It’s been a great run, Obama, but nothing lasts forever. Eventually it’s going to be time to elect a new president, and queers are already lining up behind their favored candidates.
This Monday in L.A., for example, the “Ready for Hillary” super PAC is holding a fundraiser at the Abbey, the super-popular gay hot spot in West Hollywood. The 2016 election is still a long way off, but it’s never too late to start gathering cash.
And plenty of celebrities are getting on board. Expected speakers at the Ready for Hillary event:
- Michelle Clunie, actress and star of Queer as Folk
- Joely Fisher, actress and activist
- Paul Katami & Jeff Zarrillo, Prop 8 plaintiffs
- Hal Sparks, actor and star of Queer as Folk
Tickets are a little over $20, which isn’t much, but every little bit counts. (The cost of the 2012 election, BTW, is estimated to be $8 billion. A $20 donation would represent approximately .00000025 percent of that.)
What other Democratic challengers will Hillary face? Well, none, if they’re smart. What Democrat is crazy enough to try to challenge her in a primary at this point? (It’s not your turn yet, Cory Booker. Pipe down, Joe Biden.)
In case you’re wondering why queers would want to support Hillary, there’s this: she openly supports marriage equality. She was awesome about that “Texts from Hillary” thing. She says that LGBT rights are human rights and should be a priority of the US. Her suits will provide fashion-gays with endless topics of conversation. Her State Department eliminated onerous passport roles for trans travelers. She wished everyone a happy Pride.
And that’s just the start of what will surely be an endless heaping of praise for Hillary over the next two years. Get ready for it to feel just like 2008 all over again.
Mezaien
Hillary, come to Tucson we need you in AZ for sure.
Cam
Honestly, I hope they don’t pull money away or ignore the mid term elections. If Dems lose the SEnate and GOP keeps the House a Hillary president will be even more gridlocked than this one has been.
sunaz
I’m glad I don’t confirm to the stereotypical, simplistic views as demonstrated by this “author.” I use that term loosely around queerty articles….
Desert Boy
For many gay men, Hillary Clinton is a surrogate mother figure. And everyone knows, gay boys are always closer to their mother than their father.
northwest
Well I’m NOT ready for Hillary with the prospect of Democrats losing the Senate to the GOP in the midterms. Hillary and her fundraisers ought to be putting some focus on that as well. I’d like to see our CURRENT President have some support considering how much his administration has ALREADY done for the LGBT community. Hillary’s hubby certainly didn’t do a damn thing to help when HE was POTUS.
Desert Boy
@northwest: I agree with your assessment of Bill Clinton. He was one of the worst presidents for the gay community in history.
Personally, I can never forgive him for DADT and DOMA. He threw us under the bus to save his ass and appease the religious right. DADT and DOMA caused years of harm to the gay community. He’s a coward.
But keep in mind, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton are two, very different people. Don’t lump them together.
Spike
@Desert Boy: You clearly have forgotten the political climate when DADT and DOMA was signed in to law by President Clinton.
Convenient to call him a coward, wonder what you will be saying about President Obama in 12 years.
manjoguy
I am gay ,and I would not vote for Hillary for president. No more liars for president I say. Couldn’t we strive for a presidential nominee of character and integrity? And to reply to Desert Boy, both Clintons have lied.
Ronbo
She is just another Republican in Democratic drag. She started as a Repuke and still supports NAFTA and TPP.
Supporting Hillary will ensure that Republican policy stands.
When did we stop demanding actual Democratic policy and just accept a (D) behind their name?
Billy Budd
I am not American, but I would definitely vote for her if I were. She will be a much better president than Obama.
jar
@northwest: Are you kidding? What would that include, promoting separate but equal when it comes to gay marriage? Cozying up to vile homophobes? It pisses me off when people try to praise Obama for the achievements we made on our own. But anything in the service of Obama (the double-entendre is intentional). Obama was never there for us- until the heat got too high and he had to backpeddle on his Plessy mindset.
Bill Clinton actually did a lot more for the gay community than Obama has ever done.
jar
@Desert Boy: You youngsters really need to investigate these tools we used to have, they’re called books. You clearly know nothing about our history if you blithely decry Bill Clinton while propping up Obama. Less time on gossip sites and more time educating yourself is in order.
jar
@Ronbo: Hear, hear. In response to your query, when the party was overtaken by the bourgeoisie and former republicans. That’s when the Democratic party lost its way.
jar
@Billy Budd: Actually, Billy, she’s likely to be a mere continuation of Obama, something the working and middle classes of America cannot afford.
Will L
This may be her time. Obama is going to be a tough act to follow for anyone. I hope Hillary has the balls to stand as firm as he has. If she can just keep his momentum going, it will be worth it.
And I agree with Spike. You really have to put things into context with the way things were. Politicians generally have to give and take to get things accomplished. And they can’t always open up and be refreshingly honest all the time. That’s part of politics and being a leader. (Talk about herding cat!)
Billy Budd
@jar: Are you one of those crazy gay republicans?
jar
@Billy Budd: No, I’m an FDR Democrat; in other words, a real Democrat. We do still exist.
hephaestion
Who would challenge Hillary? Elizabeth Warren, that’s who.
hephaestion
As always, this election in 2016 is all about the Supreme Court. All that matters is that we don’t allow a Republican in the White House. If that happens we’re totally fucked.
tjr101
Should the GOP win the senate come this year’s midterms, America will literally sprint towards Hillary in 2016. The thought of Republicans controlling all branches of government is an unimaginable horror. Might as well put Tony Perkins and the Koch brothers up in the White House.
northwest
Someone needs to pull their head out of that jar. Bill Clinton did more for gays than Obama? Are you freaking KIDDING ME? DADT/DOMA was under Clinton’s watch and it took the Obama Administration to undo it.
jar
@northwest: You clearly do not know your history. Bill Clinton was the first US president to publicly acknowledge the existence of gay and lesbian Americans. This was a watershed act, especially because we had endured two republican presidencies that refused to even utter the word gay and purposely ignored the AIDS crisis while the death toll continued to climb. He significantly increased AIDS funding an appointed openly people to his admin. One of the first measures he tried to pass was to overturn the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military. He was rebuked by congress, including Dem senators who vowed to prevent him from overturning the ban (eg, Robert Byrd). DADT was the only compromise he could wrestle out of congress. Gays in the military cost him significant political capital, especially since this occurred so early in his presidency. DOMA is less defensible, but was an attempt to avert a constitutional convention on the issue. I do not defend his failure to veto DOMA, but it was not his legislation either. Bill Clinton, for all of his faults, was a friend to the gay community.
Obama, on the other hand, has been unwilling to expend political capital on any issue, including those affecting gays and lesbians. His position on same sex marriage was “separate, but equal,” a principle widely considered a black mark on the supreme court (see Plessy). He was fine with that, until agitated gay and lesbian activists and donors threatened to abandon him. Then, miraculously, he changes his position on same sex marriage. This was pure political Machiavellianism. On DADT, he could have ended it with a stroke of a pen, but chose not to do. Congress’s repeal occurred only after two federal appeals courts found DADT violated due process. Please provide an example of when Obama expended any political capital on behalf of gays and lesbians. Obama has ridden the wave. He has not led.
Dakotahgeo
I cannot say enough good about Next President Hillary!! Whether the GOTP (Grand Old Turd Party) members win anything is beside the point. I love Executive Orders. Put the TeaPods in closets and throw away the keys!