Sen. Carl Levin is willing to be the grinch who steals Christmas to get Don’t Ask Don’t Tell‘s repeal pushed through, insisting Obama use his “bully pulpit” to pressure the Senate into reconfiguring its holiday break schedule so Republicans can prove they’re willing to ruin Christmas to filibuster repeal. But Obama won’t do that, ’cause his balls are smalls.
jabs
Sen. Carl Levin Basically Calls Obama A Pussy
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ggreen
Nixon had only one big ball
Reagan had two but they were small
Clinton’s were intermittent
But Obama has no ball at all.
dizzle
He’s my senator. Holla! Love him and Stabenow.
[email protected]
Remember that it was nearly A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, in June of 2009, that Sen. Levin, who, in 1993, fought the perpetuation of the half-century+ old ban in the form of DADT, said that:
“[Ending the ban] requires presidential leadership. This cannot be addressed successfully without that kind of leadership.”
Yet, it wasn’t until November of THIS year that Obama finally got around to even talking to Levin about it.
In February of this year, “The Advocate” wrote:
Levin “has most certainly taken on the issue in spite of the administration’s equivocation-or, as one insider put it, ‘he’s got religion on this'”
In May of this year, “Talking Points Memo”:
“The final push [for ‘repeal’] came from the Hill, where key members of Congress who support ‘repeal’, like Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made it clear that they were moving forward with ‘repeal’ legislation with or without the White House’s blessing.”
From “The Huffington Post” in June:
“Pelosi said the House WEAKENED ITS REPEAL LANGUAGE TO MOLLIFY THE WHITE HOUSE. Military leaders REFUSED TO ACCEPT LANGUAGE THAT WOULD BAR DISCRIMINATION, so the clause was dropped.”
FOR PERSPECTIVE of the significance of all that, let’s review what Obama said in November of 2007:
1. “As president, I will work with Congress and place the weight of my administration behind enactment of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act [MREA], which will make nondiscrimination the official policy of the U.S. military,” …and then sat on his ass except to back Gates’ demand that the MREA be gutted.
2. “I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” ….and then backed Gates’ scheme to, instead, come up with a study that would push the vote to this “sudden death” period in the Lame Duck session of Congress.
3. “That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office,”…but…see “sat on ass” above.
4. “America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership,”…and then refused to provide it.
In addition to Levin, Senate Majority Leader Reid virtually begged Obama LAST year to start providing that leadership.
“I therefore request that you bring to Congress your recommendations on DADT. Your leadership is greatly … needed at this time.” – letter from Reid, September 2009.
But when Dan Choi, several other gay vets, members of GetEQUAL, and I visited Reid’s office November 15th THIS YEAR, he STILL hadn’t heard from Obama.
In addition, Obama has also asserted that DADT is Constitutional when the Supremes have never ruled on it.
Obama has refused to use his legal powers under federal law 10 USC 12305 to end gay discharges in the name of national security pending repeal even as he’s said they, “weaken national security,” and despite calls from Reid, Levin, Pelosi, and multiple other members of Congress to do just that.
Obama fought to kill three legal challenges to DADT, succeeding in killing one, and is now fighting to have the two rulings against the ban overturned.
Obama Inc., is being sued by the ACLU for perpetuating the Bush policy of giving gays discharged only 50% of the pay they have coming to them.
And, today, another suit was filed, this time in the name of three more gays discharged under DADT.
So, yeah, Sen. Levin has mountains of justification for his statement.
[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EGjV0X3si9k/SGp-GY0blGI/AAAAAAAABXs/YLZ5h5XZCBI/s400/Obama-003.jpg[/img]
Ronbo
It will be difficult (at best) to get Obama to lead DADT repeal as it is not his intention to have it repealed. Obama has maintained 98% of the Bush Agenda – and we’ve been foolish enough to keep calling him a “Democrat”
Google “Business International Corporation, Obama and front company”. I believe that you will soon realize why Obama has maintained 98% of the Bush agenda.
JusticeontheRocks
Ronbo is exactly right. We’re in the tenth consecutive year of Republican rule.
PogosWorld
I don’t think Obama is spineless or “pussy”. I think he’s doing just what he wants to do.
GrrrlRomeo
No, Sen. Carl Levin did not basically calls Obama a pussy…just like he didn’t basically call Obama a faggot.
Daez
They could stay till January and it will not make any difference. DADT is not on the lame duck session schedule. The rest of the lame duck session will be focused on the tax bill. If, by some weird chance they actually do finish the tax bill, the focus will switch to the nuclear arms treaty not DADT. Also, you can hardly blame the Republicans for the filibuster on the tax bill when its quite obvious that the Democrats also want to filibuster it or the motion to debate wouldn’t have passed by 83 votes.
Daez
@Ronbo: Obama actually very brilliantly out maneuvered DADT repeal with this tax “compromise” bill. He threw something in front of the Senate and House that will keep them talking all the way to the end of the lame duck session.
I honestly do believe that Obama doesn’t actually want DADT repeal, and his actions have proven this time and time again.
What most people are starting to realize is that this country always needs a “bad guy” and they are very comfortable with it being the gays at this moment. If they were to actually give us our rights they would have to find a new “bad guy” to fight with. As long as they can keep the focus on gay rights they can continue to campaign on that platform while distracting many from causes that actually do matter.
plantwomyn
@Daez:
“As long as they can keep the focus on gay rights they can continue to campaign on that platform while distracting many from causes that actually do matter.”
It may surprise you that gay rights is a “cause that actually do{es] matter.”