How can Barack Obama look at himself in the mirror?

[obxhead]

Barack Obama became the first black President in US history on Jan 20 2009. He was voted in by a clear majority. I remember watching the TV as the votes were counted and cheering his (and our) victory before CA was even close to an official call. It felt like an amazing moment for the future for us and a major history making victory. A hope I had never thought I would see in my lifetime was realized.

All of this was made possible through the hard work of many generations of people. It took Women’s Suffrage paving the way for women to vote. It took a Civil War killing 10’s of thousands in the most brutal ways to even begin the possibility for equal rights for an enslaved people. It took the Civil Rights movement where people marched, bled, and died for equal rights. For Barack Obama to even have the RIGHT to become President took the blood, sweat, tears, and even deaths of so many families and people that it really is truly amazing it even came to be.

To hear Barack Obama dismiss out of hand the needs of the GLBT community is absolutely disgusting given what this nation had to go through to put him in the position he is today.

So I ask, how can Barack Obama even look at himself in the mirror ignoring the needs of an entire oppressed community?

Who cares who sleeps with whom?
Who cares what a religion says?

Many in the US may actually care about the needs of the GLBT community, but one thing has been made absolutely clear to me. Barack Obama does not and that’s one of the most disgusting things from this administration I have seen yet.

*Full disclosure, I’m a completely straight obxhead just trying to do my part for friends and family that are in pain and need to be treated EQUALLY!*

[undeterred]

1. The things you ignore don't usually disturb your conscience.

[obxhead]

2. I find it terribly disturbing that after all the work over 200 years

to allow Obama to become president can be ignored for an entire community of people suffering some of the same ways his ancestors did. It's unconscionable.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I am another straight man who stands with my gay brothers and sisters.

[Divine Discontent]

5. thanks!!

[Lost4words]

10. +1 nt

[Divine Discontent]

4. and I thank you for doing your part to stand up for us ALL.

I have a couple of straight friends who do their part in standing for me, as I do my part for women, homeless, minority in America, seniors, even though I'm none of those. We need to help each other.


And I have often thought, man, this president, you'd THINK, being who he is, would be a bit more expressive about everyone's rights. This isn't to say he hasn't said some comments that surely the right wingers hate (that he's a fierce advocate for GLBT, mentioning Gays in election night speech, giving Govt employees benefits who are GLBT), but I EXPECT him to be a truly FIERCE advocate - and not just say it. He lacks the compassion on TV, that other politicians emote, and frankly, his not doing more as Commander In Chief about DADT, instead of allowing this ridiculous year long inquiry into asking Straight people in the military if they want Gays in the military is ridiculous (as if the Gays aren't ALREADY there serving with them! God forbid we have Arabic translators like Choi!!!)

[obxhead]

6. We do not have the right to call this a free country until we are ALL

free.

The fight must be fought.

[SusanaMontana41]

52. Absolutely.

Shoulder to shoulder with my gay brothers and sisters.
~straight but not narrow

[napi21]

12. Fierce advocate? You're asking Obama to be something he is not!

Look at EVERYTHING that he has advocated or spoken in support of. He isn't and never will be fierce about anything! That's just not him.

[sendero]

13. Milquetoast...

... is the word, and it fits Obama as well as it fit John Kerry.

[RufusTFirefly]

25. "Fierce advocate"

Indeed, the irony is that John Kerry's voting record made him a clear liberal (someone whom I, as an unapologetic liberal, should support), while Howard Dean's business-friendly agenda in Vermont made him a centrist. And yet, I strongly supported Dean over Kerry. Why? Because Dean had guts and the courage of his convictions, whereas Kerry and our current president both have weather vane tendencies that make any positions they've established in the past all but irrelevant.

[napi21]

28. I agree with you, and Dean is still my favorite politician, but

we both have to recognize that HE DIDN'T WIN! I hate to admit it, but I really do believe that you can't be seen as radical or either side and still get elected. Neither the right nor the left actually elect Presidents. The independants do. And I mean the real independants, not those who are temporarily pissed at one side or the oter and claim to now be an independant.

