Twas All A BIIIGGGG Misunderstanding

Remember that bruhaha over whether or not gubernatorial candidate Mike McWherter would support a ban on gay adoption? All just a big misunderstanding.

Today at a Kitchen Cabinet meeting (a breakfast meetup for progressives), I asked McWherter about why he supported a ban on gay adoption, and to my surprise, I found out he did not in fact support such a ban. According to McWherter he supports the traditional family model [see: Ward and June Cleaver], but that he couldn't imagine a piece of legislation that he could sign which would perfectly encapsulate the traditional family model, and so he doesn't think that will be an issue if he becomes Governor.

Of course, this confused me a bit because when this was an issue, the campaign's spokesman Mike Kopp had this to say about McWherter's position:

"The fact of the matter is, what he said is where he is on this issue. No one in the campaign is going to sit here and try to nuance it. That's just where he is personally on the issue. At this point, there's really nothing else to say about it. He was asked point blank the question, and he gave an honest, heartfelt answer about where he is on the issue. The question was how does he feel about a gay couple adopting a child. His personal belief is that parents of the opposite sex are better for adoption to raise a child. If push came to shove specifically when it came to a ban, yes, he would be supportive of a ban."

Perplexed about the apparent inconsistency, I asked Kopp about this after McWherter was done speaking, and apparently it was his boo-boo because he didn't actually talk to his candidate before releasing this statement to the media, he was just interpreting Joe Lance's blog post as was everyone else. According to McWherter, he was asked if he'd sign legislation banning gay adoption, and told the blogger "no". I checked with Joe Lance (who unfortunately didn't record the conversation) and this is what he said:

The original question was: "What is the candidate's position on the proposed ban of gay and un-married couples from adopting?" and was submitted by a Facebook reader here in Chattanooga. McWherter said that he believes that adopted children should have parents of the opposite sex, and, after I asked, said if that meant a choice between adoption and state-run care, that state care (DCS, foster families, etc) was preferable to children being adopted by gay couples.

Now, Joe Lance is an extremely straightforward blogger who tries to maintain neutrality, and wasn't looking to make news with this statement. So, I'm going to go ahead and assume his version and initial posting was the most accurate interpretation of what Mike McWherter was saying.

But, hey, yesterday was yesterday and today is today. So, going forward, Mike McWherter's position on gay adoption (verified by the campaign) is that he thinks the traditional family is best, but he couldn't imagine a piece of legislation hitting his desk that would accurately protect it when it comes to adoption. Via Mike Kopp:

[H]is position has not changed since this last came up...his personal preference is to place a child in a loving traditional family, but he does respect the current system that gives discretion to judges who make determinations based on what is best for the child in that particular circumstance...he is not advocating nor would he advocate a ban on gay adoptions.

Asked specifically if he supports the language of HB605 which bans adoption by unmarried cohabitating couples, Mike Kopp said "the particular piece of legislation you shared with me in the link would not get Mike's blessing if he were elected governor..."