Hillary's ironic strategic non-speaking

Hillary Clinton speaking about how her decision not to support gay marriage on a federal level was strategic:
"Very few Democrats spoke, because maybe you thought one way, which is that you want people out there speaking for us."
   What the heck does that mean? Democrats didn't speak because they had no spine. They were afraid of taking a stand. She went on to say that this forced Republicans to make it look like they were trying "trying to enshrine discrimination in the Constitution." Well that part worked, but it also made it look like the Democrats were willing to stand by while they did it.
   Upon further reflection, doesn't the beginning of that quote sound familiar? "First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist...." (Rev. Martin Niemoller)
   So I'm voting for democrats this Nov 7th. I'm even registered as a democrat. But when asked if I'm a democrat I say no. I think the above paragraph helps illustrate why.
(source: Clinton says she's "evolved" on marriage)