We know you are teetering on the brink of total irrelevancy and that your mind doesn’t seem to be what it once was [a lateral move, I know], but when you complain that Obama is defending gay people in foreign countries but not defending religious minorities, i.e. persecuted Christians in other countries, you are simply confused. It was already our policy to promote the sorts of human rights you support abroad. We simply are now explicitly including people that make your little soul un-comfy, as well.
Yet again, it bears repeating. Liberals are the actual “pro-life” people in this country, as we support the rights of all people to survive and thrive. Wingnuts like Pat are really only concerned about non-gay, mostly white Christians and, purportedlly, fetus-Americans.
“I have always believed that marriage is between one man and one woman. Like the majority of Americans, I support the Defense of Marriage Act and find it appalling that the Obama administration decided not to defend this federal law which was enacted with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by a Democrat president. It’s appalling, but not surprising that the President has flip-flopped on yet another issue from his stated position as a candidate to a seemingly opposite position once he was elected.”
The Quitter is, of course, wrong.
Obama stated his opposition to DOMA on the campaign trail, repeatedly. One would imagine that Sarah Palin would know this, since she ran on the opposing ticket. But then again, we’ve come to understand that Palin’s not too concerned with the word “reality,” unless it is directly followed by the word “show.”
If the election were held today, Barack Obama would capture an overwhelming majority of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender vote. Indeed, I believe that the LGBT community will be his most loyal block of supporters other than African Americans – and maybe Latinos if Republicans insist on passing more Arizona-type immigration laws.
This support was not a foregone conclusion. Obama’s relationship with the LGBT community has been much like a stormy marriage that is saved by the husband delivering bouquets of red roses only moments before the divorce papers arrive. With flowers in hand, the disillusioned spouse remembers why she fell in love in the first place.
The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was a gigantic, magnificent bouquet that staved off a mutiny of LGBT voters. I’m still not sure if the Obama administration realizes how spellbindingly close it came to a catastrophe with the gay demographic. Without repeal, many LGBT people would have concluded that the Democrats were impotent and no different than the Republicans, so if they can’t get their rights, they might as well get a tax cut.
I disagree with this line of thinking because the Democrats are better on economic issues and generally believe in concepts like evolution and separation of church and state. However, it would have been an uphill struggle for the Democrats to explain why they deserved support when they could not get the job done while controlling all of Washington.
The absence of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell repeal would likely have rocked the gay establishment as well. I imagine staff shakeups at most of the major LGBT organizations and the ushering in of new strategic paradigms. We would also have seen a continued power shift to grass roots direct action groups who would bitterly vie for control of the movement.
However, the tumult was averted and the malcontents somewhat pacified because the president delivered on his promise to abolish the ban on gays in the military. It is true that Obama has not been the “fierce advocate” that he promised to be, but he has also not been a fair-weather friend. In a pivotal moment he came through, made good on his pledge and alleviated the deep anxiety of a community inured to betrayal.
While Obama is no longer viewed through rose-colored glasses, his delivery of the DADT roses saved the marriage and he enters this year’s State of the Union speech with LGBT support largely in tact. Sure, we are extremely disappointed that the Employment Nondiscrimination Act did not pass and that the Defense of Marriage Act is still on the books, but there is no doubt progress was made on Obama’s watch. At least we advanced enough to stop the nihilistic urge of some to support whatever Republican troglodyte is given the nomination in 2012.
Don’t get me wrong – the push for full-equality continues unabated and pressure will be rightfully applied to Obama and Congress until we become full and equal citizens. However, we all know that not much will get done at the national level with Republicans in control of the House. The larger roll played by Tea Party activists – which are really just recycled fundamentalist GOP ideologues rebranded with triangular hats – will not help matters.
The next opportunity for real progress will occur after Obama is presumably reelected (depending on the economy) and beats a Tea Party Republican who repels America with zany ideas. A cartoonish “conservative” topping the ticket might also drag down the entire GOP and lead to democrats gaining more seats in Congress – once again creating high hopes. (If you don’t think an extremist will win the GOP nomination, check out the recent elections in New Hampshire to see the direction of the Republican Party)
It will be fascinating to see if a second-term Obama, unencumbered with re-election, continues “evolving” to the point where he openly embraces marriage equality. Indeed, this is a question that will continue to follow the president throughout his tenure. Just this week, in fact, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had to deflect a question on this topic. At a briefing, a reporter brought up the inconvenient fact that while running for the Illinois state senate in 1996, Obama supported marriage equality in a questionnaire for The Windy City Times.
Interest in this issue will only increase as public support rises. Today, the organization Freedom to Marry held a press conference reminding Americans that recent CNN and Associated Press polls showed that a majority of Americans now believe that same-sex couples should be able to get married. And Maryland may be on the cusp of legalizing marriage equality, bringing fairness to both the District of Columbia and its northern border. A new poll by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies shows that 51-percent of Maryland voters favor a law allowing same-sex couples to wed.
