Individual Courage Matters: Jack Conway Edition

Much of our politics is determined by systematic factors that make it a big deal when someone breaks the mold and goes against those forces. While there is no denying the larger money and other forces that effect politics, it's become something of a catch all defense used to defend shitty actions by either President Obama or Democrats in general.

As powerful as many of these forces are, you can still do the right thing:

Kentucky's chief lawyer Jack Conway went against his governor and arguably the will of his constituents when he tearfully announced on Tuesday he wouldn't defend a Kentucky law banning recognition of out-of-state gay marriages.

"I felt like I would be defending discrimination," the Democratic attorney general told TPM in an interview on Tuesday. "And for me that's a line in the sand. I couldn't do it."

It was a rare and extraordinary move that split the administration of Gov. Steve Beshear (D), who revealed that he would appeal a federal judge's ruling against the statute after his top lawyer refused to do so.

"I've known for the last couple of days that's where he was headed. I respect Steve Beshear. I had a duty to defend the law ... and I read the [judge's] decision, I agreed with it, and I informed my client I agreed with it," Conway said, citing attorney-client privilege in refusing to divulge the details of their conversations.

If the Attorney General in Kentucky come out in favor of gay equality, I'm pretty sure some other politicians can step the fuck up as well on issues that are far more popular.