Remember this week when we said Robert Gibbs’ comments during a press briefing made clear the White House is going to take a breather on all things gay, and let its Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal stand in the spotlight for awhile? Today Mr. Gibbs confirmed the Obama administration is following (or is it the other way around?) the Human Rights Campaign’s 2011 strategy on ENDA: sit it out.
on hiatus
christopher di spirito
It’s often difficult to understand Mumbles Gibbs. He’s a perfect person for Obama. You’re left to ask, “what did he say?”
justiceontherocks
Boo hoo! It’s a challenging environment,
If ENDA and DOMA were real priorities, he would have pushed the Congress when he had solid majorities.
They weren’t priorities. HRC will come up with a bunch of mumbo jumbo trying to give him cover so they’ll be invited to a cocktail party.
Obama: best of a bad lot among presidents supporting equality.
SteveC
I won’t vote for Obama when he’s up for re-election.
Voting is a waste of time.
Direct action, civil unrest and disobedience and court cases are how we are going to gain equality.
Homophobes like Obama will do nothing for us.
Jeffree
@Steve C.: Granted he hasn’t done everything promised, but DADT repeal and hospital visitation were not gained solely through civil disobedience.
There’s a place for direct action, and the courts can strike down legislation but the Courts don’t legislate.
It’s not an “either/or” situation. You can vote and still engage in activism. Really.
DR
This is the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.
The Republicans knew very well they wouldn’t get enough votes in the Senate to pass the Health Care repeal, but voted for repeal in the House anyway. It made a statement to the American public.
The Democrats had a majority in the House, Senate and had the Presidency and didn’t even try, and now that they only have the Presidency and the Senate, they’re trying even less. This also made a statement to the American public.
The Republicans are willing to take a stand and actually lead, while the Democrats proved that, with few exceptions, leadership is not an option.
SouthSideShorty
What, you guys are just now realizing Obama’s a homophobe? Come on — it’s obvious he won’t do anything unless he gets votes out of it, and the black community has never been very gay-friendly, if you know what I mean. The man has his priorities.
Queer Supremacist — Impeach Obama
@SouthSideShorty: A black bigot is no different from a white bigot. But white bigots don’t hide behind their race and try to make themselves look like victims of racism when called out on their homophobia.
Queer Supremacist — Impeach Obama
@SouthSideShorty: A black bigot is no different from a white bigot. But white bigots don’t hide behind their race or their own history of oppression (in the West, whites were usually on the giving side) and try to make themselves look like victims of racism when called out on their homophobia. That is what makes homophobia by blacks unique and doubly offensive.
ewe
The bus is in and parked. Are we gonna be under it AGAIN?
ewe
Obama will say he does not believe we have the right to marry because Obama does not believe in equal rights but Obama wants to win reelection and not represent gay people. He prefers to cater to ignorant religious fundamentalists. When he says that someone should ask him if he feels the same way about interracial marriages. I do not believe in the “best of the worst” or the “least of the evil”. An endless tennis match is not the only possibility in politics.
ewe
If you ask any 49 year old gay man if he knows anyone who passed away from AIDS, he will look at you like you have 10 heads. If you ask Obama (who was trotting around from Hawaii, Pepperdine University and Chicago during those years) i doubt he would know even one person. He is not going to be of help to us. He does not know.
the crustybastard
@ewe: That’s not entirely accurate.
Obama said he doesn’t believe gays should have a civil right to marry due to his Christian religious beliefs.
That makes him a theocrat, at least as far as gays are concerned.
Which is to say, he doesn’t seem to think that Christianity should inform his decisions with regard to, say, foreign policy.