We told Press Secretary Robert Gibbs last week: Get up to that podium for a press conference and the administration will be quizzed on on its failed pledges to the gay community. Like Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which Obama is supposedly repealing. We say “supposedly” because, well, he is not. So “supposedly” actually goes to far. That’s because Gibbs, in the above press conference yesterday, keeps saying the president is working with military leaders on an effective way to repeal DADT. Oh, EXCEPT THAT HE ISN’T.
truthiness
LIES: Administration Insists Obama Is Working to Repeal DADT. He Isn’t
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burger king
I think you’re over eager here. There are about a million other things requiring the administration’s decision. Repealing this will be very tricky and require a lot of maneuvering, read a lot of time and energy. AND all these LGBT “heroes” signed up for work with an openly anti-gay institution. They;re being treated like all other military personnel, according to the rules, which were clear when they signed up.
timncguy
@burger king: kind of missing the point of this article.
The white house “says” it is working with with the military to end DADT.
The Pentagon says exactly the opposite. Their spokesman says there is NOTHING going on with regard to working toward changing DADT.
Who is telling the truth here?
scottie
The Obama administration tells lies! Color me SHOCKED!!!!
Rob
It’s been less than 200 days since our new President came into office, almost all of it has been used pushing agendas that are connected to the economic recovery of the country. Like it or not, DADT isn’t part of that. When I gave my money to Obama, I thought if he got to it in the first year I would be lucky, let alone the first 150 days. The fact is, only Congress can change the UCMJ, period. Obama can use all of his political capital to introduce legislation, but it’s up to the House & Senate to change the UCMJ first. An Executive Order can’t do it, and everyone in the military knows it – I wish it were otherwise, but it isn’t.
Charlie
Actually, if you are going to put a video up on this subject, it should be he one from the Pentagon spokesperson that timncguy references. The spokesperson’s almost gleeful denial that the Pentagon was in anyway discussing the end to DADT was most telling and disgusting – Retired CPO, USN
Kdogg
I think the GLBT community should stand together on this issue and have a national coming out day for all serving inside the military.
The military would not survive if they dismissed all GLBT serving. We need a day where we stand up and say we’re all gay, we’re all serving, what are you going to do about it. Quickest fix to the problem is to nail the problem home!
How can we get this publicized and arranged? This is the grass roots movement we need. It’s not enough for Rachel Maddow to have 1, 2, 3 men on… we need all the men and woman serving to come out. When thousands of us stand together that will truly be political pressure.
InExile
Looks like BO just got caught in a bold face lie! I am truly sorry i donated to his campaign and voted for him, it will not happen again! He used the gay community for votes, campaigning, and money and now is throwing us all in the trash!
We need to pressure the congress and senate ourselves on equality since our President is not willing to exert any leadership on our behalf.
Thank Nancy Pelosi and Donna Brazil for fixing the primary so we are stuck with this guy!
fitc
Thanks for drilling into everyone’s heads every single night for 2 years straight, how Barack was going to be a ‘fierce advocate’, Rachel.
Between you and that other Frankenstein embarrassment Olberman, and spit-slobbering Mathews, driving it home night after night after night … you all sealed the deal and got everyone to love and worship Barack with unquestioning blind faith and loyalty. You managed to divide an easily divided community silencing any dissent whatsoever. To watch you eat your lying words is not even gratifying, because watching one of my “own” be a sellout talking head, putting the Democratic party above her civil rights (and consequently ours) is more sad to us than anything. The quintessential gay version of an Uncle Barack.
Rachel also manages to miss finding any of Baraks “cute, funny, and sexy” snide little sexist remarks interesting enough to comment on in between stammering.
We knew DADT would play out exactly as it has ages ago, it’s really hard to believe MSNBC didn’t.
fitc
@Rob: economic recovery? like bail outs?
JohnVisser
@InExile: “He used the gay community for votes, campaigning, and money and now is throwing us all in the trash!”
I think it’s not THAT bad – I’d say it’s more like he is asking to wait in the back of the bus until he has free time for civil rights.
