Jun 01, 2007  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

A new book that alleges Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards once answered a question about gay rights by saying he was “not comfortable around those people” is drawing mixed reactions.

Some political experts said the remark as presented in “No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner,” a memoir by Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, could offend gay voters.

“Any time you refer to a group of people as ‘those people,’ it’s a problem,” said Clyde Wilcox, a Georgetown University government professor and author of “The Politics of Gay Rights.”

“That particular phrasing would not be remotely acceptable about race, would not be remotely acceptable about gender and is not remotely acceptable here, either,” he said.

But other experts said the comment poses no significant campaign threat.

“It’ll hurt him some, but I suspect in the long run, it will pass,” said Hastings Wyman, a political analyst and editor of the Southern Political Report.

“He didn’t say gays are disgusting or bad — he said he was uncomfortable around them. And Lord knows many people are. It’s sad, but it’s part of today’s reality.”

According to the book, Shrum asked Edwards during his 1998 U.S. Senate campaign, “What is your position, Mr. Edwards, on gay rights?”

Shrum writes that Edwards responded by saying, “I’m not comfortable around those people.”

Eric Schultz, an Edwards spokesperson, said Shrum “is obviously more interested in selling books than reporting honestly and accurately about what happened.”

Ken Keechl, a gay Florida county commissioner who’s endorsed Edwards, said the comment was a “sleazy attempt to sell a book.”

“There is no way I would have endorsed Edwards unless I truly believed he was the best person not only for gay Americans but for all Americans,” Keechl said. “I have not seen a homophobic bone in his body.”

Dan Pinello, a City University of New York government professor, said the comment should be regarded as “a second-hand report of something that’s a decade old.”

He said Edwards, who now strongly supports many gay issues and legislative proposals, has proven through actions that old missteps matter little.

“I don’t think it’s very important, frankly,” Pinello said. “People evolve.”

Evolving support

That evolution was demonstrated in an Edwards campaign document released last week.

In a Human Rights Campaign questionnaire, the White House hopeful said that committed gay couples should have “the same rights, benefits and responsibilities” as straight couples.

“I support civil unions to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples,” Edwards said.

Such unequivocal support is a turn for Edwards who, during a 2004 primary debate, said states should not be forced to recognize civil unions performed beyond their borders.

Also in the questionnaire, Edwards reiterated his support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, pledged to seek more funding for the Ryan White CARE Act that combats HIV/AIDS, and backed equal adoption rights and equal immigration rights for gays.

He also noted that gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.

“I oppose the current ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy on gays and lesbians serving in our military,” he said. “The military ought to treat all service members equally and in a way that promoted national security without regard to their sexual orientation.”

Wyman said the responses demonstrate that Edwards is with gay voters on many issues.

“He’s made it clear that he’s not a bigot,” Wyman said. “And if in private conversation he acknowledged being uncomfortable around gays 10 years ago, I don’t know that it’s terribly significant.”

But the questionnaire showed Edwards does not back all gay initiatives.

“Gay marriage is an issue I feel internal conflict about and I continue to struggle with it,” he said. “However, I believe the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in committed, long-term relationships.”

Comparable stances

Wilcox said the response, while comparable to how other leading Democratic candidates in this and other years have discussed the issue, shows Edwards remains at least somewhat open to the idea.

“That’s a little more progressive than, you know, what we heard from John Kerry or Bill Clinton,” he said. “If he’s saying he’s conflicted, he’s not ruling it out.”

HRC spokesperson Brad Luna, who provided the Edwards questionnaire to the Blade, declined to immediately release any other presidential candidate questionnaires.

“We are not planning on releasing our composite of all the questionnaires for about another week or so simply because we’re still getting them all in,” he said, “and then once we get them, we’re ...