Didn’t Gay Inc. already admit defeat in securing passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act? Yup! But that was sooo 2009. We’re in a new year! Things are looking up, right? Heh. C’mon. Is it really news that these same organizations and political operators have all but given up on passing ENDA this year?
Without the 60 votes to block a filibuster, a “small corps of LGBT political insiders, speaking on condition that they not be identified, believe the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is headed for almost certain defeat this year,” reports D.C. Agenda. You knew that was coming.
But according to these sources — who won’t speak on the record, despite D.C. Agenda claiming they are “breaking what some have called an informal code of silence adopted by mainline LGBT political organizations” — the battle was lost even before Scott Brown snatched the Senate seat in Massachusetts. Which an observation about as astute as saying Apple’s new iPad didn’t meet expectations. It’s like, YEAH PEOPLE, the majority of Democrats lawmakers haven’t had our backs on this for years, and what’s changed?
Certainly not installing Barack Obama as president. Certainly not commandeering control of both congressional houses. And certainly not with Obama announcing he’s going to expend whatever political capital he has left on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t tell, effectively shifting ENDA further down the line. (Which is funny, because wasn’t the Human Rights Campaign accused of advising the White House to move on ENDA before DADT? Yup!)
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So here we are, in 2010, with the midterm elections soon upon us, and with no more movement on ENDA that we had last year. And with lawmakers scared of what a vote on DADT will do to their re-election chances, you can be sure few of them will be willing to publicly back a bill that’s so obviously needed, but oh-so-risky to political careers.
Devon
This is what’s infuriating to me: Barack Obama could have had ENDA passed in his first three months, back when he was still riding a wave of massive popularity, with a Democratic super-majority in both houses. But any time the gays tried to push for that we were told to shut up and sit down, there were more important things to worry about right now(and often it was other gays who were doing the telling.) And now the filibuster-proof majority is gone in the senate, Obama’s popularity is circling the bowl, and the Democrats are going to have their asses handed to them come November. When John Boner and his Repugnicunt legions seize control, it’s all but a guarantee that ENDA is dead for at least 12 years.
Fuck you if you ever said “be patient, we have to give Obama time” or anything of the sort.
ksu499
Let’s see here — ENDA will fail because the Democrats’ *59 vote majority* doesn’t have enough votes to get 51 votes for passage? And we’re supposed to support Democrats because….
Tom
The best thing to do is contact your representatives in congress. HRC set up http://www.passendanow.org and if you click “take action” you can send an email to your congressman by entering just your name and address. You can edit the letter too if you want.
They’re not a perfect organization but tools like this which put pressure on congress are what’s going to help the most. Don’t get apathetic, it won’t help!
Brian NYC
@Tom: Gee whiz Tom, do you really believe Members of Congress pay any attention to letter, emails and calls? That’s silly.
They ONLY pay attention to the views of their particular constituents – their voters. It is, and has always been, about getting elected. That is done with polling and NOT by counting messages, etc.
Jason
@Tom: “Putting pressure on Congress.” Haha – good one. What turnip truck did you just fall off of?
You are correct about HRC though – useless, including this silly emailing deal. It is just HRC trying to look relevant.
Steve
The Democrats have enough votes to both pass ENDA and repeal DOMA. They can do both, if they are willing. The problem is, they are not willing.
With “friends” like the Democrats have been, I don’t need enemies.
Perhaps we should all support “Progressive” candidates for the next election cycle. That might “spoil” some elections, but those Democrats clearly have absolutely no intention of doing anything for gay issues, so we might as well have Republicans in those seats for a term. An honest enemy might be preferable to a dishonest “friend” who actually behaves like an enemy.
Daniel
They are tackling DADT because it allows them to drag it out for years. They’ll say they need to “study” how to repeal it, and then another “study” on how to implement the repeal, and they’ll pretend that this issue has been around for 15 years and doesn’t need any “studying” at all. It needs politicians with backbones, but the Democrats will stall so they don’t have to Democrats in “bad” states have to actually step up to the plate. And Democrats will take the base for granted, because they are so accustom to being able to trample the base. But what they cannot control is the base witnessing them bullshit everyone and the base deciding that Democrats who don’t actually do shit are not any better than simply starting another political party.
