I've been holding back way too long

[muffin1]

Why do so many here give President Obama a pass on his stance regarding equal rights for gay people? If any other group was being so openly discriminated against, this board would be aghast. I know he has always stated his position as pro-civil unions, but it makes no sense for someone who talks about equality the way he does so eloquently to hold that position.
Add to that, Robert Gates came out recently and said that repealing DADT might have to be pushed back. I guess I just don't understand how such a brilliant, charismatic, extremely popular (the world over as we saw this week) Democratic President can not push for what is right.
If we can't do it now, I fear we never will.

Edit to add: I'm a 40-something heterosexual female.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Same Reason He Gets A Pass On Warrentless Wiretapping,

the Paulson/Summers/Geithner Banker Bailout, and (possibly) outsourced torture.

Because he calls himself a Democrat - ain't that good enough?

[Occam Bandage]

8. You must have a different definition of "gets a pass."

Most all of DU is angry at him over those.

[Runcible Spoon]

13. That's actually true.

I have noticed all but the most, err, dedicated and unreflective DUers taking a stand on that.

On edit: I meant the wiretapping. I think DUers are pretty split on the economy, mostly because many don't have a good handle on what's going on. Same with rendition; I'm not sure a lot of people here know what that means. :shrug:

[Jennicut]

27. Why do you think everyone here is so dumb?

Duers are split on the economy because we happen to have different opinions. On wiretapping and gay rights I think almost all of us agree to disagree with Obama. And I am a pretty big supporter of his. But he is totally wrong on both of these issues.

[ruggerson]

28. "Almost all"?

Ain't done a head count, but I don't think you're right.

Many of the people here who urge Obama to move more forcefully on equal rights get slammed here.

And (and I realize this is utterly anecdotal and statistically reflective of nothing), if you look at the threads across DU (including LBN) that have detailed major gay and lesbian victories in the last week, there are very few GD-P denizens participating.

I think many in this forum see GLBT equal rights as a sore spot for the Prez and get reflexively defensive about it.

[Jennicut]

30. Maybe. I think its a generational issue personally.

It is just totally okay with those of us in our twenties and thirties. I have had gay friends. My parents who are in their sixties said no friends of theirs were gay or ever admitted it. All of my friends, husband, brother, sister in law all think there should be gay marriage but we are all under the age of 36.
Obama is 47. I wish he would get with the program on this but I really don't think he gets it yet, if he ever will.
I know there are some differences in every generation but hopefully things will change.

[ruggerson]

31. I agree and I think you're right

and I'm personally convinced Obama has never had very, very close friends who are gay. He would have written about it in his books, and he didn't. Thus, I don't think it's really a gut issue for him, but more a cerebral one. ANd as you know, you only really GET it when your close friends or family members are involved.

[Jennicut]

34. Yes, it seems like he never did.

Then again Cheney had his daughter and I am not sure what good it did him.

[stevenleser]

45. "Urge Obama to move" vs "Attack"

I'm all for urging Obama to move on various items. I'm just not going to let attacks go by.

People act like he is sitting in the White House doing nothing. He has a full plate of things with which he is trying to deal. It's pretty clear to me that his first priorities are the economy, the budget, trying to set the world's opinion of the US right, and Universal Healthcare. And, oh yeah, trying to deal with the two wars we're fighting. Trying to figure out a way to get us out of Iraq, and trying to improve the situation in Afghanistan. Oh yeah, and I forgot that he has moved on all of those things except Universal Healthcare in his first 60 days. Even Universal Healthcare is being worked on, it just hasnt moved as far as the other items yet.

I think that those items are what he wants to get nailed down before he addresses anything else.

There are a ton of other things people (and that includes me) want him to do. But I am not going to attack him for it because I know how hard it is to try to get anything major done in the White House. Look at what happened with Universal Healthcare last time.

His top agenda items seem to be the biggest items that affect the entire country. I think he will address Gay rights, organized labor, etc., further down the road.

[Ken Burch]

32. I'm surprised we haven't had people breaking out the line they used to use for JFK and Clinton

"He'll be great on that in his second term".

[Runcible Spoon]

43. Yes get in your little points now

so that you can be on record that you disagreed with Obama on something.

Once again, some of us care more about the issues which affect everyday Americans than they do about the personal political career of one man.

