Follow Up to 'Obama: "Promise? What Promise?"... Video For Context

Obama didn't make light of gay protest?

Pam,

Have you seen this at DailyKos?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...

---

by: TannerIL @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 09:22:46 AM CDT

He may not have made light, but he sure did IGNORE us.

I was there at the protest. It started at 6pm and I got there close to 7pm. As I was crossing Santa Monica Blvd. to get in front of the Beverly Hills hotel (since they didn't allow anyone on that side) I could see from far away a big crowd with LOTS of gay rainbow and American flags. I knew right away where the gay protesters were. The rest of the protestors were the minority. I think I saw the anti-war group of about maybe 8. The most visible and highest in number were the GLBT protesters.

Now why would President Obama speak words that seem like he was mocking the protesters. Let's say he wasn't.

Then why do we get the SILENCE from him and BACK PEDALLING regarding gay issues like gays in the military, DOMA, ENDA and more. Unless you are part of the GLBT , you will not understand why people are upset and tired of being told to "wait, he's got more important things to do".

Well EQUALITY can't wait any longer ... especially when you have a US President back pedalling.

When a day after the Prop 8 ruling President Obama can't even mention it in front of a LIBERAL HOLLYWOOD crowd, then you know something is wrong.  

---

by: Juan @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 16:00:34 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bully Pulpit Moment

What is so angering about the Obama administration is not the lack of progress on any of our legislative issues - I understand that the economy and healthcare are the legislative priorities right now. But there is no schedule, no timetable to bring up DADT, DOMA, ENDA, UAFA, etc. Are any of them political priorities after the economy and healthcare? Even the administration's support for the hate crimes law (still languishing in the Senate) has been as minimal as possible.

I understand that Obama cannot pass legislation and needs the Congress with him on these issues, but watching Gibbs fumble and mutter and slip and slide through his responses to any and all LGBT-related questions demonstrates pretty clearly that Obama is not taking the lead on any of these issues. And leadership is what we need right now.

The primary power of the Presidency is the bully pulpit - the ability to use the power of the office to drive the political and social direction of the country. FDR, who Obama most resembles, was also a major political pragmatist who wanted Congress to lead on a lot of issues. He would not push for an anti-lynching bill in order to save Southern votes in the Congress, for instance. The difference is that FDR (and to a major extent Eleanor) used the power of the bully pulpit to demonstrate that African-Americans should not be considered second-class citizens. The First Couple routinely invited prominant civil rights leaders to dinners and functions, Eleanor arranged for Marian Anderson to perform after her bigoted rejection by the DAR, they both fought for equality for African-Americans in the military and in war production. Today their efforts seem slight, and the improvements for African-Americans minimal, but in 1932 we were basically starting at zero in terms of racial equality. Their actions had huge impacts.

In short, FDR and Eleanor became the change they wanted to see. Even when legislation was not politically possible, they lived their public lives showing their beliefs in equality. That is what we are not seeing from Obama right now.

Sure, we got an invitation to roll eggs. Great - an event that is supposed to be open to the public was, in fact, open to the public. Not exactly politically courageous. There has been nothing else - barely even lip service to our agenda. Where is the proclamation for gay pride month in June? What events is the federal government sponsoring to recognize our contributions (events that routinely happened under Clinton, but stopped under Bush)? Where is the public meeting between Obama and the recently fired gay service members? Where are the public statements about the need for civility and respect in the debate over marriage in NH, CA and ME, or civil unions in IL, or out-of-state recognition in DC?

During the campaign, Candidate Obama was more than willing to address homophobia in the African-American religious community, where is he now as that homophobia is being used (by preachers who live and often preach outside DC) to try and undermine the actions of DC's City Council? He does not need to change his position on civil unions v. marriage to express a desire for states and localities to be allowed to decide this for themselves, without anti-gay propaganda being used to demean, belittle and degrade our community.

I don't think Obama or his staffers realize the shaky nature of the LGBT support he had during the campaign, or how quickly he can lose (and likely is losing) that support. We need concrete actions from him and his administration, not necessarily legislation, to demonstrate he is not yet another Democratic politician willing to sacrfice our lives for political expediency.