The nation’s economy is still recovering and the political situation in America remains tense. But the state of the union with most LGBT voters – following a two-year rocky relationship – remains quite stable, although not entirely satisfying.
Dan Savage was on CNN this morning talking about the President’s contribution to his It Gets Better project, and he did a great job framing the nuance of the situation. Yes, the LGBT community is correct to point out that there has been far too little action on important issues like DADT and DOMA. However, it’s also important to note that this is the first time an American President has ever spoken so candidly on such an issue, telling gay kids that they are just right the way they are, that there’s nothing wrong with them, and that it will get better.
Finding itself in a strange legal position, the Obama administration filed an emergency request Wednesday with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the military from allowing openly gay troops from serving.
In effect, the administration wants to continue barring gays from the military even though it ultimately favors repealing the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“They are in a very bizarre position, frankly of their own making,” said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
[...]
The administration argued that changing it abruptly “risks causing significant immediate harm to the military and its efforts to be prepared to implement an orderly repeal of the statute.”
B.S.
Toobin said the administration would like Congress to deal with the issue on a political level and doesn’t want the courts to take it on unilaterally.
Funny thing about having three co-equal branches of government: when two of them fall down on the job, it’s actually perfectly natural for the third to step in and get the job done.
The other day, The Rude Pundit actually laid out pretty succinctly, as he is wont to do, the best and politically smartest thing Obama could be doing at this point. Of course, as it is The Rude Pundit, it’s, um, kind of rude, but that’s the point. Obama should have said, in response to the injunction handed down against DADT:
“Groovy. The Senate can go fuck itself now. Let’s move on.”
Oh, but of course not. By the way, that entire Rude Pundit piece above is well worth the reading, just to alleviate the exasperation. His description of the 20% dead-enders who actually really oppose DADT is one of the most beautiful, spot-on analyses I’ve ever seen, by which I mean that it’s gloriously rude and to the point.
With the Proposition 8 fight, Obama has fallen short in a different way, by his reluctance to join an emerging social consensus. Obama had previously criticized California’s Proposition 8, the ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage, as “divisive.” But his official position — which no one believes he actually holds — is that he is against legalizing gay marriage. Americans are changing their views on this issue with inspiring rapidity. Judge Vaughn Walker’s moving opinion provided an occasion for Obama to embrace the extension of equal rights to gay people. Instead, he slunk mumbling in the other direction. How dismal that America’s first black president will be remembered as shirking the last great civil-rights struggle.
Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place—wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.
One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold’ care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.
Ignoring Clay’ significant role in Harold’ life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’ “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’ bank accounts to pay for his care. (Read More)
Tonight, Obama delivered a powerful and eloquent speech. Obama is a sitting president and pretty words are substance, by the virtue of his office. He is a Nobel prize winning, worldwide figure who gave his imprimatur to gay relationships. This should not be underestimated or easily dismissed.
I hope these moving and stirring words spur Congress to action – as soon as possible. We must continue pressuring the president and Congress until we are no longer second-class citizens. It is crucial that we push forward and voice our dissatisfaction with the status quo until all state sanctioned discrimination is abolished as expeditiously as possible. A few key points:
1) Obama went above and beyond rhetoric to an outright, ringing endorsement of our relationships. This will drive the right wing nuts to the point of distraction.
2) Obama provided Republicans with all the video footage they need to slam him on gay issues when he runs for reelection. So, he might a well just work to pass laws – to get the glory in exchange for the attacks to come.
3) He said he WILL abolish Don’t Ask. That was a direct promise as president – not a candidate.
4) As a former community organizer, Obama seems to recognize our role is to keep pushing forward. Without adequate pressure, nothing will get done.
Obama bought himself a half-hour in the hourglass, but until we are free and have the same rights as our neighbors, our community will not and cannot remain satisfied.
UPDATE 2: It appears that the Team Obama has responded. Gene Robinson’s website said that, “One addendum to yesterday’s posting: I have been invited to be on the President’s Platform for the inauguration/swearing in. An astounding honor!”
UPDATE 1: This is the official statement from Team Obama:
“We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan — but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event,” said PIC communications director Josh Earnest.
TWO’s Response: “We appreciate the explanation,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “However, it seems that Team Obama should make up for its error by having the courtesy to invite Bishop Robinson to address the nation on national television. He is a major national figure, and more historically prominent than Rick Warren, who will give the invocation. He deserves a ‘Do-Over’.”
Warren Gets Prime Time, Robinson Gets No Time, Says TWO
Truth Wins Out today urged the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) to explain why openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson was excluded from a Home Box Office airing of inauguration festivities. He gave his sermon on Sunday, but HBO did not air it, leaving America wondering why he was bumped from the broadcast. Additionally, Robinson’ microphone wasn’t turned on until his prayer was nearly over, so the crowd was also unable to hear him. (Read More)
With a gift of $35 to Truth Wins Out, you can receive an autographed copy of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth."
Word salad and factual problems; it’s another day in Sarah Palin’s life!
