The Democratic Party claims to have the gays’ backs. Why, then, are they not actively pushing against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Well, there are a few reasons, according to the Associated Press.
One, they don’t want rile the right-wing during this crucial election season. Two, they’re afraid of botching the job a la Bill Clinton. And, perhaps mostly importantly, the party’s not entirely sure they can get it done, but that doesn’t mean they’re not committed to the cause:
The party’s reluctance to champion the cause also is a matter of political reality: Democrats lack a veto-proof majority in Congress.
”We know this is an issue that would not be met with a lot of enthusiasm on the part of the administration. That’s a big reality,” said Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee. ”You want to spend time on the things you can move.”
Davis and other Democrats now say opportunity is on the horizon, especially if Obama is elected president. (Whereas Obama supports allowing gays to serve openly, the GOP presumptive nominee John McCain backs the current policy.)
Davis said she plans to convene a hearing on the issue by the end of the year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she supports the creation of a panel of military experts to study the issue.
While a number of military analysts have come out against the discriminatory policy, Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen thinks it’s up to Congress to decide the matter.
Darth Paul
It should definitely be pushed through after the election, but there’s no point in making it a specific election issue unless they want to give the GOP fuel and something to shriek about.
dfrw
When the Democrats have larger majorities in both houses and a Democrat in the White House, they can repeal DADT. We can wait another year for it. What’s the hurry to end up in IRAQ anyway?
Tom
I agree with you Darth, but for the life of me, I don’t know why a gay guy would want to join the military. I tried it and hated it. But if you are into dressing up in uniforms, having 20 people tell what to do, and submissive role playing, there may be some attraction. But then you have to deal with the killing people and being shot at and blown up. On balance, I think I would prefer to join an S&M group.
Michael Duquette
How dare you? If it weren’t for Bill Clinton things would be a lot worse. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, was the absolute best that could be done. Yes, it is a flawed policy and needs to be removed, but it was the greatest possible solution and at the time was considered to be a great victory for our community. You Obama supporters are so quick to bash Bill Clinton and try and negate every thing he has done for our country and the LGBT community. Why don’t you try reporting the truth for once, or atleast not allow your ignorant bias to print false information.
Michael Duquette
Im going to pretend I didn’t put a “?” at the end of How dare you… geez
Gregoire
I love how Barack Obama apparently invented criticizing the Clintons, how such criticisms never occurred before January and are never warrented in any scenario, and anybody who does so is merely following orders from Camp Hussein.
Tara
Michael Duquette:
How dare he what? Tell the truth? Come on. I love Bill Clinton. I believe he was the best President of my lifetime thus far. But lets call a spade a spade, he backed down and gave in. And what is with the “Obama Supporters” thing? Seriously. Get over yourself.
Michael Duquette
Really? You must be kidding me? It was either don’t ask don’t tell or nothing at all. I am not surprised though to see such ignorance coming from you people.
ousslander
Tom gays might just want to join the military to serve their country and not because of some delusionalporn scenario. No wonder you hated, you probably didn’t get laid like you thought you would.
What makes you think the dems will repeal DADT if the messiah gets elected?
Ston
I don’t get it, John McCain’s New Chief of Staff, Mark Buse is openly gay, and his old Chief of Staff had a gay best friend, so McCain does not mind employing, getting the benefits of their work, and associating with gays in his office, but does not think that they should be open in other places? How out of touch is this guy?!
Ston
Oh, and Michael, you are a fool, more gays are kicked out each year under the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy than every before. Clinton was NEVER willing to fight for ANYTHING that could affect his poll numbers so he stuck us with that, and things got worse. Please don’t try to tell me, that things would have been worse without it, because they weren’t.
Tara
Michael Duquette:
Wow. Um. Yeah. You know how asinine that argument sounds right? Let me put it into a context for you.
It is Votes for Blacks equaling .33 of a person or Nothing
It is Domestic Partnerships or Nothing
Etc.
It is only “Or Nothing” if your stop fighting. He did. He backed off for the last 6 Years of his Term.
