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We are loving Andrew Malcolm’s conspiracy theory about why President Obama isn’t actually supporting LGBTs. It goes something like this: He can risk pissing off strong liberals by sitting out on gay rights, because really, where else do they have to go? And by rankling the gays he can drum up support from moderate conservatives for his immediate priorities, like healthcare reford. And getting the gays upset with him is all part of his master plan. Brills!
MORE: “Now, why would a Democratic White House want to annoy — even infuriate — the far side of its activist liberal base that was so crucial to his election? Well, what are they gonna do, announce allegiance to Ron Paul? That ultra-progressive sector simply has nowhere else to go. So, what’s to worry? Also, Obama enjoys overwhelming support generally among the nation’s Democrats. So what if his popularity there plummets to 80%? Now, who’s the president gonna need to support healthcare reform and bandage this Afghan mess heading into the 2010 midterm election year when history says he’ll likely lose seats on the Hill? Bingo, those same conservative/centrist House pals of Emanuel’s whose incumbencies are a main shield against any Republican resurgence. Oh, and about those crucial Independents who elected Obama last November and then started falling away all summer as Obama’s liberal spending, reforms and deficits metastasized? What better way to let those swayable folks come back home than by asking the helpful question, how can Obama possibly be an ultra-liberal if he’s being so publicly vilified by angry ultra-liberals?”
(But really, the whole thing is worth a read.)
Brian
Obama is using American veterans for political gain, too, and dishonoring all those gay vets, and all of the vets, including those that died for this country. Playing politics with soldiers is just plain bad karma. Here come the midterms. Does Obama think the gays, their families and friends are going to the polls to support his party like in 2008? I think this gambler’s luck is about to run.
Fitz
It’s a proud DNC tradition to seek money and support from the progressives, then punt to the right in hopes of bringing them on board. It’s a failure, I think. No one who voted against Obama is going to switch sides– so there is no point in trying to appeal to someone who isn’t interested in you. It’s like being a short butterball and responding to a CL ad from someone looking for a tall thin dude.
dizzyspins
Um, its not a conspiracy theory–its the game the Dems have been playing for 30 years. And why not? We’re in their pockets and aren’t going anywhere. Maybe if we stopped acting like every new Democratic nominee or president was the second coming, we’d have some leverage.
Geoffrey Bridgman
yeah, I think I could have told you this 1. if you had read his “audacity of hope” and realized that his opinions on gay rights could be read two ways (like: “now . . marriage has been traditionally defined as between a man and a woman in most societies on earth through all of human history <- which is categorically not true) and 2. if you took into account that he "supported" gay marriage as an illinois state senator. seeeems like the perfect cover for a party that is always secretly and personally, but not publicly on our side. does that make sense to anybody? like . . . he was never planning to do anything on gay rights. he had already carved out the whole "privately with you" thing waay prior to his national career?
J. Clarence
Oh come on, are you serious!?
The most recent polling showed that social issues like gay-rights have been becoming less and less effective nationally among moderates and independents. For heaven’s sake, Queerty, you just recently posted a poll that showed the majority of Americans were in favor of at the very least civil-unions, and we know the vast majority are in favor of ending DADT, including demographics that typically make up conservative-moderate democrats/independents.
Plus, how could he possibly drum up support from moderates if he every three months he tries to do damage control by either inviting gays to the White House or giving a speech. It doesn’t seem like an effective way of corralling support from social-moderates.
Just because the man hasn’t signed the pieces of legislation yet doesn’t mean that there is some secret motive behind it all. It could just be slow movement in Congress, as it is with most of these things.
tjr101
Well Oueerty never stops in creating stories so as to make Obama look sinister. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Log Cabin Republicans are writing this drivel. Who are the sinister ones here?
Hal
Wow! This is retarded even for Queerty.
Brian
“HRC Farewell Speech.” We should see Obama’s speech at HRC as the “end of HRC.” HRC will not raise enough money this year to meet payroll. They will begin to downsize. 30 years and $300 million is enough. Bye Joe.
mb00
Can it be four years later already so that this time I DON’T vote for him?