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Joe Biden really boxed Palin in on the issue of equal rights for same sex partners. Biden stated he supported such rights, although he later gave the very disappointing answer that he opposed marriage for same sex couples.
Sara Palin, the darling of the radical Christian right, said she agreed with equal rights for same-sex couples. This had to be quite disconcerting for the religious right, which is adamantly opposed to any type of legal recognition for the LGBT community.
But Biden dug Palin's hole even deeper. After noting that he opposed same-sex marriage, Biden said he was glad McCain and Palin agreed with he and Obama that same-sex couples should have complete civil rights protection (paraphrasing). Ifil asked Palin if she agreed. Nervous and frozen, faced with choosing a disastrous political answer for swing voters or alienating the Christian right, Palin, for the one and only time in the debate, said she would answer only the very specific question asked, which was whether she supported same-sex marriage. Plain said she did not.
But, Palin falied to say she did not support full civil rights for LGBT people. That had to send some hard-core right wing Christians into apoplexia! Having worked for years against anti-gay ballot measures and for Equal Rights ordinances and legislation in Oregon, I can't even describe how strongly fundamentalist Christians (I know I am generalizing) oppose legal equality for LGBT people. They literally believe it will lead God to withdraw his protection from America and bring about all manner of pain and woe.
And they just got to see their darling Sara Palin choose the political expedience of not upsetting independent voters over expressing her Christian principles. The Christian right will have to suck it up and accept McCain and Palin, but it will hopefully temper some of their enthusiasm. And their enthusiasm is the main reason Palin was forced on McCain.