At the same time I am frustrated that the only concrete response to this has been to march, and for some to suggest yet another March on Washington. We need something more concrete and more quickly organized to express our disappointment, and I may have an idea. I think those of us who are LGBT, and our allies, who supported Obama need to express, visibly, that our support is waning or gone. There is a simple way we can do that - send back our Obama political swag from the election. We all have t-shirts, lawn signs, coffee mugs, buttons, expressing our support for Obama's candidacy. Let's visibly show how our support is waning by sending some or all of it back, along with a note demanding action on LGBT issues. If you're totally pissed, send everything back; if you're more worried but still hopeful, send just one item.

Obama said he wanted us to hold his feet to the fire. Complaining about his lack of leadership won't work, I think we need something more concrete.  

---

by: CPT_Doom @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 09:44:44 AM CDT

You know, I really like that idea

If I had actually bought any of his crap, I would do just that.

The only question is, do we send it to the White House or to the DNC offices? I'm voting for half and half, because not only has Obama royally pissed me off since October with his barely-disguised contempt for gay people, the DNC has pissed me off by allowing their leader to toss us back out in the gutter after our votes were counted.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

---

by: Keori @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 21:42:19 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Saving the American economy

doesn't make a lot of sense if we have to sacrifice the principles that America stands for to do it.  That's the same argument we heard about the Patriot Act and assorted other Bush/Cheney villainies: we have to trash American ideals in order to save America.  It was a bad argument then, and it's still one.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

---

by: QScribe @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 09:48:08 AM CDT

Economy vs. Rights, Delegate!

It's bullshit. Obama doesn't have to do it personally, he has an entire cabinet and an army of willing and talented interns, any of whom could put together a package of bill proposals and policy statements in the next month. And pardon me if I'm wrong, but the economic stimulus bills, health care, employee rights, and military policies are handled by separate fucking committees in congress.  There is no reason why these issues can't be developed in parallel.  

---

by: CBrachyrhynchos @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:27:33 AM CDT

the people saying that the economy is more important than civil rights

are the people responsible for lgbts' continued location in the shitter because they provide continual cover for obama et al. to never get anything done.  there will always be an excuse, always.  unless someone has lived in this country as an open lgbt person, they have NO RIGHT to prioritize away the attainment of equal rights to lgbts.  god but that kind of snotty privileged conceit pisses me off, especially coming from an ally.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.

---

by: Lurleen @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:36:55 AM CDT

Which is why

I did some edumacation here at home.

The arguments of  "Obama needs to wait until Franken is in/ the magical 60 senators" or that :the 2010/ 2012 elections could be lost if Obama isn't careful with his political capital" just hit me at best as not completely thought through and excuses for Obama's silences at worst.

Remember when Obama was having his terrific town hall open audience Q&As? Those are gone already- and while Gibbs is taking questions, when is the last time the President took a question with a camera in his face?

He's hiding- yet he can do a bunch of DNC fundraisers. Bah!

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners

Click here for DADT photobook

---

by: Louise @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:57:05 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

time-honored methods of procrastination

And you know, there are time-honored methods of political procrastination on an issue. Put together a commission to deliver a report. Create a committee. Hire a liaison. At least do something beyond have your spokescritter go "um, errr, ahh, we've not really talked about that" on issues that you were more than free to discuss during the election.

Really, I'm astounded at how bad this administration's PR is coming off of an election campaign that lived on message-control.  

---

by: CBrachyrhynchos @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 11:39:43 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I can understand why the O administration is sensitive about this, but...

...Obama using gay protests as the butt of a joke for a laugh is so beneath him that I'm viewing him in a whole new light...I thought he was bigger then this.

And I'm starting to realize, even with all of the great things he's trying to do, that basically he's just another politician, afraid to take stands that might stir too much criticism...

---

by: wagonjak @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 11:09:11 AM CDT

I feel so much better now

knowing that Pres. Obama claimed not to know what a group of people waving rainbow flags and chanting about equal rights were asking for.  Why, he just didn't know and why should he when those discharged from the military were in attendance and Prop 8 decision had just been announced the day before?  

---

by: exfundie @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 11:45:20 AM CDT

Sarcasm intended

(in above post).

---

by: exfundie @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:54:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

How many more flags, posters and banners did he need?