Viktor
We were not used…stop being so silly.
Robert, NYC
Why not all band together en masse and send a message to all democrats. If DADT, DOMA aren’t repealed by 2012….don’t expect any more support from us, either put up or shut up. We’ve been fooled before, no more throwing us under the bus, enough is enough.
We’re one of the few western countries left that bans openly gay men and women serving in the military. Even if it weren’t for the economic downturn, do any of us really believe things would be different? I don’t. We’ve always been on the bottom rung of the ladder and that’s where we will always be because we don’t hold their feet to the fire. All of the political correctness hasn’t worked.
atdleft
@burger king: Oh, so now queer folks can’t be soliders? How ridiculous! Why is it that we complain about “media stereotypes” then do nothing to change it? Why do we call for “equality” then do nothing to make it happen?
I’m tried waiting! Obama & Congress need to repeal DADT NOW! No DADT repeal, no $$$$ for Obama from me.
osocubano
How can you be sure he isn’t?
When did the Pentagon start being truthful?
Rob (not the same Rob)
@Rob: I disagree. Eighty percent of the population supports DADT repeal. Congress is overwhelmingly Democratic. It would not take a major expenditure of political capital to make this change happen. This is the sort of change that is supposed to happen in the first hundred days of a new administration.
This isn’t just a gay rights issue, it’s a national security issue. Discharges of mission critical troops are hurting our military’s ability to perform its mission.
schlukitz
It is estimated that there are some 65,000 gay service members in the military.
Why doesn’t every service member stand up in unison and expose this bigoted, anti-homosexual administration for what it is?
Can the military really afford to fire all 65,000 of these service members, let alone the horrendous cost of recruiting, retraining and replacing all these already skilled and service ready professionals?
Attmay
@Robert, NYC: I agree. The Breedercrat Party needs to put up or shut up. I got sick of their bullshit years ago and refuse to support them for anything as long as I live. It’s time the rest of you do the same.
schlukitz
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090521/ap_on_re_us/us_centrist_america
Mark
Fundamentalist Christians run the military. They are the sole reason why DADT exists at all.
Obama can’t end DADT until that issue is resolved.
I know very few of you ‘believe’ that or even know what I’m talking about. That’s because most of you were not in the military. Most of you don’t know that fundie Christians are at the top most levels of all 4 branches of the military. They actively seek out and expel gays. THEY are the problem. They have the ear of the GOP and they are extremely loud.
The US is the only Western nation that coddles to and protects fundie Christians. All other Western nations don’t do that and that is the sole and ONLY reason they have dropped their anti-gay stance with respect to their military.
Until the US drops its perverted protection of Christianity in the military, DADT will be a thorn in our sides. Now, with that fact in view, imagine filibustering GOPers in Congress saying ‘oh yeah, our fundie Christians, who have infiltrated all levels of our military, are wrong’. Does anyone think GOPers in Congress are going to just up and ignore their core constituents as well as those in the military who are currently battling to keep DADT in place? I don’t think so.
We have a few choices here: Wait until after 2010 when more Republicans will be voted out and we can get more Congressmen to back repeal, or somehow ignore all those fundie Christians who are all over the military. There is no magic involved here. There is the need to get allies on our side.
I have no idea who’s telling the truth about DADT (Obama vs. the Pentagon), but I wouldn’t be surprised if the military is the liar. After all, they regularly lied to me while I served. If the Obama admin is lying, then they are extremely stupid to do so and will easily be exposed.
Michael W.
@schlukitz: How about because most of those men and women don’t care about serving in the closet? It’s not like all the gay service people are just itching to come out and start singing show tunes. What evidence is there that the military forced them to keep their life a secret?
I’d bet that even if DADT were repealed, the majority of gay service members would still continue living in the closet.
Chitown Kev
@Mark:
We have a winner!
Rob (not the same Rob)
@Mark: Don’t be so optimistic about the future composition of Congress. It’s very unusual for one part to have such a large majority. I expect the Republicans to pick up at least a few seats in 2010.