I would love it if our President was like an Alan Grayson, or the current Anthony Weiner, but I don't think anyone like that can ever win nationally.

[RufusTFirefly]

31. Sorry, but why didn't Dean win? Because he was an angry maniac?

According to Wikipedia

The scream scene was shown an estimated 633 times by cable and broadcast news networks in just four days following the incident, a number that does not include talk shows and local news broadcasts. However, those who were in the actual audience that day insist that they were not aware of the infamous "scream" until they returned to their hotel rooms and saw it on TV.

633 times in four days!

Six hundred and thirty-three times.

And yet people who were actually there were unaware of it.

To what extent do we force our politicians to alter their messages to meet the approval of the corporate-controlled media? Ultimately, to whom is our "democratically elected" government beholden to?

If as a candidate I hold a certain belief and yet I alter my position -- not because I think rank-and-file Americans will oppose it, but because I believe the corporate-sponsored megaphone will distort it if I don't -- what sort of moral leg do I have to stand on after that?

[napi21]

37. Of course the media magnified Dean and that non-scream.

AFTER they destroyed him, a few even admitted that it was the mike and the way they played it. I NEVEr believed he was NUTS as the media portrayed him, and I was even interviewed by our local media at a Den meet-up shortly after the media blew this out of proportion, and I told the reporter that I still supported Dean & he was the BEST candidate in that race. Of course it didn't get any coverage, even in our local paper.

I've learned from that expeience, and there's nothing I believe from the media without some serious investigation on my part. It's sad, but I've beem forced to investigate stories even from the AP, NBC, CBS, and ALL the cable networks.

I was taught as a very young child that if something doesn't make sense it's probably not true, and it's never failed me yet!

[Drunken Irishman]

39. Dean was done before the scream...

Once he finished a distant third in Iowa, he was toast. Just as Romney was toast when he finished second in Iowa.

The scream didn't help - but Dean would've lost regardless.

His poll numbers plummeted in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucus. I remember vividly because I was working for his campaign out here and I felt completely lost in the weeks and days leading up to the Iowa Caucus.

He lost that caucus for two reasons:

1) His campaign failed at having a sustainable ground game leading up to the caucus. He was hurt because much of the grass roots working for him in Iowa were from out of state and unfamiliar with the organization it took to establish a winning campaign there.

2) Dean and Gephardt dissolved into a slug match two weeks prior to the primary. Dean should have ignored Gephardt, but was brought down to his level while Edwards and Kerry appeared to stay above the fray. It's why Gephardt, who was polling second, fell to fourth and Dean to third.

For all its success in 2003, late 2003 and early 2004 was utterly horrid for the Dean campaign. There were rifts inside the campaign and it was really poorly run leading up to the Iowa Caucus.

The Dean Scream wasn't what brought the Dean campaign down. It was brought down from within.

[Tarheel_Dem]

40. That's an interesting bit of history, DI. I never understood the need, for some, to

engage in revisionist history. Thanks to you and Radical Activist for your firsthand accounts. :thumbsup:

[Drunken Irishman]

42. Thanks, Tarheel...

I love Dean. I think he would've made an exceptional president (though I think DU would've been displeased with him because he's a pragmatic politician - which put him at odds with the left in 2004). However, the campaign had some issues.

The downfall of Dean really began when those tapes from Vermont Public Television were released that had him saying caucuses were corrupt. It was hard for him to really explain away those tapes, even though I agreed with what he was saying. In that sense, the media did play a role because they played those tapes over and over again and Kerry, Gephardt and Edwards quickly jumped on him for it.

Of course, as we saw with the media in 2008 (Rev. Wright, anyone?) they'll play anything that could hurt the Democrats.

Dean was wounded, but hardly out of it.

