Mark Segal and his news team can’t quit needling Barack Obama.
This week’s cover of Philadelphia Gay News includes this stamp: “It’s been 1,529 days since the Senator spoke with local gay press.” That’s seven more days since the paper’s last jab, when the paper ran a half-blank cover protesting the Senator’s perceived silence. Segal also included another editorial this week, and surprisingly acknowledged his $1,000 contribution to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The publisher then proclaimed that Obama’s Advocate interview should not be considered “one and done:”
With all due respect, Senator, by going to The Advocate, you had a cheat sheet. Clinton had already answered our questions in PGN last week – the same questions you were going to be asked.
…
Only the local gay press will ask the detailed questions.
Regardless of his aggressive missive, Segal insists that he wants to be Obama’s ally, not his adversary. He’s got a funny way of showing it.
Adam
Ugh. How self-important can one paper sound? Obama’s been perfectly clear that he doesn’t spend time on specialized press – not gay press, not black press, not anything like that.
It’s niche marketing. It’s preaching to the choir. It’s pointless – except for the egos of the outlets – and he’s not doing it. That they could make such an ugly insinuation (Obama doesn’t care about gay people.) about a man who’s made more pleas to non-gay audiences about homophobia than *any* major candidate in history is myopic and embarrassing.
I genuinely like Hillary, but I’d like to see her bring up gay rights in front of traditionally unfriendly audiences.
CitizenGeek
I agree totally with Adam. Barack Obama doesn’t have -more- than the 24 hours in the day that the rest of us have. He’s a busy guy, and he’s concentrating on trying to communicate with as many people as possible at once. The black press, religious press etc. haven’t been getting attention from Obama either; it’s not like he’s specifically avoiding the gay press.
Why are some gays so ridiculously in favour of Hillary? Like, are they forgetting that her husbands administration (the administration she claims as “experience”) passed two anti-gay laws?
KCG
Mark Segal really doesn’t come off very well in his latest smear attempt. His primary thesis appears to be that local gay publications are the only ones that count. He even makes the absurd and unsupportable claim that “Only the local gay press will ask detailed questions.” Seriously. This guy has been drinking his own Kool-Aid for a bit too long.
Well, at least he published my letter to the editor!
Here’s my latest email to him:
I just read your new column “Obama Goes National, Still No Local”. Obviously not appearing to pay much mind to our correspondence of last week, I found your newest column to be defensive, unapologetic and infused with a sense of offended privilege and entitlement.
I was planning on writing you another thoughtful and reflective email to address your points. However, if you truly believe that most gay people have any use for a local gay rag like yours beyond a quick bar read or a skim through the event listings and personals, I don’t really have much to say that would have any chance of getting through to you. This is especially evidenced in this highly overreaching (and patently absurd) gem: “Only the local gay press will ask detailed questions.” Such baseless and unsupportable tripe does not belong in a publication that you claim to actually have any redeeming merit in the realm of national political commentary.
Disappointed,
queerunity
wow how biased and retarded can a paper be?
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
PGN4C Philadelphia Gay News for Clinton
M Shane
How self important for a small man.
Trout
Seems to me that its Obama who is the self important bag of wind here. Time for him to knock off the nonsense slogans. he is not a man of substance.
Leland Frances
If some of you could take your heads out of the Dali Obama’s ass long enough to be honest with yourselves and us you’d admit that if it were Hillary refusing to talk to ANY gay press you’d be hurling verbal bombs at her as proof that is really antigay.
Obama has also refused to be interviewed by LOGO News while Sen Clinton agreed. It might never be HBO or Showtime, but it is the main LGBT-specific network that can be seen around the world—not just some “local rag.” So your attempt to justify Obama’s games and excuses only reveals your own gullibility.
In fact, the two times he’s deigned to speak to the Advocate were both “Please Save My Ass” times. First, after McClurkingate when he paid for the bus that Donnie “gays are trying to kill our children” McClurkin drove over us just six months ago [and they tried their best then by printing his baldfaced lie about sponsoring & passing the gay rights bill in Illinois] and now when he’s been caught with his dick in the coward’s jar again [and, again, the Advocate didn’t confront him on his earlier lie]. Now, a gay paper that, unlike the nationally respected “Washington Blade” whose questions he wouldn’t face [but Hillary did] and Ohio’s “Gay People’s Chronicle” that he felt important enough to take a full page pre-primary ad in but didn’t have the balls to answer their quesions either [but Hillary did]—has called bullshit on him and good for them!
Obama’s trying to play us for stupid yet again—just like he did SF Mayor Gavin Newsom who raised money for Obama’s US Senate campaign and then Obama didn’t have the balls to have his picture taken with the straight guy most associated with gay marriage equality.
John
I guess generates page views and it is news but it’s just so funny how you guys go round and round about the same isuses regarding O and Hilz. It’s like Obama goes to a black homophobic church and tells them it’s wrong to be gay and what has hilary done to that effect? I dont care if she talks with LOGO or mogo or whatever-she’s preaching to the converted-is it really the impossible for you to see that logic Leland/Trout? Basically what you are saying is that you want Obama to be fake like Hilary an play the game right? You want him to banter to people that he knows already will vote Hilary?
BUT when he actually talks to large group/type of people who have been consistently homophobic towards us-erm you say he is ignoring the gays? WTF?
Which has more power to change the way things are? An interview in some philly newspaper that ONLY gays read OR a talk to a hostile crowd that hate gays?
