Frank Rich
‘Relegating fundamental constitutional rights to the bottom of the pile … seems like a shell game’
SOUNDBITES — “The most common rationale for his current passivity is that his plate is too full. But the president has so far shown an impressive inclination both to multitask and to argue passionately for bedrock American principles when he wants to. Relegating fundamental constitutional rights to the bottom of the pile until some to-be-determined future seems like a shell game.” —New York Times columnist Frank Rich on the president avoiding gay issues [NYT]
No “seems” about it – he’s waiting until it is politically opportune to do anything for us. There has to be enough political capital at stake for him to act on anything, and all I can say is he is quick on the draw when it come to recognizing such occasions. I am just hoping it happens sooner than later. DADT and our basic human rights should matter more to him than they do.
I think Hillary’s proposed change at the State Department is going to open a window for him.
@Karen: I think it would certainly be an excellent time to speak to the LGBT concerns, for sure. As I have suggested before, I think the silence on the presidents part is stirring much of the unrest. As the quote indicates, Obama has taken to the podium for the causes he believes in … Clinton has opened the door with a carefully crafted and phrased letter. We shall see, yes?
I’m getting pretty damned tired of the back of the friggin bus. And we don’t have any Martin Luther King or Ghandi to keep us “peaceful”. I’m givin it about 3 more months, then I think we need to burn some shit down. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. I did’t work my ass off to get this man elected so I can WAIT for my goddam rights.