Of course, at this point, he was the clear front runner. In every debate, each candidate was gunning for him and the perception was that Dean could only lose if he was damaged badly. Even just breaking even was considered a win and there were a few debates where Dean did nothing exceptional, but held steady enough to win.

Then in late 2003, Al Sharpton began going after Dean in a rather pathetic way. He accused Dean of being anti-affirmative action and used his quote about the confederate flag and the fact he had hired zero blacks while governor of Vermont as proof of this.

Dean was really hurt by that. Mostly because it was negative publicity he couldn't excuse away with a reasonable and quick answer. It dogged the campaign for the remainder of 2003 and really began the decline that we saw from December to January.

Add what I said above and you can see why he went from first in Iowa to third seemingly overnight.

[Tarheel_Dem]

45. Dude, you could write a book. You were intimately involved, & heavily invested....

in this guy's campaign. I'll admit, I was a Kerry supporter from beginning to end. I would gladly have voted for Gov. Dean had he become the nominee. However, I love it when people set the record straight, and you've done exactly that. Kudos.....

[sendero]

58. Give it a few years...

... until the "favor the rich" politics of the right has failed so utterly (it's already failed but Americans are slow on the uptake) so abjectly that the right's economic ideas will be out of favor for a long time.

The only good thing about this depression is the degree at which it will completely and once and for all discredit supply side economics and deregulation.

[RKP5637]

61. Yep, Americans are VERY slow. They need a Bush type back to wake them up. 8 years of

Bush wasn't enough, some slept through class day after day, year after year. Many Americans are still asleep at the wheel IMO.

[dionysus]

86. "They need a Bush type back to wake them up" quite telling.

[RKP5637]

94. I don't know what is going to wake up many Americans...

[dionysus]

98. what good is it to wake people up if they awaken to smoldering rubble that is gone beyond repair?

what is the lesson in that?

if 8 years of bush didn't do it, another round won't...

[RKP5637]

99. Yes, I agree, you are quite correct. I just get so very frustrated. I know people that

just think things will work out because it doesn't affect them, "yet." It's not that they're arrogant, republican or just don't care ...

... it's that none generally feel the pain like those feeling the pain. Then I have some republican friends that think everyone will move out of the country if they don't get tax cuts... they fall for all of the republican rhetoric.

... bear with me, it's just my level of frustration. 8 years of Bush and some still don't get it, maybe they never will.

Thanks for your reply!!! Much appreciated, as always!!!

[dionysus]

105. why, thank you.

:hi:

[bvar22]

89. I believed that very same thing in 1992!

I can't believe that the Forces of Evil were able to revive that corpse, and THEN add "Free Trade" to the mix.

[sendero]

57. Exactly...

... belief without conviction isn't of much use in politics. The only conviction I see in Obama is purely focused on political, not actual, achievements.

[RKP5637]

7. Yeah, and he's a fierce advocate? Lord knows what if he weren't ... n/t

[katandmoon]

8. K&R. I think he was behind the door when empathy was passed out.

[WinkyDink]

9. Because he never felt oppressed?

Indonesia and Hawaii are pretty accepting of his ethnic groups.

[Hekate]

48. Is that a way of saying he's not black enough?

Very interesting... but also stupid. (with thanks to Arte Johnson of Rowan & Martin)

Hekate

[Jim Sagle]

11. K and R. BTW, what's an obxhead?

;)

[obxhead]

14. OBX

Outer Banks of NC. I'm a "head" that loves to go there. :)

Thanks for the rec, seems the unrec crew has been hard at work, but you all got it to the greatest at least. I didn't write it for recs, but it has been on my mind for a while now and I would like it to be seen.

[Smashcut]

15. pretty terrible isn't it

thank you for being a real ally :pals:

[txlibdem]

16. Dems are letting the Psychotic Right control the agenda and the national conversation

We saw it during the health care debate with all the town halls. It's like the Dems have no idea that the righties are psycho, even though they watched them for 10 years do the most horrific things and sleep like evil fat little babies. Now the Arizona BS has totally derailed the Dems agenda. They're always reacting to the latest idiotic thing or outright Lie the RW throws out there and they never get out in front of the psychos to head them off.

