that gun control could help prevent gun violence, telling one interviewer after Sandy Hook that “if you passed the strongest gun control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.”...
But Sanders’ vote for a different kind of pro-gun bill is more puzzling—and profoundly disturbing. In 2005, a Republican-dominated Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). This law doesn’t protect gun owners; it protects gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers. The PLCAA was the No. 1 legislative priority of the National Rifle Association for years, because it shields gun makers and dealers from most liability when their firearms are used criminally. It is one of the most noxious pieces of pro-gun legislation ever passed. And Bernie Sanders voted for it. (Sanders’ campaign has not replied to a request for comment.)
Some are gonna say "what's the difference between triangulation on guns and gay rights?" Here's a big difference: even 22 years ago, when Brady was passed, gun control
was popular and had the
support of
the public:
Weirdly enough, while America has gotten more progressive on almost everything else, guns is the exception to the rule. 20+ years ago, Bernie Sanders could've more easily played a role against the NRA than he did, with the public at his back, but he didn't.
I don't hate Bernie Sanders (yet) but if he and his supporters start with the purity stuff in blatant ignorance of public opinion of the times, this stuff can go both ways you know.
Politicians are not magicians, nor are they morally perfect monks. They're pragmatic public servants who have to balance out achieving the goals of their constituents with the goals of the broad populace against the boundaries of the possible.