Florida Republican Renews Call for Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

A moldy half loaf

Have heard good things about Equality Florida. However, I am shocked and angered that this state group has apparently been brainwashed by the now strategically bankrupt Servicemembers Legal Defense Network-the only national GLBT group still pushing the impotent, discredited "one-prong" approach to ending DADT discharges. Despite their good intentions, that makes Equality Florida rather than a part of the solution a part of the problem described in the recent revealing report by DADT experts, the Palm Center, entitled
Self-Inflicted Wound: How and Why Gays Give the White House a Free Pass on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

http://www.palmcenter.org/file...

"Every ounce of activism directed towards the exclusive legislative strategy as opposed to the two-part strategy enhances the ability of the White House to invoke its old pass-the-buck defense which was so effective for the first few months of the administration, before the two-part strategy was raised in public. Calling for an exclusive emphasis on legislative repeal is perhaps the greatest gift gay rights groups could give the White House. And it's a slap in the face to service members like Lt. Dan Choi, whose careers are in peril right NOW.

The two-part strategy was working. As soon as the public learned that President Obama could suspend the gay ban with the stroke of a pen, the tone of media coverage shifted immediately from "isn't it terrible to fire gay Arabic linguists" to "why isn't President Obama doing anything."

. . . Sadly, at the very moment that discussion of the two-part strategy started to disable the political stalemate surrounding "don't ask, don't tell," some gay and gay-friendly activists, journalists and politicos have let up pressure on the White House by resisting executive action, and insisting on an exclusive focus on legislative repeal.  . . .

If a unified community held the President accountable for his recent, misleading remarks about why he will not sign an executive order, redirected the national conversation to the two-part strategy and demanded immediate executive leadership as the first step in a multi-stage effort to lift the ban, we would maximize the chances for unlocking the stalemate in Washington and again see momentum toward an outcome that has been elusive for more than fifteen years."

Until this report, ironically by the UCSB think tank upon whose research and advice they have depended for years, SLDN's indefensible (and inexplicable) role in this folly flew under the radar while some attacked HRC. But on the Chris Matthews show on June 4th, HRC unequivocally called for the President to use his thoroughly legal powers to freeze discharges until repeal happens while more than two months later SLDN is still telling everyone - including their own gay GI clients - that we have to wait on the House and Senate - when it still looks like it will be a very long time before enough of those cows come home. Senators don't even have a repeal bill yet to come home to!

It can't hurt sending yet another letter to Congress, but they aren't going to seriously consider repeal without President Obama's involvement. And discharges could stop IMMEDIATELY if the President fulfilled his responsibilities to protect national security...just as Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and 76 other members of Congress asked him to do in June.

I respectfully suggest Equality Florida - and everyone - direct at least as much attention and pressure to action by the President.

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by: TruthToPower @ Sat Aug 08, 2009 at 12:44:51 PM CDT

I wonder

I have always liked this lady and wondered why she is a Republican.  I have seen her break with "the party line" before and am very happy to see this news too.

May I assume that only FL residents should take advantage of your "sign the letter to Congress" link?  I never know what is the best protocol here, since on the one hand we don't like people from other states messing with our legislation/court decision/etc.  Does anyone in FL care what a guy in AZ thinks a Florida Rep should do?  Alternatively, does the support from interested citizens in other states and NOT in her district underscore what a national issue this is?

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by: Jake @ Sat Aug 08, 2009 at 13:55:18 PM CDT

Conservative

She's conservative on pretty much everything else if I remember correctly, so it makes sense for her to stick with the republicans. She simply sees gay rights as a matter of fairness (and she wants to keep the fairly large gay vote in her district).

Regardless of whether she is a republican or a democrat, it's good to have her on board anyway. There need to be more republicans like that.

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by: tbaxfer @ Sat Aug 08, 2009 at 14:17:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

A Change in Momentum?

As someone directly affected by DADT, I too was disappointed with SLDN's position regarding the single-track approach to repeal DADT.  For the repeal to actually happen we need multiple layers of engagement.  

First, constituents need to contact all those Representatives who are not co-sponsors of H.R. 1283, Military Readiness Enhancement Act.  218 co-sponsors are needed,
See the status of your state here: http://www.sldn.org/content/pa...

Second, everyone needs to continue to call the White House.  The President must show the leadership he promised on the campaign trail but has yet to deliver since January 20th.  Congress wants the President to lead the way.  The Defense Department won't act on their own, the Commander-in-Chief needs to tell them to start the process for openly integrating gays and lesbians into the service.

Third, do not overlook the Senate.  With the hearing on DADT coming up in the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), constituents need to make their voices heard in that part of the Congress as well.  I suspect we won't see much true momentum even in the House until after the Senate hearings.  We can't wait until the Elaine Donnelys of the world spew their hate in front of the SASC and the world media.  We have to front load all of our Senators before the hearings!  

Even though some Democrats in the Senate voted in support of the Matthew Shepard Act, I am not certain they are completely behind a repeal of DADT. (To see how they voted, I broke it down here: http://2ndclasssoldier.blogspo... For example, Sen. Jim Webb, who sits on the SASC and voted for the Hate Crimes Law, has said in the past he thinks DADT is working.  Virginians, contact his office http://webb.senate.gov/contact/ and tell him to support a repeal of DADT!

Congress will NOT act on their own, and they definitely won't vote in our favor unless they know how we feel about it.  Writing and calling your Congressmen is important.  Please keep doing it, our nation's security depends on it.

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by: toujoursgai @ Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 20:26:39 PM CDT