When we (all us Dems, congress critters and administration included) let the nutjobs label tax cuts for the middle class as Socialism while the tax cuts for the rich are "job creation" you know that our side is intellectually outclassed and outgunned. It's like the Dems in congress did a brain wipe when they were sworn in on 1/20/2009. I'd like to believe that I'm just being too cynical today but I just don't see the passion from the Dems. I don't see that they are aware just how close we came as a nation to a fascist takeover under Cheney. Hell, even W distanced himself from Darth Cheney in his last couple of years in office, he was such a psycho nutjob. Whenever I see Harry Reid stand up in the Senate and meekly and mildly complain about his "friends" or "the opposition" on the other side of the aisle I want to jump through the TV and slap some sense into him. They won't even call out the Rethugs for their actions in the past: Dems say things like, "We passed the tax cuts." No WE didn't. Cheney had to take his seat in the Senate to get it passed through reconciliation. So why aren't the Dems making the word Republican the demonized curse it should be.

And here we are. Gays are not happy. Blacks are not happy. Latinos are not happy. Unions are not happy. Progressives are not happy. Need I go on? The only ones who are happy with the administration are the big banks and the wealthy.

[obxhead]

18. Yes, the right has set the path quite well, but a simple

action would be an executive order repealing DADT. The only one stopping that from happening is Obama. He has NO scapegoat on that part of the needs of the community.

[RKP5637]

62. EXACTLY as you said. "The only ones who are happy with the administration are the big banks and the

wealthy." IMO many that voted are unhappy with their choice...

[RKP5637]

103. I agree with all you said! The D's have IMO this appeasing attitude toward the R's. The R's

shout something at the D's and IMO the D's scatter/huddle and come back with something to try to appease the R's. The D's are being used and railroaded by the R's, but still don't seem to get it... IMO I see the same pattern of behavior over and over again in the current congress/administration. Also, the D's need to drastically improve their messaging.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

17. You are appreciated. Thank you for standing with us (GLBT'ers).

:yourock:

[flvegan]

19. This cannot be repeated enough. From another straight male

standing in solidarity with my GLBT brothers and sisters.

[RufusTFirefly]

20. Why do you hate America? Are you a communist?

:sarcasm:

Gay and lesbian rights are the civil rights issue of our generation.

Throughout the history of this country, there have always been "reasonable" people who calmly and often pragmatically explained why it was wrong or premature to grant equal rights to African-Americans, women, and now gays and lesbians. Those people have always been wrong, but because they tried so hard to sound "reasonable," the population has overlooked or has been unable to confront the moral bankruptcy of their positions.

[Kurovski]

21. Maybe he'll listen.

He's got a few more months left.

K&R& thanks.

And of course, the unrec's are rolling in. DU has turned into a hyperactive Diebold Voting Machine! :D

Well, actually that's not accurate, but, well...fuck it...

[RKP5637]

64. I'm always amazed at the unrec's on DU by "supposed" democrats. There are

a lot of fakes on DU IMO. As you say, and I agree, "DU has turned into a hyperactive Diebold Voting Machine!" More or less...

[Tarheel_Dem]

22. "dismiss out of hand the needs of the GLBT community"?

What did I miss, or is this just more of the same?

[obxhead]

23. I guess it is a bit of "more of the same."

Obama's actions (or lack thereof) speak clearly to me though.

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. I figured as much. But you also meant to mislead, because you wrote:

"To hear Barack Obama dismiss out of hand the needs of the GLBT community is absolutely disgusting given what this nation had to go through to put him in the position he is today."

That statement would lead the reader to believe that you've heard the president say something dismissive about the GLBT community. I was just asking what you heard him say? What was the dismissal you heard?

[obxhead]

27. yes you are correct. I had thought of that a bit after I posted

and just didn't change it.

