The Gist

Kennedys Backing Obama, After SC Trouncing of Clinton

If there are only a handful of senators whose endorsements mean something among Democratic voters, Ted Kennedy is certainly at the top of the list. And it's all the more important in this race, where Obama has been compared to (and implied the comparison himself) to JFK. So I think it means a lot that Ted Kennedy, who was going to remain neutral in the primaries, now backs Obama. Amplifying it is Caroline Kennedy's endorsement, which she made in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, titled A President Like My Father.

The piece is not about policies -- nor were Ted Kennedy's reasons for endorsing Obama -- but more so about the inspiration and hope that Obama is instilling in people. And all of this comes after his winning big in South Carolina, a great acheivement that deserves congratulations. Yes, he pulled it out with overwhelming black support while whites split between Clinton and Edwards, and he will need white support in upcoming states. But the exit polls show that among the 24% of the white vote he garnered, more white men voted for him than for Hillary Clinton and he won big among young voters, white and black, as well. Sure, he has his work cut out for him, but so does Hillary Clinton. The tactics of the Clinton campaign late in the race, and Bill Clinton's fits, may have backfired. Then again, the media has so magnified all of this it's hard to tell. So, we have quite a race here, and I'm glad to see more people and more states as part of this decision.

It certainly means that our event on this coming Thursday on the show, the LGBT Caucus, is going to be all the more important and useful for the many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender voters across the country who are still undecided or wavering, and I think that is a big number. So much to think about and to talk about regarding these candidates' electability, their policies, what they mean to people, and then, for us in particular, which one will be best for the LGBT population after months of many promises as well as so many disappointments.