From Dan Savage’s Blog:
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Rick Rosendall calls the Hillary talk a distraction at a time when unity is needed. I’m going to agree with him. I hope Hillary runs in 2016, but now is not the time. I am curious to hear what our readers think.
Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
2016, yes, I think is the right time. Not 2012.
I would love for her to become Vice President in 2012 and she will be more of a contender for president in 2016. No one’s going to vote for Biden. We may as well set the stage. It will also boost Obama’s chances for another term.
Lyndon Johnson stepped aside after one elected term when it became apparent that he could not win. It was an election that his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, then came very close to winning with Johnson out of the way.
If existing trends continue as they are, Barack Obama should give serious consideration to declaring victory on health care and hanging it up after one term. I have no intention of clinging to his sinking ship if he can’t right it. (no pun intended)
And I vigorously supported him over Clinton. I did it precisely because I did not want another triangulating Clinton term. But by hiring Rahm Emanuel, we ended up with that anyway, so my rationale for supporting him over Hillary no longer exists.
Personally, I’ve had enough of the two recent political dynasties: the Bushes and the Clintons. Why is this even coming up? Obama isn’t moving fast enough so let’s put in the spouse of the guy who went with DADT and the DOM? I cannot wait until 2021 when she can start the lecture circuit and say how sorry she is that she didn’t do more for gay rights when she had the chance. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Seriously, what makes anyone think she would be doing anything differently?
umm, as a democrat… there’s no way Obama is going to be re-elected. Hillary at least has a chance. I hope she goes for it.
And I defy Obama or the DNC to dare say one word to the gay community about “party unity,” after their backstabbing-fest.
This dude is just stirring s**t up.
I don’t think she has any intention of running, and I disagree, Paul, that Obama isn’t going to be re-elected. I think that’s a right-wing media narrative, and just like the narrative that we’re going to have a bloodbath in November of this year, I don’t buy it. We’ll lose seats, but I just don’t buy us losing either house of Congress.
Whatever, Polly Anna–I mean, Evan.
Go ask the experts at election forecasting what they think about this November.
Oh, no, the return of the PUMAs!
if he is the democratic nominee I have not intention of voting. I have donated in the past but that is done. I regret having supported him over Hilary. His inaction on gay issues is pathetic. The only way we get action is by playing hard ball and the best way to do that is by not giving a dime to the democrats and by not voting for their candidates. I agree with Savage – nothing moves forward with the Republicans but we don’t move that much backwards either!
The Clinton machine is grinding away, plotting the surest path to power. Loyalty and principles are merely tools. How fascinating it would be to listen in on her inner circle as they deliberate the political calculation.
Here is a dose of political reality: first, Obama as the incumbent will be renominated by the Democrats in 2012. No sitting President has ever been denied his party’s nomination assuming he sought it. Teddy Kennedy tried to dethrone Jimmy Carter in 1980 and failed and that was before the Kennedy magic faded completely and when the Carter malaise was in full bloom. Second, does anybody seriously think that Barack Obama is going to step aside? “Oh well, I guess I can’t win;” LOL!
I will not vote for Obama in 2012. He has done nothing for gay issues. Just a lot of lip service. How stupid does he think we are? Hillary in 2012 sounds a lot better to me than term 2 for Obama.
There’s no way. Obama was installed in the primary by the Democratic powers that be. And he has blown our chances.
Instead of using fiscally responsible Clintonomics to stimulate the economy, he gave us a Keynesian hogfest, ballooned the deficit, and threw away a ton of political capital just when we need it most. Now the jobless rate is out of sight, and there’s no way to fix it after he blew all the money on the first useless stimulus.
Bill and Hill are the smartest people we have, and they would have fixed all of this. But it’s too late now.
Meanwhile, instead of going for domestic partnership, which the public support, and moving on to more important issues, the gay community is demanding marraige and giving the republicans the same wedge issue they used to re-elect Bush. And there’s no way they will change course. We learned 25 years ago that we can’t cure internalized homophobia in the gay community with logical argument. They’re compelled to act out the self hatred and self destructiveness they learned growing up. As adults, they have a ton of self righteous rationalizations and don’t listen to reason.
Uhhhh, Wilberforce. Uhhhhh, he hired the damn Clinton team. Lukewarm Clintonomics is EXACTLY what he gave us. If he hadn’t caved to the Republicans and loaded the stimulus down with stupid tax cuts, we’d be on a better path than we are now.
That said, on gay issues, and on most other issues, I understand why people are disillusioned, and that’s because Obama has given us the presidency Hillary Clinton promised us.
I know it’s tempting to try to say “If only!” but it’s melodramatic and not an effective way of moving forward.
And not voting is not an option. I posted about this yesterday, especially as it has to do with gay issues. The fact that Obama hasn’t done ENOUGH isn’t a good excuse to vote for those who you KNOW will do nothing or make it worse, on gay issues, the economy, or whatever else. If you put a Republican back in office, do you think the economy is going to get better?! These are people who believe in Santa Claus, UFO’s, and The Laffer Curve, for god’s sake!
“He has done nothing for gay issues.”
This hurts a little to hear, I have to admit. The Hate Crimes bill? That’s nothing?
Obama is the first black president. No Democrat will be elected without significant support from African American voters. Hillary isn’t stupid. Even if she could knock Obama off in the primaries (unlikely), it would have been all for nothing. She would have alienated black voters so much that there is no way she could prevail in the general election. This whole thing is a non-starter.
Evan,
I agree with you except for the first point. I actually read the stimulus bill at the time, and it was old time spending on government, on teachers, and other non stimultive spending. The dems also wasted months on healthcare when they could have used reconciliation at once and moved on to targetted cuts and spending to create jobs. What they did was NOT Clintonomics. It was old time, wasteful, non targetted spending.
To call it “old time spending” is actually quite inaccurate.
And spending cuts in a recession don’t work, have never worked, and will never work!
I know the myth of Reaganonomics will die hard, but it’s just that: a myth. A fairy tale. Hell, even Reagan thought it was stupid until they brought somebody in who knew how to snooker him.
I’m sorry Evan but this attitude is exactly what allows Democrats to throw us under the bus. It’s a protection racket with the Dems saying hey at least we aren’t as bad. So there is no consequences whatsoever. I will vote in this election and I will vote for Democrats who have supported us with actions not words. But I will also be voting for 3rd party candidate like the Green party.
Yes, I agree, Tim, but you don’t “punish” a party by cutting off your nose to spite your own face.
And I would also point out that I see far too much of a tendency among LGBT people to be single-issue voters, which is selfish at best. Teabaggers are single-issue voters too.
I’ll vote for Hillary whenever she runs. I was supporting her all along until Oprah picked Obama to be our president.
I definitely would like to see a Dem with spine give Obama a run for his money in 2012. This guy is pushing and shoving the right wing agenda down the track at breakneck speed — and it needs to stop. I don’t know if Hillary (wife of DLC successful nominee Big Dog Clinton) would do any better, but I know Obama is a tragic disappointment.
Evan,
I am far from a one issue voter though gay rights does have the highest priority. Believe me the Dems have lost me on other issues like not closing Gitmo, continuing the Bush Wars, etc. The party that I align with more often is the Green Party. Democrats ceased being liberal years ago.