The time to move on DADT is the current congressional session. There are 59 Democratic Senators and at least two Republican senators (Snowe and Collins) who would vote for cloture on this.
p.s. The second-last line of this post by Andrew Sullivan nicely captures the attitude presented in the other Rob’s post.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/05/the-fierce-urgency-of-whenever.html
schlukitz
@Michael W.:
“I’d bet that even if DADT were repealed, the majority of gay service members would still continue living in the closet.”
Point well taken, Michael.
I have several friends who, despite their gay mannerisms, speech and other gay affectations, plus the fact that they regularly sleep with other men, vigorously assert their straightness with me.
I guess denial ain’t just a river in Egypt – Mark Twain
InExile
@Michael W.: It is not a mater of weather or not they are in the closet, this law basically is a law on the books that says gay and lesbian people are less than heterosexuals. I don’t know about you but I think I am just as good as any heterosexual! The fact there is a law that says I am less pisses me off!
schlukitz
@InExile:
Hear. Hear, InExile!!!
It’s important to keep our eye on the ball, and not the net.
osocubano
I’ll never forget a US Marine I met at an orgy, who told me he wasn’t gay, he just liked to get screwed now and then.
Michael W.
@InExile: I want the law repealed just as much as you or anyone else. I was responding to the idea of gay service members coming out en masse and forcing the administration to act or discharge them all.
For every gay man or woman who’s been kicked out under DADT, there’s probably 50,000 who served and left honorably without a peep. The majority of them enjoy the closet whether it’s in or outside of the military and that’s why they felt comfortable signing up. They’re part of the ones posting on craigslist asking for straight-acting, masculine, discrete guys. And a repeal of DADT won’t change them (though it will go a long way to making future gays comfortable with their sexuality, which is all I hope for with this stuff).
That’s part of the difference between our movement and the civil rights movement. Black people for the most part can’t hide the fact that they’re black. And a lot of us can’t hide that we’re gay. But so many of us do and we need they’re help and they won’t give it to us because they’ve got a nice billowy recliner and a 52″ HDTV in that closet with them.
Robert, NYC
@Mark:
Mark, I have to agree with you for the most part. Fundies are very much involved in the military, more than ever. There have been reported cases of blatant intimidation of people who aren’t religious including gay personnel.
As for the dems picking up more votes in 2010…be careful. If something goes terribly wrong before then, you’ll see the dems lose a few seats, its quite common when the governing party is in power. New Jersey alone stands to lose a democratic governor and New York could well go the same way. Imagine having a republican back in control of these two states and the veto power they would have and would to rule out marriage equality among other things.
You are also right regarding our nation being the only one that coddles fundamentalists and allows them to infiltrate politics and influence the outcome of legislation through wedge issues. Its sick if you ask me and its about time someone with enough guts in the democratic party stood up to them. Unfortunately, we have a leader in the White House who believes that God should be in the mix, that’s why we get nowhere fast on DADT, DOMA or marriage equality. Its not going to change unless they are forced to change and one good way to do that is for all of us to put all of them on notice…don’t count on our votes any more….NEVER AGAIN.
schlukitz
@Michael W.:
Not to mention the comfortable pension for 20 years of military service.
Chris
I can easily understand that he can’t do away with DODT with a stoke of the pen, but I feel the reason that the gay community is so upset about this is because he is keeping so SILENT about the entire matter. If its going to take a long time, fine, but have the balls to say that, Instead he keeps quite and says NOTHING. Being kept in the dark on things is most annoying, especially to people you made an open statement of support to
Cam
@burger king: you said “I think you’re over eager here. There are about a million other things requiring the administration’s decision. Repealing this will be very tricky and require a lot of maneuvering, read a lot of time and energy. AND all these LGBT “heroes” signed up for work with an openly anti-gay institution. They;re being treated like all other military personnel, according to the rules, which were clear when they signed up.”