In full disclosure I did not formally hear anything and I have heard him mention the needs of gays a bit in a positive manner in the past.

However, his lack of action speak far louder than any speech he can give on the subject imo.

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. "and just didn't change it". Oh I see, the original line packed a better punch, huh?

This has become a useful tool of the activist community. Hyperbole & over-the-top rhetoric have replaced any semblance of honest debate. Your o.p. is just one more example, but looks like you got all the usuals on board, so Mission Accomplished. Congratulations. :eyes:

[obxhead]

30. That was not my intention.

I was in the middle of quite a bit at the time and that's the way it was written.

You've clearly stated your opinion and I feel I have clearly accepted it here in the thread and agreed with you.

What more would YOU like from me over it. Clearly the position you take with my post has been made and has been undisputed by me, the original poster. If you need me to add something additional to support your needs on a poor choice of wording I'll do my best to accommodate you.

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. Nothing more needed. I just wanted people to understand (myself included)...

that you were making stuff up, and therefore not an honest broker. I think that's been accomplished. ;-)

[Bluenorthwest]

68. The OP has clear intentions of supporting the people

who need support. I personally agree with the framing used, and I would point out the slanders of Donnie McClurkin, and the out of hand dismissal by Obama of our concerns about this hate preacher being his surrogate, as McClurkin had called us 'vampires' and child killers. He utterly dismissed our calls for an apology, and in fact told us that McClurkin was his friend and a good, decent and moral man.
So there is that. Vampires. No apology, just more praise for the hate speaker. That is what it is. And it is not right, it is wrong, wrong, wrong. Talk about honest brokers, they never call minorities vampires and thieves. Deal with it.

[Sheepshank]

71. clearly stated

that you understand you were making an assumptive hyperbolic statement....but after many following statements, still didn't quite have the time or energy to make a correction?

I call bull and give this an unrec.

I stand with fairness and equality to all...but getting there via lies and innuendos sucks.

[Bluenorthwest]

72. When a people call for equal rights

and a leader says "God says no." That leader is dismissing that call for rights out of hand, based on his own dogmas and prejudices.

[Sheepshank]

74. I'm afraid you are buying onto the hyperbole

he acted as indicated in previous posts to move the gay agenda ahead....he personally doesn't agree...and so? Is he implementing his personal preferences with he passes laws as recently as April 2010 such as:

WASHINGTON (AP)–
<snip>
The designated visitors should have the same rights that immediate family members now enjoy, Obama's instructions said. It said Medicare-Medicaid hospitals, which include most of the nation's facilities, may not deny visitation and consultation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
The move was called a major step toward fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
eta link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/obama-directs-hhs-to-esta_n_539866.html

[VMI Dem]

76. I would like to know what the fuck the "gay agenda" is?

[Sheepshank]

87. based on the last pie chart I saw

it was mostly about making things fabulous. But I'm sure you though I mean something else. Go ahead get furious over something you *think* I meant :sarcasm:

[obxhead]

77. By the time I was available to "correct" the post time had expired

to do so. I think I clearly have fixed it here. Thanks for the K and UR.

I still stand by the heart of the message. Obama's lack of action clearly states he could give a flying fuck about the GLBT community.

[JTFrog]

70. +1 n/t

[ruggerson]

36. How about when Iowa legalized marriage equality

and there was no response from the WH -none- except for a joke Obama told about it at the correspondent's dinner.

[Tailormyst]

80. I am not surprised to see you on this thread

You never miss a chance , eh?

[riderinthestorm]

24. Right. On.

Obama could do a lot to assuage some of the angst by imposing a moratorium on firing gays in the military until DADT is repealed.

He could help by steering clear of defending DOMA in court.

He could help by being the "fierce advocate" in public against discrimination towards LGBT folks that he said he was going to be.

He's been very disappointing so far. There is so much he can be doing that wouldn't cost him any political capital but would show the LGBT community that he really understands their civil rights grievances.