[Runcible Spoon]

9. Bingo.

It's pathetic and saddening.

I think the other dynamic is that it's much easier to just dump your faith and trust into a politician and expect politics to happen cruise-control style. And THAT is weakness, fear, and worst of all, laziness.

[roguevalley]

44. I wonder too, muffin. (An aside: Thinking of a muffin quivering with rage is a

great visual) :P

[Uzybone]

2. So what are you doing to help push this issue?

apart from being scared that DADT will be the law of the land forever (which is ridiculous by the way).

[muffin1]

5. This was my first step

Later, a LTTE. Tomorrow, a letter to President Obama. Who knows, maybe marching on Washington with my gay best friend who (along with me), campaigned, made signs, rallied and donated money to his campaign.
And while DADT will most certainly be repealed, same-sex marriage seems awfully far off.

[Skittles]

3. it's simple, muffin - plenty of Democrats are bigots and homophobes too

[xchrom]

4. ain't that right. nt

[muffin1]

11. I know you are right,

but it's a damn shame. It seems so easy to understand - separate but equal is not equal! How can one not agree with equal rights????

[Ken Burch]

33. People find ways,

As a third of our party did on civil rights up until 1964.

[QC]

25. And more than a few of those bigots hang out here at DU. n/t

[Skittles]

35. they're the worst

because they don't even KNOW they are bigots and homophobes - they come up with all kinds of rationales that prove it but they just don't fucking get it :mad:

[QC]

36. But they just COULDN'T be bigots! They're liberals!

Somebody cue up the immortal Phil Ochs song, "Love Me, I'm a Liberal."

[Starry Messenger]

6. I don't understand it either.

And as saddening as his stance is, it's the shocking callousness of posters here on DU that really gets to me. I'm straight too and I'm always totally thrown by the backlash here whenever a gay poster here dares to utter a complaint about it. It doesn't hurt anyone to give a crumb of sympathy.


Thank you for speaking out.

[muffin1]

20. Thank you for your heartfelt response.

You - and many others here - have made my night end much better than it started.:)

[OwnedByFerrets]

7. I have been reticent to make this statement, but now is as

good a time as any. If I could write well, I would make it into a OP, but I am not a Nance or Mr Pitt.

What I have seen since inauguration day is this. President Obama is unwilling to make ANY decisions that will hurt him politically. He has made many many fine decisions since day ONE, but none have put him out on a political limb. If you stop and think about it, it fits his MO perfectly. He is a calculating person. He does nothing without thinking about it. He says little without thinking the words thru in his brain. This is a wonderful in comparison to what we had for the last 8 yrs, but it does indicate a cold calculating politician.

I don't expect that he will change as time goes on. Each decision will be made based on how it will affect his political position. Some think that is wonderful. I tend to believe its wrongheaded in a time when our country needs to right the wrongs of the past administration. We need leadership. We need someone willing to take chances.

[Runcible Spoon]

10. That's another thing that is frustrating-

All of his defenders who refuse to admit he might be doing something to save face politically, and that that decision might NOT be the right thing to do, buy into this lie that "change is incremental". Not it's not. Maintaining the status quo necessarily requires a tiny bit of fluidity, but REAL change is like punctuated equilibrium: it comes in jumps and tidal waves. Obama is NOT going to give us that change; he might relinquish control if we drag him kicking and screaming.

[QC]

26. Don't sell yourself short--you write far better than our self-styled DU celebs.

Thank you!

[uponit7771]

12. I expect him to ignore issues that don't pertain to healthcare, after that and energy then I'll....

...wonder more.

[muffin1]

18. While your response is not rage-filled in any way,

it is a tad frustrating. And I'm certainly not trying to pick any fights, merely trying to get people to really think about the issue.
It is just a little easy to "let things go awhile" when they don't affect you personally.
Imagine being a gay individual campaigning for Barack Obama, the man who would bring about change. Imagine hearing him say that all are important, all are equal - black/white, young/old, gay/straight. But once the man you help get elected takes office he immediately forgets about you.
I know health care is important, as is energy policy and managing two wars, but so are equal rights for all citizens.

[uponit7771]

23. I understand the fustration but imagine what would happen to health care if this was put on front...

..burner now.

LBJ took care of the "Great society" before getting VRA etc passed....it was a smart move.