________________________________________________________________
No, it isn’t tricky, one executive order telling the military to stop enforcing the rule would take care of it. Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is supported by 3/4 of the population. What else out there has that much support? This should be a cake walk to repeal. And as for you talking about the MILLION other things more important. It’s sad that you think we are all so worthless that our civil rights are less important than a mark to market cap, or a trade rule on renaming fish from Viet-Nam. congress vote on dozens of things every day. Don’t tell me that they can’t bote on this. the Dem’s just don’t want everybody to see how many homophobes are holding elected office under the DEM banner right now.
Chris
@Cam: SO TRUE.
Roy Rogers Oldenkamp
@Kdogg: Even Better, EVERYONE in the NATION needs to stand up and say, I’m GAY or LESBIAN or BI or TRANS…that way it’s a real non issue and no one will care, impossible to say who’s what and then the issue will be defused immediately. How can we make THAT happen. That would be one hell of a FB group!
Roy Rogers Oldenkamp
@schlukitz: It’ll end up just like when we told Iraqis we would support their efforts to overthrow Hussein and then we let them toss in the wind.
Same thing, there’d be two thousand troops coming out and getting canned while the other sixty thousand let out a collective sigh of relief at retaining their jobs. NO, the only way is if we ALL – including our numerous MILLIONS of gay friendly folk – pressure CONGRESS who will make the decision or not to draft legislation. OBAMA can only influence this, as an executive order can be rescinded by the next administration and we are back to square one as opposed to permanent legislation.
andy_d
@Kdogg: Check out the article on the Dallas Principles and its website (www.thedallasprinciples.org).
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
It’s fascinating that some, as transparently as they did during the primaries, are still so desperate to defend the man over the moral that, without any shame, they sacrifice their gay brothers & sisters, historical fact, legal truth, common sense, national security, and even the strategic analyses and explicit promises on record of that man himself.
Like Steve Martin’s character in “Roxanne,” they have an endless litany of nose jokes, er, excuses. For instance, “Obama is brilliantly avoiding Clinton’s mistake of moving too fast.” The historical truth is that examining the timeline of events and actions, from October 28th, 1991, when Clinton first referenced integrating the military with out gays in response to a forum question at Harvard through his election in 1992 and January through June in 1993, proves that Clinton did not move too fast but too slowly, during which time the alliance of evil forces grew strong enough to defeat him.
The primary obstacle to repeal in 2009 is not that other nose joke, NOT resistance among the military brass, even though it certainly exists. IT IS THE ABSENCE OF MORAL COURAGE IN OBAMA. President Truman did not just go against the rabidly racist opposition of his generals, the public, and Congress and racially integrate the military, when Gen. MacArthur, the best known, most popular general of his time, and commander of our forces in Korea, refused to obey him, TRUMAN FIRED HIM…IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KOREAN WAR!
What is moral courage? It’s found in Obama’s own description of what happened in 1993: “[when they] faced A TEST OF LEADERSHIP, our party FAILED THAT TEST. We had AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE LEADERS on the World stage in eliminating discrimination against gay and lesbian service members, to recognize the patriotism and heroism of the hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian citizens who have served our country. Instead, WE BOWED TO FEAR AND PREJUDICE. … rather than embracing LEADERSHIP AND PRINCIPLE, we embraced Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — a policy that is ANTITHETICAL to the values of HONOR AND INTEGRITY.”
If we are to believe that he was wrong in November of 2007, how can we believe he is right now? Contrary to the wind-up Stepford Apologists, the only way around resistance from military brass is NOT for Obama to act like a pimply teenage geek trying to sweet talk the breathtaking prom queen into a date, not to repeat Clinton’s mistake of letting the tail wag the dog, but, again, found in OBAMA’S OWN words from the April 2008 Philadelphia debate:
“CHARLIE GIBSON: [Regarding withdrawal from Iraq] no matter what the military commanders said, you would give the order to bring them home?
OBAMA: Because THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SETS THE MISSION, Charlie. THAT’S NOT THE ROLE OF THE GENERALS. The PRESIDENT SETS THE MISSION. The general and our troops CARRY OUT THAT MISSION. Ultimately, the buck stops WITH ME as the commander-in-chief.”