K & R.

[lbrtbell]

32. I just logged in to rec this thread

I find it ironic that the people who scream the loudest in support of illegal immigrants' "rights" don't care about the rights of GLBT American citizens, and will go to the trouble of unrecing a thread like this.

I guess the only way GLBT people can get any compassion around here is to sneak into Mexico, then come back across the border.

For the record, I'm straight, and fully supportive of gay and lesbian civil rights.

Starting with DADT. :mad:

[Tarheel_Dem]

34. So you can't care about both? Sounds like you have some other issues,

but I'll let others judge for themselves. WoW!

[sandnsea]

38. come back across the border??

I almost gave you a serious response until I read that.

[Tarheel_Dem]

46. Exactly. I think that post says much more about said poster than he

wanted us to know. I didn't even alert, because I think everyone should have a chance to see it.

[EFerrari]

44. What?

[geek tragedy]

81. Immigrant-bashing bigotry in defense of GLBT rights.

Well played, Trollhole.

[G_j]

35. K&R

[Hekate]

41. "Dismiss out of hand"? Really? Where, when? Was it before or after he hired LGBT people?

Hired them to both prominent and back office positions? Was it before or after he and his administration supported and urged the recognition by the United Nations of an International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission?

I guess after doing all that and more, he not only can look at himself in the mirror, but I'll bet he sleeps well at night too.

Sounds like you're the one who's dismissing out of hand the progress that has been made.

Hekate

[Tarheel_Dem]

43. A most excellent response, Hekate. (nt)

:applause:

[Bluenorthwest]

69. The first openly gay Ambassador was appointed by GW Bush

Does that mean we have to praise Bush? And while the recognition of the 9th, not the first, gay related organization at the UN is good, but look at the fact that this is the 9th, and look at who voted for it, and who voted against it. The US vote was good, but nothing that France has not done 9 times, you know?
Perspective. There is some praise to be handed out, but it has to be reality based, not hyped up, nor hyped down.
And just fyi, when anyone responds to a desire for equal rights by saying "God says no." That is an out of hand dismissal of the most basic goal we have. Think about it.

[obxhead]

83. thank you.

[Hekate]

90. "God says no." Fascinating. You have a link for that? A complete unedited YouTube clip? something?

[Hekate]

106. # crickets #

tuneful little buggers but they don't say much

[Sheepshank]

73. lets not forget this recent addition

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/obama-directs-hhs-to-esta_n_539866.html

eta...I hate links with no explanations...so here is an excerpt

WASHINGTON (AP)– In a move hailed as a step toward fairness for same-sex couples, President Barack Obama is ordering that nearly all hospitals allow patients to say who has visitation rights and who can help make medical decisions, including gay and lesbian partners.

The White House on Thursday released a statement by Obama instructing his Health and Human Services secretary to draft rules requiring hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments to grant all patients the right to designate people who can visit and consult with them at crucial moments.

The designated visitors should have the same rights that immediate family members now enjoy, Obama's instructions said. It said Medicare-Medicaid hospitals, which include most of the nation's facilities, may not deny visitation and consultation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
The move was called a major step toward fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

I know it's not 'everything'. But to dismiss out of hand any movement forward and to make wild accusations that seem regressive is just plain wrong.

[Tarheel_Dem]

75. Exactly.

"But to dismiss out of hand any movement forward and to make wild accusations that seem regressive is just plain wrong."

It really does seem wrong, doesn't it? I don't know what the goal is. Is it to alienate the people who should be your natural allies? The online "activists", in no way, represent the GLBT people I know.

[AtomicKitten]

79. +1

"Sounds like you're the one who's dismissing out of hand the progress that has been made."

[FreeState]

47. Short answer? Because other Democrats allow him to dismiss the rights of others

Until a majority of Democrats stand up and demand the president act he will not.

[scheming daemons]

49. Name a President that has been more positive for the LGBT community than Obama

Name one of the previous 43.