I would bet you’re are both the kind of gays that are pretty divisive in the community and the rest-and fair enough, you want your clique the way is and you don’t want to let anyone in who is different…whatever..people are who they are and that’s why I guess somethings change and develop and other don’t..
John
Also, does anyone not think that maybe the reason the gays like Hilary so much it’s cause they see her as a hag?? Even though lol-I don’t think she runs with a mixed crowd…also gays tend to be pretty racist towards black people esp black guys?
Just saying…just something that I’ve observed…
Brian Miller
Barack Obama obviously doesn’t want to speak to our gun-toting, religious, xenophobic hick gay press here in Pennsylvania. Our bad fortune makes us bitter, and we obviously need Obama’s deep insight into our condition to run our lives for us.
Rather than answer our local community’s questions, Obama has a Sacred Obligation to tell us that we’re not deserving of his wisdom — only his contempt.
Perhaps he’ll answer the questions at another $2,300 a head fundraising event at the San Francisco Mandarin Oriental, where he can further blast our bitter, bitter state and its ignorant, bitter people.
It’s not like they have a right to ask questions of enlightened politicians like him. After all, they are bitter. He understands that.
Kid A
Since when was “bitter” inaccurate or offensive?
steve
gay hillary supporters often confuse me
it seems like an abused dog syndrome – she’ll march in a parade or give some lip service to glbt publications & everyone starts wagging their tails & claiming how good she is to us… yet when it comes to legislation like dadt & doma, we’re getting neutered & smacked around by the clinton ilk
are we *that* desperate for attention that we are willing to turn a blind eye to all of the other issues in this election cycle in exchange for a simple pat on the head? does the community’s need for validation trump the atrocities of a war that this woman voted to initiate?
from a strictly glbt perspective, i would actually expect both candidates to be about equal in the presidential office – but there are just too many other issues on the table right now for me to be to hold a grudge over who talks to more glbt newspapers… that’s petty queen bickering
i guess i currently see the obama campaign as less prone to gutter campaign tactics & more sincere in is grassroots endeavors
maybe it’s the whole judy garland thing – gay guys love a tragic victimized diva… but some of us see through that “victim” veneer
this election is actually about the will of the populists vs. the power that is retained in the hands of the few… hillary & mccain are extensions of the same machine
libhomo
Obama should do more interviews with the queer press, but at least he isn’t a homophobe like Clinton and McCain.
KCG
Who the heck reads bar rags for substantive journalism?
Leland Frances
Yep, this Hillary Masochist admits he’s confused. Because apparently DADT and DOMA have been “on hold” or whatever the four years Obama has been in the US Senate because obviously if they were actually in effect all that time he would have submitted bills to have them repealed—seeing as how he cares so much more about them than Sen. Clinton.
And I guess there must be millions fewer people infected with HIV than we’re told because otherwise what reason would Obama have for only proposing $5 billion more in funding while Evil Hillary proposes TWENTY billion more?
And I’m sure the FBI must be close to catching who was behind Obama’s being kidnapped and kept in a secret location for the nine months in 2004 between the gay rights bill being introduced in the Illinois Senate by someone else and his having been elected to the US Senate because obviously someone who cares as much about gay rights as Obama does would actually have at least taken a few minutes to sign as a cosponsor to the bill.
The truly strange thing is that even tho he’s not listed as a cosponsor to SB3186 he’s repeatedly said he was. Stranger still he told the Advocate in his first interview that he was responsible for it passing when in fact he was no longer in the IL Senate when it was voted on. [Fortunately, the kidnappers let him go just in time for him to take his seat in DC.]
I’m sure there’s a PERFECTLY reasonable explanation. After all, a “new kind of politician” like Obama, who cares SO genuinely and deeply for advancing gay rights wouldn’t simply lie about something like that so important to the LGBTs in his state and to all those gays he’s been asking to vote for him for the Presidential nomination.
I mean if he shamelessly lies about what he’s done and turned his back on helping gays when he had a chance to and hasn’t done any more than anyone else has since being in the Senate and goes around patting us on the head by just dropping the Gay Word here and there….Oh My God!!! He sounds just like your definition of Hillary!
Mr C
Leland are you African American?
Tom
So now that Hillary Clinton has come out praising guns and shooting off about how much she loves god, does anyone doubt where she would position herself if the third big “G” in this political trinity (i.e. Gays) was part of the discussion. She would most certainly throw us under the bus just like Bill did 10 years ago. Remember, at the end of the day in the general election, it will be about God, Guns and Gays.
On a brighter note for Clinton, if her presidential hopes are dashed, there will always be room for her at Fox News…her latest views fit that agenda.
Leland Frances
Call the Centers for Disease Control! There’s an epidemic of Obama Zombies pulling old “Clinton Buses” out of their asses. The bus you should be concerned about is the one Obama paid for just six months ago for Donnie “gays are trying to kill our children” McClurkin to drive over us. Or were y’all in a coma?
Then call the American Psychiatric Association. Forget Hillary’s “god”! We have a greater problem with so many dizzy queens who think OBAMA is GOD!
Afroguapo
TOM,
Is this the article you were referring to? I am just picturing her shooting out in the woods and chewing/spitting tobacco.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080414/ap_on_el_pr/obama
Mr C
Once again Leland are you African American?
todd
Brian Miller – you sure do sound like a bitter postal hick – maybe Obama is on to something.
Tom
Thanks for the link to the article Afroguapo. Hillary really should be ashamed of going after Obama on this god and guns story. She is looking more desparate everyday.
And by the way she is sucking down the whiskey shots and beers lately, I doubt she will be sober or coherent enough to answer the phone when it rings at 3:00 a.m.