Speaking to reporters today, Press Sec. Robert Gibbs had nothing new to say about Don’t Ask Don’t tell, but that doesn’t mean the press will stop asking.
Will President Obama pressure Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to get a DADT repeal through? And, post mid-term elections, where everyone expects the Dems to lose at least one majority on Capitol Hill, WTF is his plan to legislatively repeal the law? Both questions were posed to Gibbs. He didn’t really answer either. Nor did he go that extra step and reveal whether Obama believes the law is unconstitutional.
Helping the White House in this game of hot potato — “No, you repeal DADT”; “No you do it!” — is Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese, who appeared yesterday on Signorile. While Solmonese doesn’t think DoJ should appeal the Log Cabin Republicans v. U.S. ruling that knocks DADT, he appears not to have his facts right: “To my way of thinking, I don’t know how you repeatedly state that you find something to be unconstitutional, then find justification to defend the law. I can’t square that in my head.” Here’s how: The administration has not said it believes DADT to be unconstitutional; Gibbs has just repeated the court’s findings. “Granted,” Solmonese later acknowledges, Gibbs was “not speaking for the administration, he was making an observation, but nonetheless … I just don’t see how it is that the administration justifies appealing the decision.”
Well, it’s through lightweight critics like HRC. The group’s chief spokesflack Fred Sainz, who spends his free time attacking progressive LGBT activists, claims The Gays owe “gratitude” to this president. I’m finally stumped: Is HRC applauding or criticizing the president? IT’S SO HARD TO TELL.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Also, about today’s guidance from the Pentagon telling recruitment offices to allow gay troops to enlist now that Judge Phillips is not granting DoJ’s request for a stay? Lt. Dan Choi is trying to do just that right now.
EARLIER:
Pentagon: Fine, Let Those Homos Apply To Join the Military
Judge Phillips: Nah, I Don’t Think I Want To Hold Off On My DADT Ruling, Thanks
tlrdevere
I get you don’t like HRC/Solmonese, but I don’t get why?! Have they personally wronged you in some way?
I’m not saying you shouldn’t report this, but it just seems like you jump on every little thing and make it out to be the worst thing ever and it seems like you’re overreacting.
Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not necessarily a big fan of HRC’s strategies either, but little mistakes like Solmonese’s error are really negligible.
Cam
@tlrdevere: said..
“I get you don’t like HRC/Solmonese, but I don’t get why?! Have they personally wronged you in some way?”
__________________________
When a group who is supposed to be speaking for the downtrodden and marginalized identify more with the powerbrokers and are concerned much more with their access to them than in actually getting rights for their constituency, then yes, it’s personal.
Remember, HRC came out with a memo that basically told gays to sit down and shut up and not criticize Obama for 8 years.
HRC attacked the filing of the court case that challanged Prop 8. After the last round, when that case was decided in gays favor, HRC was all over the TV praising the decision and pretending they were part of the case.
HRC was opposed to all of the cases that ended up getting us marriage rights, starting with MA.
HRC was opposed to both the cases challanging DADT and DOMA.
They have said that lobbying and pressure on congress is the only way to get things done, however, with a supposedly pro-gay president, and the largest Dem Majority in recent history, AND 70% of the electorate thinking DADT should be repealed, they have been unable to get a straight repeal of DADT through, this would seem to indicate that they are failures at the one area of activism that they say is important.
When the White house first came out and said that there would be no repeal vote of DADT, HRC backed them until a backlash changed their mind.
If you think about what could have been done with the 50 million dollars a year that HRC sucks up it boggles the mind. If that money had been put straight into campaigns to elect pro-gay politicians, if that money had been used to hire one of the big insider lobbying organizations, with true access etc… Just imagine what either of those could have accomplished. Joe Solomnase has no long history of Access in Washington, he was hired and thinks his position gives him access. TRUE lobbyists in DC can get their favoriate politicians to do whatever they want, THEY are who we should have been hiring to do our work.
Jason Dancin' to the Beat
When we hit the Fail button the story, are we Failing the subject of the story, for example Gibbs, or are we failing the actions of the story, for example the continued limbo of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, or are we failing the writing to the story, for example the way the writer looks at the story, or are we failing Queerty’s snarkiness (which actually often gets it spot on). In the words of the article itself…IT’S SO HARD TO TELL.
Willy
Wow! that sensationalist headline is gonna give Perez Hilton a run for his money. Queerty is turning into the National Enquirer of the web.
customartist
Email Congress:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Email Senate:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Call the Congress and Senate: (202)224-3121
*The Operator will direct you if you do not know your representative
*IMPORTANT*
Make your calls and letters to Congress polite and to the point.
Thomas Johnson
Queerty is worse than Perez Hilton. He has had a change of heart and is not going to be a bully. Crazy bitches.