HOW is that no longer true? During what night while we were sleeping was there a military coup which overthrew democracy and deposed Barack Obama as Commander-in-Chief, reducing him to a younger, thinner, darker male version of Queen Elizabeth with only a ceremonial role, armed only with white gloves and a handbag?
In addition to the fact that he IS still the Commander-in-Chief, the circumstances that contributed to the cowardice of the Democrats in 1993 are not only radically different today, but they are even more conducive to executive order and repeal than they were when he described that cowardice two years ago. The 1993 public opposition to gay integration has been replaced by majority support. The huge and powerful religious Antigay Industry, in and outside of Congress and the military, has been reduced by deaths and age and resignations and election defeats to a shadow of its former self. Post 9/11, national security is not just an excuse for xenophobes but a justification for jettisoning the opposition to even “mission critical” gay and lesbian servicemembers. IF he had the will.
Yes, actual repeal of DADT, is the prerogative of Congress, but pretending reality and real politik end there is but another shameless tactic by those whose true goal is not gay equality but constructing excuses for the center of their ever more chilling and creepy personality cult.
While DADT is a law, it is trumped by another law that the apologists ignore or even try to pretend doesn’t exist when cherry picking their facts. That same Congress empowers ANY President under 10 United States Code §12305 to “suspend ANY provision of law relating to promotion, retirement, OR SEPARATION applicable to ANY member of the armed forces who the President determines is essential to the national security of the United States.”
Note, it does NOT say he may suspend any law EXCEPT DADT. It does not say he may stop the separation of any member of the armed forces EXCEPT gay ones. He, like his zombie-like followers, picks and chooses the laws he wishes to employ.
Gibbs is like the guy in the commercial trying to convince someone that cardboard cut in the shape of steak & salad is food. “What if we threw in a free [cardboard] sundae?” Hearing other gays parroting like trained talking birds his Orwellian Speak, refusing a temporary solution because it is not permanent is not only nonsensical it is insufferable. Would we defend them saying to someone dying of thirst, “I won’t give you any water because it’s not milk”?
Obama explicitly promised in 2007 that the detailed, proactive leadership role he would play in repeal “will start when I take office.” Not three months after; not six months; not a year after; not in his second term. He did not say, “unless the military don’t want to.” He did not say, “unless too many in Congress are sitting on their hands.”
But in the ultimate betrayal that stuns the imagination, he has not just done NOTHING in any way to keep that promise, to even begin that process in the most rudimentary way, but has declared that HIS administration will take up where Bush left off and will DEFEND DADT in court. That gay men and women will NOW be discharged in the name of, by DIRECT ACTION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
However often his brainwashed bots change the subject with the quickness of a greased pig; however much they try to beat down those with facts by tirelessly repeating the same distortions of both the past and the present; however often they resort to the most ancient weapon of the weak…shooting the messenger because they want to erase the message, after two years of campaigning as the champion for gays, after four months as the most powerful man in the world, whatever great things he has done or attempted in other areas; whatever great things he will do or attempt; he has smeared his own honor and integrity on the canvas of History, and convicted himself of the moral cowardice he defined himself in 2007:
”rather than embracing leadership and principle, we bowed to fear and prejudice.”
tofer david
the president is so busy. he has many things on his plate. dadt isn’t that important. i mean just today he spent an hour globbing around with the super bowl champions. too much to do.
Chris_Yes that one
I think we as Gay people who want TOTAL EQUALITY Really need to look at this CAREFULLY.
How many of us on here including the Bait and switch team of Queerty really wants to be in the Military. Now some of us can stop being a fake internet activist and really say…YES I’M LOOKING TO ENLIST IF D.A.D.T is repealed. Lying ass queens you damn well you have NO INTENTIONS of joining.
And Michael W is right only I would say that they weren’t in the closet. They went to serve their country did so and obtained their gov’t benefits, and retirement and have went on about their business living their lives as Gay Men and Women who have served their country! The rainbow doesn’t mean SHIT when WAR is waged.
And now to our other BIG BEEF on here AHHHHH GAY MARRIAGE.
