Friday on "The Rachel Maddow Show," Hillary Clinton told the MSNBC host that she supported the Defense of Marriage Act her husband signed into law in 1996 because it was a 'defensive action' against Republicans who would have pushed an even more aggressive anti-gay marriage effort.
Hillary's most formidable Democratic opponent, Bernie Sanders, had a hard time believing“On Defense of Marriage, I think what my husband believed — and there was certainly evidence to support it — is that there was enough political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America, and that there had to be some way to stop that.”
her explanation. He directly challenged her comments at the Jackson-Jefferson dinner Saturday night:
“Today, some are trying to rewrite history by saying they voted for one anti-gay law to stop something worse,” he said.
“That's not the case. There was a small minority in the House opposed to discriminating against our gay brothers and sisters and I am proud that I was one of those members."
I'm sure Sanders isn't the only one who doubts Hillary's DOMA claims. Up until 2013, she had been a pretty vocal opponent of gay marriage, even as a senator in the deep blue state of New York. The Daily Caller found a clip of her from 2004, where she offered a convincing defense of marriage between one man and one woman. She declared that traditional marriage goes back many millennia and is essential for the raising and socializing of children.
"I believe marriage is not just a bond but a sacred bond between a man and a woman. I have had occasion in my life to defend marriage, to stand up for marriage, to believe in the hard work and challenge of marriage.”
She certainly doesn't sound like someone who just went along with DOMA so gay marriage could have a future.
Hillary's views on gay marriage appears to be another flip flop from the Democratic frontrunner, no matter what excuse she uses to try and silence progressives who wary about her past on the issue. Sanders has every right to challenge her on it.