My three words were simple – Don’t hate Obama – and if I would have had a chance to elaborate, I would have said, ‘This is a guy who isn’t going to do things exactly the way you want him to do, but know that his heart is in the right place. He has his priorities, they’re in line with our priorities and he’s going to do them at his pace. That at the end of this four-year period, and ideally an additional four years, I don’t think the gay community will be disappointed with the progress that we made under this president. I think it’s very important that we keep pressure on the president, the White House, and the administration, and on elected officials across the spectrum but to understand that President Obama is an incredibly important and a good friend to the gay community in this country. He’s not our enemy, we shouldn’t treat him as if he were – we should keep our on eyes on who our real enemies are. […] I’ve made it very clear that I believe the approach the president has taken to secure passage of DADT is the right strategy. I’m at odds with many in the gay community about that, but if we don’t have the support of military leadership for repeal of DADT, members of Congress in the Senate will use that as an excuse to oppose it and we will never have the votes in the House and the Senate to pass repeal if we don’t have the military leadership. I don’t like the game playing that’s going on, but I want to see it passed. I don’t just want to see a vote scheduled, I want to see it passed.
—Steve Hildebrand, President Obama’s presidential campaign deputy manager, elaborating on his three-word introduction (“Don’t hate Obama”) at Netroots Nation in Las Vegas [via]
Cam
So he “Feels our Pain”…so did another president and he ended up signing DADT and DOMA into law.
If Obama’s heart is in the right place, then why was the White House so reluctant to do anything about DADT. Congress had to force them to. And if it wasn’t the right time to do it, then why did it end up passing?
I’m fine with his heart being in the right place, but just because somebody doesn’t think I should be thrown in jail for being gay doesn’t mean he’ll do anything to help me. The groups need to keep the pressure on and not sit back and rely on our supposed “Friends” to do everything for us.
Kevin
I guess his heart was in the right place when his DOJ compared us to incestuous pedophiles, I could really feel his love.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
In his statement that Obama shouldn’t have become ObDoma, this is only the second time I’m aware of that Hildebrand has been right. The first was saying after we lost again in Maine:
“We are fools to have spent all this money and time and not have defined the opponents. It’s not enough to answer their charges. We need to hit them back and not let … See Moreup on it until voters don’t buy their lies anymore. (The NO on 1 and No on 8 campaigns were) malpractice in my opinion.”
But the rest of this interview and what he said in Vegas … including cooing like a 5-yr. old little girl about Barry’s heart being in the right place and defending Obama’s unequivocal BETRAYAL of gay servicmembers …. proves that he’s still washing his bipolar meds down with Kool Aid. He turns my stomach and should have been egged by every self-respecting LGBT person in the audience.
BOTTOMLINE: that’s Uncle Tom Hildebrand to you!
[img]http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs550.snc3/30106_1193246770974_1822575019_370454_4642493_n.jpg[/img]
MAWM
Obama has no heart. He’s a completely narcissistic sociopath. If you’re waiting for him to help us, you might as well wait for Jesus to come back.
jason
And how, pray tell, will DADT be repealed at all if we let the homophobia-soliciting survey of Robert Gates – which is approved by Obama – dictate the military leadership’s as well as the Senate’s final votes on this issue? The simple fact is it won’t. If Steve Hildebrand doesn’t understand this, he shouldn’t even be in the business of opening his cake-hole.
Steve, you should just go away. You are no more helpful to the gay community than Patrick Buchanan. Take Obama with you on that hike, if you don’t mind.
jason
Obama’s legacy on DADT will be that he had 60 Democratic votes in the Senate – enough to defeat a filibuster – but refused to exploit this opportunity to pass a repeal. This will be his legacy…and his ultimate disgrace.
ousslander
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
Hilarious
Obama didn’t make instant miracles fall from the sky like candy?
Time to whine and cry like little babies!
Yet Another
@Hilarious:
No point in even engaging in this. There are an infinite amount of keyboard politicians on this site who think they can judge a President’s character on a quarter of his term. Let them post whatever they want.
Ronbo
Yes, Hilarious, after 18 months, Obama has been so “fierce” a supporter that his own Justice Department has gone to court four times to deny us even a small piece of equality. Obama brought an outspoken anti-gay preacher to give his first invocation. Obama brought a fiercly anti-gay singer in to entertain his friends.
How could we possibly judge a man by his actual deeds! Should we measure him by his (broken) promises? His soaring rhetoric and empty platitudes are not very inspiring after you’ve heard one thing then seen another. How about measuring him by his level of religious bigotry… can’t support equal marriage rights because “God is in the mix”? You don’t qualify for his God, Hilarious. Hilarious! The year is 2010, NOT 1959.