Now I’m sure we ALL want MARRIAGE EQUALITY. But how many of us are willing to really get married and be faithful to our partners, or spouses. Not get into this binding agreement shit so we can get benefits and have an open relationship and FUCK EVERYONE but when it’s time to file papers we’re married. My personal feelings on that is this.
Just because heterosexuals might do some frivilous things in the name of marriage WE DON’T HAVE TO and this fight is for all of us and more importantly the ones who had to leave America to achieve it. Now if it gets passed mostly throughout the country we must HONOR IT CORRECTLY. I feel the same about all of this as much as I do about The Civil Rights Movement.
FOLKS DIED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS MOMENT and the same with FULL EQUALITY many have died for this. We must be really serious about this and not always be “frickin and frackin” when Ms Hauslib and crew promote some of this bait and switch shit.
We really must focus.
Obama is not the beggining, nor the end. But if you want to hold him to the fire, Fine. Just do the same for your Representatives and Senators because they are the ones who can really grant us EQUALITY
All Obama has to do is SIGN and
I believe HE WILL!
charlie
@Chris_Yes that one: thank you
schlukitz
@Chris_Yes that one:
Chris, the heteros have a 50% divorce rate. That’s not exactly a batting average to hold up to us as a model or goal to aspire to.
So, why the lecture on queer morality?
troy
@Mark: Mark, fundamentalist Christians don’t just run the military they run this entire country. So what do we need to do here? Abandon the pursuit of gay rights and just have an out and out civil war? President Truman ended racial desegregation in the military through executive order, never did it go through congress and guess what? We still don’t have racial desegregation in the military. Obama could do the same, whats he afraid of? Whats the big fat fundamentalist Christian boogie man gonna do to him?
The whole country is fundamentalist something, thats why we will never get our rights by an election. It is up to individuals in government, in the courts and in the legislature who are willing to seize the moment and do what is right. This is why Obama is not a great man but just a fucking politician. Do you think Martin Luther King, had he been president, would have allowed the suffering of racial discrimination to go on for one minute if he had the power to end it with the stroke of a pen? Even if there was a risk that it could be overturned by the next president? Guess what? Legislation can also be overturned, rights can be voted away, nothing is guaranteed in this world, nothing. People are suffering, people are loosing their careers, and it could be stopped. What, are we trying to create some martyrs to add to our history books? Maybe the truth is that Obama is more of a fundamentalist christian than he lets on. His actions, or lack of them would lead to believe that maybe he is.
schlukitz
@troy:
“Maybe the truth is that Obama is more of a fundamentalist christian than he lets on.”
If it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck……;-P
Paul
@Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com: AMEN. Very well said, as sad and tragic as the truth is. Obama is a coward of the worst kind. Fooling everyone that he has integrity, a moral compas that will do what is right and just and someone who has the balls to stand up to bullies. No, he has none of those traits, just the ability to fool us into thinking he had. What a loser.
Robert, NYC
@Cam:
Cam, I’m in agreement with you on that. Even if there were no economic crisis, we would still be in the same bind, delay, delay, delay. The Dems and others will find any excuse to avoid the obvious. As I’ve said many times before, when it comes to us, we are and always will be on the bottom rung of the ladder. We are political fodder to be wooed during election campaigns, then dumped once they’re elected. NO MORE, I say, we need to fight back and not be so politically correct about it either. Why do we put up with this crap every four years? They take our money, promise this and that and then don’t deliver. Something is definitely wrong. Can you imagine the impact millions of gay votes would have if we for example supported the Green Party as a mass protest, the only party that I know of that actually supports full equality publicly and one that would have immense appeal to the up and coming generation of young voters.
LPMatt
Disgusted with the lies from the Democrats every election year and don’t feel quite @ home in the Republican Party (that means you Log Cabin members).
In addition to the Green Party, there’s another party that has specifically stood for marriage equality and the repeal of the gay ban in the military since its founding in 1971. In fact, it is expressed in their platform in language that even some Republicans and Democrats can understand.
Visiti http://www.outirghtusa.org
LPMatt
Sorry I meant http://www.outrightusa.org