Looks like all those military chiefs and brass testifying before the Senate didn’t impress: Even Defense Sec. Robert Gates is “not particularly optimistic that they’re going to get this done,” he told an audience of sailors today aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. Not helping counter Gates’ dismal outlook is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who’s blaming scheduling on why including DADT repeal might not happen. Of course there’s always this option: If the calendar is that tight, Reid could just keep the chamber in session, without a break, until lawmakers overturn the law.
JonJon
Keeping the Senate in session would involve Reid having a spine and, at least when it comes to LGBT issues, we’ve seen time & again that that’s not the case. So much for any forward movement through anything other than the Courts. It’s time to through our support behind all the lawsuits including the LCR and hope that is how we’ll wind up with some rights.
brian
The fault is Obama’s. He’s a fraud. He never did like gay people. Wake up to yourselves. You’ve been screwed by the President.
Andy
@brian: Yeahbut, he’ll be lecturing us about equality come November 2012 and how we just need to hold out for a little longer. Fuck that though!
the crustybastard
Wasn’t Gates the guy who insisted on the study?
The fix has been in from the beginning.
reason
They already broke the news about possibly extending the lame duck session through Christmas to pass DADT repeal. Queerty shrouds the facts to put you on an emotional roller coaster because they know you will fall for it every time.
alan brickman
bring back morning goods…
B
No. 4 · the crustybastard wrote, “Wasn’t Gates the guy who insisted on the study? The fix has been in from the beginning.”
Just to introduce a sense of reality, the Secretary of Defense has no authority to tell the senate what to do. Gates cannot hand McCain this sort of “temporary victory” even if Gates wanted to.
GetBusyGetEqual
It’s all bullshit. We need more angry if we want any results. I only make $100,000 a year but I am going to get even angrier next year. Look for two dozen actions this year. We will only get what we want by taking it from those in power. I am not going to back down – you shouldn’t either.
Please support the activists-with-the-Plan getequal or getdisappointed.
S E N A T U S
DADT will be repealed before Christmas – sorry Christians.
tinkerbell
@GetBusyGetEqual: I concur. We have no allies, only our community. It’s time for us to get angry and take physical action in the way of civil disobedience and physical protest instead of political goveling, being a lapdog and hosting fundraisers (that’s you, HRC).
brian
You only have to do a google search to find that, as little as 8 m months ago, Gates was against repealing DADT.
The whole repeal notion is a fix, a coordinated set-up involving the military, the Democrats and Obama himself. They just wanted to create a bit of theater to convince us that they care for us when in fact they don’t. Then they can assuage their guilty consciences by assuring themselves that they did everything they could to repeal it only to come up against those “mean Republicans”.
Don’t ever vote for a Democrat again – that’s the least you can do.
jason
Gays will never get angry, sad to say. Yours is a community built on a sex act. Any anger you feel always finds a release in your frequent sexual escapades in parks or bars, not to mention toilet blocks.
I know this might sound harsh but it’s true. I wish it weren’t that way. However, since the 1970’s, you’ve degenerated into a sex-centric movement instead of being a philosophical or moral movement. My view is that, in order for the GLBT movement to survive, you need to be based on morals.
During their leisure time, most gay men spend about 1% of the time thinking of gay rights issues.
robert in nyc
Brian, No. 11….so what’s the alternative? I’m a registered Green but my party will probably never make any inroads into the current two party election system. If every LGBT voter supported the Greens regardless, then we might just change the outcome. Forget about the GOP and the Civil Libertarians.
Jason, No. 12…”During their leisure time, most gay men spend about 1% of the time thinking of gay rights issues.” On what do you base that statistic? You don’t speak for the majority of gay people and to insinuate that we’ve degenerated into a sex-centric movement smacks of homophobia. Are you a shill for the right wing or what and another self-loather?
There’s also more to being gay than having sex but that’s a typical right wing bigoted view. Take a look at your straights, hardly a shining example of morality including many of our politicians on both sides of the aisle. A soaring divorce rate, philandering, adultery, children born out of wedlock and some women having children with different men, sex trafficking, prostitution, rape, molestation, if that’s not built on sex then I don’t know what is. Straights need to get their own filthy house in order first. Enough with the bigotry, hypocrisy and the double standard when it comes to denigrating and dehumanizing gay people. We’re a lot smarter than you think. We see through it and we see through you, so STFU.
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/robert-gates-ready-to-hand-john-mccain-temporary-victory-on-stalling-dadt-repeal-20101206/#ixzz17R5XnYb0
the crustybastard
@B:
The EXECUTIVE branch insisted on the “study,” with its December release. That provided cover to any LEGISLATOR who wanted to get through the midterm elections by pretending to be a fence-sitter on the issue, and to any JUDGE who wanted to choose to stay a decision pending a legislative outcome.
Thus, the president — the leader of his political party — gambled DADT repeal on a positive midterm election outcome for his party. He lost that bet, but like any savvy gambler, he wouldn’t bet what he couldn’t afford to lose.
Put another way, Obama gambled on gay rights because he didn’t care whether he won or lost.
B
No. 14 · the crustybastard wrote, ‘@B: The EXECUTIVE branch insisted on the “study,” with its December release.’
According to http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/politics/03military.html , “Both Admiral Mullen and Mr. Gates told the committee that there would be a Pentagon review, taking up to a year, to study how to implement any change before they expected Congress to act on a repeal.” The NY times article quoted is dated Febuary 2, 2010.
Gates also said at the time, “We have received our orders from the commander in chief, and we are moving out accordingly,” Mr. Gates told the committee. “However, we can also take this process only so far, as the ultimate decision rests with you, the Congress.”
Meanwhile, ‘Mr. McCain said Mr. Gates’s testimony was “clearly biased” because of his not-if-but-when comments.’
So, McCain never liked it, is trying delaying tactics, but let’s blame Obama anyway. Is that it?
the crustybastard
@B:
There are two reasons why this hasn’t been up for a vote already:
1. The year-long study that the Executive Branch insisted on, with it’s December release.
2. The fact that Harry Reid postponed the initial vote to accommodate John McCain’s primary campaign, a decision Reid made AFTER McCain promised to filibuster.
These are not the actions of politicians who intend to get the repeal enacted by any means necessary. They are the actions of politicians who intend to create excuses for not getting it passed.
McCain is not the problem. He’s the patsy.
B
No. 16 · the crustybastard wrote, “@B: There are two reasons why this hasn’t been up for a vote already: 1. The year-long study that the Executive Branch insisted on, with it’s December release. 2. The fact that Harry Reid postponed the initial vote to accommodate John McCain’s primary campaign, a decision Reid made AFTER McCain promised to filibuster.”
The actual reason is the lack of enough votes to stop a filibuster. It’s that simple.
robert in nyc
B. No. 17, you’re exactly right about that, something a lot of people forget. NOT one republican voted for repeal including moderates Olympia Snow and Susanne Collins who supported repeal, they voted in classic GOP lockstep to do nothing. They’re doing just that with this current tax cut fiasco, holding the democrats hostage, the mean, selfish bastards that they are. Even if that passes, there’s no guarantee the GOP would vote for repeal since most of them oppose it.