And they are doing DADT instead of any substantial civil rights bill because it will also help the FEWEST possible GLBT people and their families. Just like the hate crimes bill which only helps very FEW folks in any given year (and then only after the fact when they are dead or maimed). God forbid they do something that actually helps ALL GLBT Americans and their families. It is pathetic.
Brian NYC
@Steve: The Democrats do NOT have enough votes. There are 8 conservative Democrats. Don’t be fooled by HRC bull shit. We do not have a chance in this Congress and it will get worse in November.
Brian NYC
There is NO political solution to LGBT equality. We are wasting our time and our money.
Tom
@Brian NYC: That site contacts your representative (figures it out based on your address). So it’s not some random person sending a message, but one from a constituent. I think more people will type in their address than call or go to their rep’s office, so I don’t see what the problem is.
I don’t like some of what HRC does either, but when they come up with a useful tool that’s no reason to not take advantage of it. Why cut off your nose to spite your face, you know?
If you don’t think a political response will help, what will? I’m genuinely asking, I’m not sure what else to do.
Brian NYC
@Tom: The politicians know what their constituents want based on polling, not the number of calls they get or emails or letters. Polling is very scientific and for these Senators it is all about getting re-elected.
There is an unfortunate lie that is told over and over again in politics: “the squeaky wheel get the grease.” It’s not true in politics, but it may still apply in manufacturing.
I’m not sure what the solution is Tom, but I know believing in politics only delays our equality. Ultimately, people need to support us – people in each Senator’s own State. That requires our reaching out to THEM and not the phony politicians. The sooner we do that, the sooner we own the politician.
There are other dynamics at play (like Massachusetts recent rebuke of Obama, Democrats and politics in general) but most politicians vote with re-election in mind, or they don’t survive.
rainfish2000
You don’t have to be the butt-boys for the gutless Democrats, and you don’t have to run into the Republican lion’s den like frightened rabbits either. So many people are sick to death of both the Democrats and the Republicans; they are repulsed by both party’s sense of entitlement over absolute political control of these un-United States.
If we could manage legitimate multi-party races (true representational democracy) then we might actually have a chance of electing third party candidates, fourth party candidates, or whatever fucking party that does not start with that goddamn “D” or an “R”. We need to get behind true progressive (aka Liberal) independent candidates and support them.
Just ten percent of the House and the Senate in progressive Third Party (Green Party, etc.) or progressive Independent hands could tip the scales of power in our favor. Both big “D” and “R” parties would have to suck up to them or they would lose control of the Senate and/or House if their respective numbers were close to equal in both parties. Hell, just look how ol’ Joe (Independent) Lieberman practically ran the Senate, even with a near super majority of Democrats in the Senate! One person! Imagine at least ten or more progressive independents in the Senate and forty or fifty in the House. A total game changer.
Imagine what ten percent of progressive independents and/or Third Party representatives could do to break the gridlock and to force votes on “controversial” issues of fairness and equality — or threaten to switch control of the House or Senate back to whatever party supported their causes. They would be very formidable power-brokers with lots of clout.
The current systems isn’t working. It’s time to try something new. You know what they say: The definition of insanity is someone who keeps repeating the same act over and over — oblivious to the fact that the anticipated result will never occur. This endless psychotic episode is exactly what the GLBT community is trapped in by their own fears, and by blindly putting their fate into the despicable hands of exploiters and liars in the current two party system.
Time to change. If they wont, we must! You have no reason to hope for a better outcome, if you don’t insist on it. Stop plowing a dead field; move on to a more productive one. Stop being fools.
Radical change is needed. The inertia in the current Washington two party (good cop/bad cop) system will never free us from discrimination — both parties depend upon us; both exploit our fears, or the fear of us, to garner both funds and votes for them. Beyond that, they are also too bogged down with the enormous weight of their own self-importance and self-interest. They’re both part of a political cartel that must be broken up if this country is to survive.
If enough of us understand that, then viable independent and third party candidates can win and they could make a difference in all of our lives. Nothing else is working. This should have been our first solution, not our last alternative.