BREAKING: White House Opposes Any Effort to Strip Out DADT Repeal

[FourScore]

BREAKING: White House Opposes Any Effort to Strip Out DADT Repeal
by deaniac83
Mon Nov 08, 2010 at 06:09:22 PM PST

Yesterday, I wrote that DADT repeal is not dead. Not yet. Not only was yesterday's entire bru-haha based on a single anonymous source, there were contradictory, on-the-record sources that were pretty much ignored. Well, today, we have this from reporter Chris Geidner of the Metro Weekly:

UPDATE @ 7:25 PM: Dan Pfeiffer, White House communications director, said in a statement on Monday evening, "The White House opposes any effort to strip 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' from the National Defense Authorization Act."

I am sure people are going to find ways to turn this very direct statement into how the White House really released that statement so the President can actually go behind the scenes and personally take Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal out of the defense authorization bill in the Senate, but I'm here to tell you what is actually coming out of the newsbubble known as Washington, DC.

The Human Rights Campaign, which is the largest LGBT lobby organization in DC (whether or not you like them isn't really the point, they have the biggest LGBT lobby would know more about these discussions than any other non-Congressional source), also dismissed yesterday's chatter as "background noise."

On Monday, Fred Sainz, HRC's communications vice president, called the reports "interesting background noise," but added, "At this point, this is nothing more than a rumor that has always been a possibility."

As I pointed out yesterday, Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network also said that Chairman Levin is actually looking at several options.

Sainz, however, said, "As you would expect, Republicans like McCain are going to be shopping around any option that strips 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal from the underlying bill." <...> "We haven't seen any evidence of Democrats – and especially those in leadership – that have taken the bait."

So let's recap. The Republicans, including John McCain, is holding the threat of not allowing a defense authorization bill to pass as a bait to try to get Levin to remove the DADT repeal provisions. But there is no evidence that the Democratic leadership in the Senate (who in this election did not lose their majority) is actually capitulating. Further, we have a definitive statement from the White House that the President is categorically and unequivocally opposed to removing the DADT repeal provision from the defense appropriations bill...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/8/918891/-BREAKING:-White-House-Opposes-Any-Effort-to-Strip-Out-DADT-Repeal

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[donco6]

2. That's good news.

And pretty soon we'll see if it pans out. Hope so.

[USArmyParatrooper]

3. May I cross post this fully?

On another website?

[ChiciB1]

4. Delete Reply

[Number23]

5. "also dismissed yesterday's chatter as "background noise."

Do you have a link to the "background noise?" I'd love to see it. Thanks!

[Canuckistanian]

6. Wait, I'm not getting this

Obama is "opposed to removing the DADT repeal provision"

So... he's FOR removing DADT?

[TheWraith]

8. Yes. Is it really that hard to follow?

1. Obama supports repealing DADT.

2. Repeal of DADT is in the defense appropriations bill.

3. Rumor circulates that Carl Levin is considering a deal with McCain to remove the DADT repeal from the defense bill.

4. White House states that they're opposed to any such deal.

[midnight]

11. Thanks for the clarification.....

[Canuckistanian]

20. There were several layers of negation in the statement

I just wanted to make sure.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Hosnon]

26. Why so brusque? As the poster points out, there are at least three negatives in that sentence. nt.

[Divine Discontent]

39. great for folks to understand. no need for the snark, though.

[yodermon]

30. a Douglas Adams quote you might enjoy:

''That young girl,'' {Marvin} added unexpectedly, ``is one of the least benightedly unintelligent life forms it has been my profound lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting.''

Zaphod took a moment or two to find his way through this labyrinthine string of negatives and emerged at the other end with surprise.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/tomsnyder/hg-3-31.html
Life at the End of the Universe, chapter 31

[Canuckistanian]

41. Ha! Yes, I remember that

Or how about the Broadway producer (can't find the coiner by Google) who said of a rival's play, "I won't fail to miss it!"

[backscatter712]

7. A good start, Mr. President. May I suggest displaying your veto pen?

That might actually get DADT through Congress, and show the Republicans that you're not their bitch.

[TheWraith]

9. That's a very chancey sort of risk.

You don't want to make a veto threat unless you're sure that you'll really follow through, otherwise the next time it'll be assumed that you're bluffing. You also have to be sure that Congress wants the bill bad enough to give you what you want, but not so badly that they could override a veto. With the defense appropriations bill, that's kind of risky, since everyone would want that to go through.

[Scurrilous]

10. Good news.

K & R :thumbsup:

[nofurylike]

12. K&R! yes! thank you so much for posting this, FourScore!! nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

13. But...but...but... Obama has "fucked over" gay people!!

:sarcasm::sarcasm:

[nofurylike]

14. i hope people will still keep contacting Levin and all about this! nt

[Cha]

15. Thanks for this from deaniac, FourScore.

Facts are so refreshing..and deaniac does awesome work on gathering them.

[TheKentuckian]

16. Better be prepared to veto shenanigans then.

He signs it, he buys it.

[SidDithers]

17. K&R...nt

Sid

[JTFrog]

18. Why doesn't this thread have hundreds of rec's and replies?

Kind of tells you something about the new DU.

[Scurrilous]

19. ...

Yep. :thumbsup:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. See post #23

[DevonRex]

32. I'm wondering about that, too. nt

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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

[JTFrog]

36. On his hind legs?

As if he were a dog?

All I can say is, start flapping.

:shrug:

[Tx4obama]

37. There are 22 rec's on the LBN article regarding the WH statement.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4607197

[Donald Ian Rankin]

21. The title should be "White House says it will oppose any attempt etc".

At this point, I'm afraid I don't think it's sensible to take Obama's word on this subject.

[barbtries]

22. we need to be letting our reps know

that we want the repeal of DADT sooner rather than later.

[COLGATE4]

23. I really hope that you're correct - but I reserve my opinion until

I actually see it. I've been led to the altar by Obama spokespersons before, only to be left there with wilting flowers in my hand. Let's see how it actually pans out.

[joeybee12]

24. Hey, I opppose it, too...

but does what I say matter? Do I have any leverage to make sure it stays in there...no I don't. Obama does. Words, for this administration, are very, very cheap. And if you knew anything about the HRC, they have devolved into a totally worthless advocacy group.

[Overseas]

25. K&R ! Glad to hear it. //nt

[cate94]

27. K & R

[Hosnon]

28. +1, President Obama! nt.

[DevonRex]

31. That's great and exactly what we expected. K&R nt

[DevonRex]

33. kick

[lovemydog]

34. Good!

[FreeState]

38. Good news - but this is what I would like to see in addition to this

I'd like to see the president put out a statement that says something similar to this: "I opposes any effort to strip 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' from the National Defense Authorization Act and will veto the National Defense Authorization Act if the DADT language is removed."

[Wounded Bear]

40. Better late than never I guess..

:shrug:

[rateyes]

42. And, when it passes with DADT repeal stripped out, he'll veto it, right?

Riggggghhhhhhhhtttttttttt! :sarcasm:

He should oppose the appeal his administration is pursuing that keeps DADT in place.

Talk is cheap.

Easy to be generous when you don't have to give away anything.