Yes... he's not all the way there. But no President has done more for that community than him.

[FreeState]

50. Thats a very disingenuous statement

It does not take much to be the most positive when prior to a year ago there was not one single federal law that protected GLBT citizens (the new hate crimes law is a good thing, but its the least thing one could do IMO). What has been done is a glance in the right direction in the grand scheme of what still needs to be done.

[BlueCheese]

54. You can't give him credit...

... for living in the 21st century. Societal norms have been moving forward rapidly--people today are more positive about the gay community than people only ten years ago. By that measure Ronald Reagan was more enlightened on the rights of African Americans than Thomas Jefferson.

The real measure is whether Obama is ahead or behind the curve among people today. And frankly, he's way behind. He has less tolerant views than most Democrats and not a small number of Republicans. His views on gay marriage are more antiquated than those of Dick F. Cheney, for goodness sakes.

[Tarheel_Dem]

67. Wow. You even found a way to praise Dick F. Cheney. Good one.

But you neglected to tell us what Dick F. Cheney did in the eight years he was VP, to move us forward on gay issues. It's wonderful that he & Laura Bush are now pro-gay rights, but how convenient they didn't make these views known sooner. And wouldn't it have been beneficial to know that from 2000 - 2008?

You say he has less tolerant views than most Democrats, but his position on gay marriage was the same as all the top 3 candidates. Edwards, Hillary, and Obama were all opposed to marriage, but in favor of civil unions.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

100. Ronald Reagan *was* more enlightened on the rights of African Americans than Thomas Jefferson.

I agree with what you say, but not with your interpretation of it.

[obxhead]

55. Obviously you did not understand the substance of the OP.

This was about Obama being the first President we have ever had that has come from a family that might understand oppression a great deal better than any of his 43 preprocessors.

[HEyHEY]

51. He's the victim of being too rational

weighing everything to see how much he can get overall... because of this he forgets things that are a matter of principle and should be dealt with ASAP.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hippo_Tron]

56. Because he knows it would be worse with a Republican in office

You can rationalize triangulation pretty easily by saying that you need to triangulate in order to be re-elected and if you don't get re-elected, your opponents will do far worse things when they are elected.

[VMI Dem]

59. Would they oppose gay civil rights even more vehemently?

:rofl:

[VMI Dem]

60. You can almost make a list of the typical shit stirrers in every GLBT related thread.

Be it DADT, civil rights, whatever.

Why is that?

[QC]

63. It almost looks like some kind of pattern, doesn't it? n/t

[Starry Messenger]

65. Yes, labor too I'm finding.

The whole concept of solidarity seems to totally alien to a select sector of our membership and it is, always, the same people.

[obxhead]

78. "shit stirrers" gave Obama the right to become President. nt

[uncommon]

66. k&r

[Name removed]

82. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mikeytherat]

84. Because he's not a vampire?

:shrug:

mikey_the_rat

[Arkana]

85. Well, I'm sure he gets up in the morning, yawns, scratches, and pads into

the bathroom like every other human being on earth--there's a mirror in the Residence bathroom.

[LatteLibertine]

88. President Obama sez

don't hate.

/>

[DailyGrind51]

91. He doesn't look at himself, Rahm Emanuel looks for him and tells him what to see!

[bvar22]

92. I don't know if Obama looks in mirrors,

but I can't watch him on TV anymore.

[obxhead]

93. Ditto. I'm tired of watching him say one thing and then cave

in to Republican interests for whatever reason. It's become unbearable.

[upi402]

95. more than tired

betrayal causes deeper sentiments in my house

[RKP5637]

104. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean and I hear similar from many D's. n/t

[flamingdem]

96. UNREC for another attack on our president nt

[obxhead]

101. That's your privilege on this site. If the shoe fits... nt

[Name removed]

97. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LWolf]

102. I don't think his conscience is bothering him.

I think he's well pleased with his first 2 years.

:(