That does not take away from the other great things he did, great economy loved by the world etc. But come on, grow up. No one is perfect. No one can be. He fucked up, we have paid for it. So has he.
Just because someone is a great man does not mean it is worth while to deify him. Look what happened last time we did that.
Tom
Ousslander, you know nothing about me and obviously you have no sense of humor. So gays want to serve their country…the same country that denies them every right enjoyed and taken for granted by straights? Please save me the star spangled banner speech, I heard it in high school. Big boys play here and if you have something more insightful and intelligent to say, say it.
Paul Raposo
The Dems are loathe to overturn anything Saint Bill Clinton did during his two terms. As far as most of them are concerned, he was the second coming of Christ and to kill DADTDP would be blasphemy.
Bill Perdue
I hope it’s true that DADT, the bigoted holdover from the Clinton administration, is in trouble. It’s a Democratic (sic) bill from beginning to end, written by one Dixiecrat, Sam Nunn and signed by another Dixiecrat, Bill Clinton.
Although it makes you wonder why the Democrats, who controlled congress for the last two years, couldn’t even begin to muster enough votes in their own party to begin repealing it, even with a little help from Republicans.
If it does get the ax it won’t be because Democrats or Republicans have developed an unexpected interest in the well being of GLBT and other service members. That’s unlikely given their common determination to keep GI’s in the Middle East. The central policy of the US and the two war parties is to secure hegemony for US petroleum producers. Genocide is their weapon of choice.
These politicians are comfortable with US soldiers getting mauled and killed by the Iraqi insurgents (providing their own children aren’t involved). The GI casualty toll is now 4095 dead and 29,978 wounded, about half seriously. They’re only interest is in getting enough cannon fodder to continue the genocide in Iraq, which under Bill Clinton was more properly called an infanticide because it murdered roughly half a million children, plus the additional million or more Iraqis murdered by Bush’s invasion and occupation.
We should do everything in our power to defend the rights and well being of our GLBT brothers and sisters in the armed forces and everything we can to convince everyone not to enlist in the armed forces and not become part of the mass murder machine of that feeds Halliburton and Texaco/Chevron.
kevin57
I don’t see how passing a repeal of DADT would harm the Dems chances in November. Sure, the far-right would go balistic, but fewer and fewer people are listening to them anyway. On the rhetorical side, it’s a winner ever since the military started recruiting felons. “The Army can take gang-bangers and felons, but not a gay man?” is a strong point to make that would make sense to the prized independents.
The fact is the Dems have shown precious little courage since their return to leadership in the Congress.
CHURCHILL-Y
And it will get worse with the messiah Hussein kevin57, it will only get worse.
RPCV
I’m so tired of hearing about DADT. Damn it, if soldiers don’t like the rules of the military then don’t sign up or get out. I can’t set the rules that my employer imposes on the workplace; why should soldiers be any different??? Just a thought…….
hells kitchen guy
From Buzzword Bill Perdue: (all actual words he actually used in his post): bigoted Dixiecrat hegemony “weapon of choice” mauled and killed; cannon fodder; genocide infanticide; “invasion and occupation”; mass murder machine
The ’30s are over, deah.
Bill Perdue
Zowie, HKG can read.
And cut and paste.
Now if he could just be taught to think. Nah, never gonna happen.
He’ll always be a dimbulb Bush supporter.
Andy
RPCV
That’s really a silly comment. Private employers are private, but the military is run by the government, which is answerable to the voters and the taxpayers. In other words, the government of the USA is discriminating against some of the people to whom it is answerable. Would you be as happy to go along with a policy that said that schools or public colleges could throw out openly gay students?
queerunity
they are afraid it will be made into an election issue
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
RPCV
Andy, yours is really a silly comment. The Constitution and the US Code are silent on providing protections based on sexual orientation. Further, the military has its own Military Code that is separate and distinct from the US Code. My point stands: If soldiers don’t like the rules of the military then don’t sign up or get out. I can’t set the rules that my PUBLIC sector (i.e., Federal government) employer imposes on the workplace; why should soldiers be any different??? Touche…….