I was there (red sign) and we were VERY visible:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GY69...

:-)

---

by: Juan @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 16:07:15 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Great pic

With that crowd, there's no way not to know it was Obama's second class citizens out there protesting unkept promises.
Thanks Juan.

---

by: Karen in Kalifornia @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 16:49:34 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

MORE HEAT!

Well, here goes.

It baffles me that President Obama’s administration has be absent, absolutely silent on anything regarding the GLBT community. Nothing. Marriage Equality in the North east is near damn a done deal. An amendment / Supreme Court / federal lawsuit in California, and nothing. California is nearly 1/8 of the United States population, that is a big damn deal. The press has pressed him on DADT every press conference for the last 5 meetings and nothing. The only good news has come out of the State department. Now, that is very good news and it can not happen with out the blessing of the president. Now, I can only speculate, but the politics of this may be timing. The answer may not be no, it may be the answer we are being given is, not now. There are big fucking fish to fry and the world does not revolve around us. Health care, a financial crisis, two “wars”. I’ll take a back seat to that. If those where my priorities, I might not open other battles and stay focused on mission critical objectives. Of course, who knows? Somebody knows, they just aren’t sharing that information. I remember a Presidential candidate, unafraid to share his thoughts on GLBT equality with a black church gathering. I remember a lot of things. And for the moment, this is what I think would be my plan of action to deal with the situation as it stands. Guidelines.

1. What is the objective? Equal rights.

2. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.

3. Money, political pressure / power, education.

4. What are we tired of? Lip service.

Ok, first we have to acknowledge that we are only into this term like four months. I’m willing to give things some time. What to do in the interim? Here’s what I propose to do; Join this site http://gayrights.change.org and these sites www.http//:democrats.com, http://www.democrats.org/ and any other facebook or political site you desire. Work on the local politicians all the way up to the White House. We need to “voice out” as Cleo would say. Join these groups and tell them what the hell you think. Every time they ask you to do something, tell them why you are not going to lift a finger or send a dollar until something gets done in regards to GLBT equal rights. With me so far?

IF nothing moves on these important issues by the end of the year, we pull our support and let them know why we are doing so. And I mean pull hard. I mean changing your registration from Democrat to Independent, maybe even Libertarian? Green party? I also mean pulling support for organizations that have been unproductive. We can not continue to reward poor performance. Now, the politicians that I know, the ones who really get it, the ones who have the guts to do what is right, I will support them with enthusiasm. There is no use punishing some for the wrong doing of others. Our local friends who have the courage to speak out and lend a hand, they continue to get support. We need to put everyone on notice. Democracy is not a spectator sport and we will no longer sit on the sidelines and bitch. We will act in the best interest of our community and the America we know should be.

http://EQFL.org

---

by: banshiii @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:24:29 PM CDT

Hmm, so the President of the United States

doesn't have an aide or intern or something to go and find out what the protest is about at his appearance?  Surely the Secret Service checked them out.  And the audience must have known who they were because they had to walk by the protest to get in.  Seems to me, if I were the President, I might ask somebody that question before I go joking about it on stage and blowing it off as "some protesters out there".  Or better off, get a gander of the protest myself beforehand.  You know, take note of the rainbow flags or the signs or the presence of the Army National Guard lieutenant who so recently and publicly asked me not to fire him for being gay.  Yes indeedy, I'm pretty sure that's what I would do.  So he either knew full well what it was about and feigned ignorance to make a joke for his speech, or he just doesn't give a shit when a hundred protesting citizens are trying to get his attention.  Either way, it sucks.

Yes we can!

---

by: bluegirlbb @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:28:00 PM CDT

Exactly

couldn't have said it better myself.

---

by: exfundie @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:54:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Something Else

Currently the estimate of GLBT people is between 6% and 10% of the population.  The estimate of those GLBT who are registered is about 10%.  Which works out to be (for ease of calculations and knowing the GLBT community is about 10% of 304,000,000 and 10% of that total which is about

nothing on the vote count scale

Obama is doing vote counts.  Until the GLBT people form a voting minority nothing will happen with this administration.
Convince your friends to register and vote.

Pam,
J'aime ma Peau

---

by: Blonde Pam @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 21:53:10 PM CDT