[Runcible Spoon]

24. Obama is a big boy and can do several things at once.

Weak logic.

[biopowertoday]

38. Right now he is feeding the Insurance Industries sweet pies.

[Runcible Spoon]

42. !

It would be funny if it wasn't so f'in true. :evilfrown:

[stevenleser]

46. No, it isnt weak logic, he IS doing the biggest things first.

See my #45.

[ruggerson]

14. Because a lot of folks in this particular forum

view equal rights for gays and lesbians as a political impediment for Barack Obama, rather than a moral imperative that exists independently from him.

[polichick]

41. That might explain it.

[stevenleser]

47. I don't think that is true.

The problem is that there are about 10,000 moral imperatives for Obama and I think he is dealing with the top 5 "Moral Imperatives" before he gets to the rest, to wit:

#1 - The Moral Imperative of trying to fix the economy and make sure people get/keep jobs
#2 - The Moral Imperative of trying to figure out how to get out of an illegal war in Iraq
#3 - The Moral Imperative of trying to fix America's relations with the rest of the world.
#4 - The Moral Imperative of trying to close the Guantanamo detention center
#5 - The Moral Imperative of trying to give everyone in the country access to Healthcare

Those top five affect everyone. I think he is going to deal with the Moral Imperatives that affect individual groups after those. I'm hoping things like DADT and similar items are gone soon after.

[ruggerson]

15. And, btw, thank you for your post

k/r :hug:

[muffin1]

19. Tears welling...

:hug:

[northofdenali]

16. I certainly haven't.

I've sent several letters and emails; in addition, I make sure to note victories (such as the Vermont vote) and send links to same.

He will be a good president for us; we need the changes he'll bring. However, he is focusing on the whole right now (I believe) and not on the issues.

[kiva]

17. This is also frustrating to me.

His capital is probably the highest is will be, looking at presidential history, and he's avoiding the 'controversial' stuff. With the focus on economy, now is the perfect time to push (at the very least) ending DADT. Does anyone really think that the conservatives can get any real traction with their scary gays idiocy when most Americans are worried about jobs and houses and such? Now is the perfect time to do this, if for no other reason than to keep his base supportive.

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Religion Incorporated

He has used religion more in a Presidential campaign than any candidate in modern history, and it has unintended consequences. I personally don't think he has any real problem with homosexuality, but he's made a pact with the dark forces and they bring along their own prejudices. It's one of the reasons why religion shouldn't be allowed in politics: the unpredictability is bad enough, but the unshakable certainty brooks no dissent and requires no proof.

Is there ever any resistance to homosexuality that isn't religion-based? I guess there must be SOME somewhere, but it always seems couched in the tight-assed propriety of the fantasists.

One of the unfortunate problems about his cozying up with religion is that the fallout gets all the attention, while the core problem itself sort of skates.

The problem is religion. Use of it in politics is cynical and a shortcut, and regardless of the lip-service paid to the non-religious, it's reinforcing the assumption that religiousness is superior and that others simply don't really belong.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. Thanks for holding back no more!

I wish I had time to write a worthy response but I don't. Just thanks.

[MadBadger]

29. Nobody gives him a pass here on that.

Im pretty sure if you ask any Obama supporter on DU to name issues that you disagree with Obama on, gay rights will always come up. It is disappointing. Not surprising, but still disappointing.

[ClarkUSA]

37. Why do the same people who whine about Pres. Obama give Pres. Clinton a pass on DOMA and DADT?

After all, Pres. Obama has to clean up after the mess President Clinton made in the area of gay rights. Undoing President Clinton's
DLC re-election CYA pandering to the right will take longer than it took President Clinton to sign DOMA into law and pass DADT,
especially in the hypercharged "Party of No" partisan Congressional environment that is also an harmful legacy from the Clinton
years that President Obama has to overcome in order to get any legislation past the Senate and onto his desk for signing.

[biopowertoday]

39. Stop distracting like a good Rovian. The OP is about the Obama administration.

[ClarkUSA]

40. What's "Rovian" about asking an honest question? Why are you censoring my curiosity?

[stevenleser]

48. Give examples of who does that.

I dont think anyone does. If you can name specific folks, maybe we can ask them. Or you can ask them in private, because I guess we cant name specific folks.