Ignoring gays, eroding his base - Salon

[BR_Parkway]

Sure, there have been accomplishments by this president in his first year, as with any president. But the disappointments are more deeply felt, particularly by gay people like me.

Rather than moving boldly forward with his party's big majority in Congress, Obama set out from the beginning, on almost every issue, to bring Republicans aboard, seemingly at all costs. It was a fool's errand since the Republican Party has long defined itself as the party of "no way." From civil liberties and economic policy, to the war in Afghanistan and healthcare, Obama pandered to conservatives in his first year but has nothing to show for it except headaches for himself and his party.

<snip>

Obama's coldness toward gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people upon taking office could have predicted that he wouldn't get tough on the banks or show any passion for a public option. Gays were the canaries in the coal mine back on Day One of this administration. That was the day when Rick Warren gave the invocation at the inauguration. It signaled how easily this president would insult and sideline a loyal constituency in return for the false promise of bringing in people who will never support him.

Since then he has stepped on his LGBT supporters time and again, including that heinous Defense of Marriage Act brief filed by the Justice Department last June. In addition to pointing to a flowery speech here or there, apologists will tell you about the hate crimes bill or other "pro-gay" actions. But they are no-brainers; Obama has yet to spend any capital on gays.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/01/20/obama_s_first_year_signorile/index.html

Wow, and I thought we were just being selfish and trying to ruin it for everyone else. Canaries, not sparkly ponies after all.

[Tansy_Gold]

1. here, kitty, kitty, kitty.

n/t

[BR_Parkway]

3. not sure wha that means

[Tansy_Gold]

4. My apologies.

It's not directed at you; I agree with you wholeheartedly.

It's kinda my private very bad joke.

Beware, though, that if you criticize the chosen one, someone may leap to his defense.



Tansy Gold, being deliberately and maliciously cryptic

[BR_Parkway]

7. None needed - and yeah, I knew when I posted I might get backlash

but hey, that's been the case since Prop 8 passed, since Donnie McCurken, since Rick Warren.

[jonnyblitz]

2. .....

:kick:

[xchrom]

5. Recommend -- yep you could se how his treatment

Of lgbtiq folk precedes the rest of his disappointing
leadership.

[David Zephyr]

6. Gay Americans were tossed under the bus just after Jeremiah Wright was.

Now, we in the GLBT community are finding lots of newcomers joining us under the bus.

K&R.

[theHandpuppet]

9. It's not a bus any longer

It's a convoy...

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. +1

:thumbsup:

[donheld]

12. I think it's a train

[foxfeet]

8. K&R

:kick:

[Mari333]

10. at least we are all together under the bus

I like the company better under the bus then the ones who are driving it.