It’s sort of funny to hear the Human Rights Campaign call reports that Democrats are preparing to drop a DADT repeal from the Defense Department’s budget bill “interesting background noise,” when the only actual contribution HRC has made to DADT repeal is, uh, interesting background noise. “At this point,” says HRC lead flack Fred Sainz, “this is nothing more than a rumor that has always been a possibility.” But you’d never know that based on HRC withholding every iota of knowledge it has about the White House and Democrats’ strategy. And then Sainz continued to focus more meaningless attention on Sen. John McCain, who remains unswayable on repeal, and whose strategy on blocking repeal has remained more transparent than any Democratic attempt to facilitate it. The White House, meanwhile, “opposes any effort to strip ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ from the National Defense Authorization Act,” according to a statement from communications director Dan Pfeiffer — a remark that’s about as useless as HRC protecting Democrats.
missanthrope
Any gay who supports Obama after this must be a chump, a political chump.
Ted B. (Charging Rhino)
Hmmm, from the back of the bus to thrown under the bus….again.
Not really a surprise, the 2010 Election’s over and the Democrats don’t need the Gay ATM for another two years. …And Gay, Inc. and the HRC crowd all still have their cushy jobs and it’s back to the Washington DC cocktail circuit like nothing’s happened.
Any wonder that almost a third of the G/L electorate now support the GOP and the Tea Bag Party?
Cam
This is a budget bill. Reid could force it through with reconciliation, just like they did with the Health Care Bill. The House has passed it, reconciliation merely allows a bill to be passed with a simple majority in the Senate if the bill has passed the House….just like the Founders intended.
But Reid won’t do that, he is a wimp who wouldn’ever want to upset the GOP, since they’re all such cordial and good friends there.
As for HRC, Can’t wait to read the press release they’ll come up with defending everybody and trying to claim that this was actually a smart move by the DEMS, if the Senate strips DADT repeal from the bill,
robert in nyc
Ted B, and to the 1/3 who vote for republicans I say, expect zero from any of them, ever. Voting out of anger and frustration or staying home on election day is voting against yourselves and the rest of us. Though I think the Dems performed absolutely abominably and should have their feet held to the fire 24/7, 365 and Obama should be replaced by a progressive, can anyone name one bill the GOP has authored or intends to introduce? I didn’t hear Bush support repeal either.
Casey
The HRC are worthless scem.
They are as bad as the Democrats.
Any gay person who donates money or time to the Democrat Party or the HRC is an utter fool.
robert in nyc
Casey, No. 5, I agree, donating to the HRC or the DNC is a waster of time, but I can’t imagine donating to any republican either which some do, a party that has no history or track record favoring equality, has never authored any bill that I know of supporting it. As I said in my previous post, voting out of anger and frustration against the democrats is only going to setback equality indefinitely. We’ll get NOTHING from the republicans, not one thing. The majority even opposed granting federal benefits to the same-sex partners of government employees, something which this administration supported and passed, even though it was a small step. Would the republicans have done that? NO just as they say NO to everything else.
Ted B. (Charging Rhino)
If neither political party is going to move on any “gay issues”, then for a G/L voter it means deciding which candidates to back based on other criterion; economics, taxes, national foreign [policy and security, the budget, etc…
Since neither party’s leadership support gay marriage, nor are truly serious about DADT or even ENDA….then I have to vote based on pocketbook issues and support the Republican Party. Just as nearly 1/3 of the G/L did this election. “Fierce advocacy”, kind words, and failed legislative agendas don’t change facts-on-the-ground that the Democratic Party can’t, or will not, deliver on gay issues and therefor in-reality is not better then the GOP at the National-level.
showmeindc
Obama and Reid ought to trade DADT and the Dream Act for the temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts. Everyone in Washington knows the Dems are going to break down and extend them anyway, why won’t Obama and Reid at least get something out of the whole deal? Mark my words, they’ll capitulate and we’ll have nothing to show for it. Oh, and now HRC can start their fundraising machine again to fight the Republican menace to our rights. Too bad the Democratic supermajorities couldn’t deliver. Just means they can’t and won’t…..EVER.
I say gays need to start a “Cocktail Party” movement. To hell with the Democrats and their BS!
showmeindc
@Robert: You say, “We’ll get NOTHING from the republicans, not one thing.”
How is that any different from the last two years with Democratic supermajorities and President who couldn’t manage? I agree with Ted, if neither party is going to deliver on my issues then I will side with the one that is going to lower my taxes.
robert in nyc
Ted B, so in reality, voting for the republicans means that you don’t want equality because they certainly don’t want you to have it. Can you please provide the names of those who do and which bills they’re going to introduce? I’d like to know. I’m not a democrat but a GREEN and know my party doesn’t stand a chance in making inroads in the political system, but I vote in midterm and general elections for specific democrats and Greens who support my views. Voting for the republicans gives tacit support to the tea baggers and right wing religious lunatics who dehumanize and denigrate LGBT people, 24/7, 365 which has a direct link to bullying and suicides. Expect more of that for the next two years and beyond and it will be ascribed to the republicans and those who vote for them, not the democrats. The tea baggers will undoubtedly cause a rift within the GOP because there are many moderates who don’t want them which will only give the democrats an advantage in coming years. They will weaken the GOP and that’s good for the democrats but they will also transform it into an extremist, neo fascist party.
robert in nyc
Showmeindc, lowering taxes did nothing for job creation during Bush’s tenure. Corporations benefited from paying no more than a maximum of 15% in corporate taxes which translated into bigger donations to the GOP in return. Those corporations don’t give a damn about the American worker so they continue to ship them overseas. Tax cuts mean China and India benefit, not America. The democrats wanted to give tax incentives for businesses who keep jobs from going overseas, but the GOP opposed it. The shipping of jobs overseas has virtually destroyed the American manufacturing base, the backbone of the economy. Look at anything you buy and the odds are, “made in China”. Until those jobs come back to this country, the recovery will be a long way off. So fine, vote for the party of NO and enjoy more take home pay, if that’s all you now care about, but than that’s what being a republican is all about isn’t it? Again, those of you who support the republicans, please provide the names of those in the party who support full equality and the bills they intend to introduce? We need to know so we can make a better, informed decision at the next election. Even if DADT by some miracle passes, it won’t be credited to the GOP since the majority don’t support it. They never championed anything for LGBT people and that won’t change.
Ian
Screw the HRC.
GetEQUAL.
‘Nuff said.
Dan
Politicians need to keep you engaged in politics, because they lose all their power if you disengage. Then it just becomes several hundred politicians violating the human rights of millions upon millions of gay people and their straight relatives (a total of more than a hundred million gay and straight family members in the USA alone).
Bareback Hussein Osama
Hey, what the hell are you doing escaping from my plantation?