I am not sure the Democratic Party understands the amount of anger today

[dbackjon]

Anger at the bigotry that still exists in America
Anger at the number of so-called Democrats that either didn't vote at all, or voted yes on Amendment 1
Anger at the lack of leadership by President Obama on the Civil Rights issue of our generation
Anger at the dismissal of our concerns

[xchrom]

1. i hate to say it -- they don't care.

'where the fuck else are we gonna go?' -- isn't that the meme?

[dbackjon]

2. Yup - from the Democratic Party AND a good portion of DU

[brooklynite]

3. Yeah, it's not like they've done anything...

...except pass DADT repeal and try to pass DOMA repeal.

[dbackjon]

6. You just don't get it, do you?

[Sarcasticus]

9. I don't

Sorry, but brooklynite has a point.

[HillWilliam]

25. No. He doesn't.

LGBT people are nowhere NEAR equal citizens.

It took two years of waffling to get off the fence on DADT. A year in when he said he had a committee working on it -- then we found out there was no such a thing. My representative was one of many who sent a letter to the WH asking them to lend support to the House effort to repeal DADT. Not a word came back for months. CONGRESS got DADT done, no thanks to the POTUS. When the hard work was done, all he had to do was sign.

DOMA is still the law of the land. The administration was STILL using it to prevent federally-employed s/s couples from insuring their spouses up until late last year. The POTUS finally sent a memo to DOJ to tell them to "fail to enforce DOMA"... which is a goddam sight different to "getting rid of it". There is no discussion on getting rid of DOMA yet.

I'm tired, goddam tired, of being thrown a few crumbs with the expectation of my undying gratitude for things we LGBT people have FOUGHT for over decades. I do like the POTUS and will vote for him again, but he is not some great-big LGBT advocate. To be perfectly blunt, he hasn't tried much at all.

[Son of Gob]

49. Sorry, you don't get to rewrite History

Nice try though.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/30/dadt-study-pentagon-gays-military_n_789626.html

DADT Study: Pentagon Report Says Gays Could Serve In Military With No Harm

Gay troops can serve openly in the armed forces without harming the military's ability to fight, the Pentagon's top leaders declared Tuesday, calling for the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" ban to be scrapped and pointing to a new survey to show most troops won't mind.

President Barack Obama, citing the troop poll, urged the Senate to repeal the ban before adjourning in the next few weeks, but there is still no indication GOP objections can be overcome with just a few weeks left in the postelection lame-duck session. Still, the survey did put new pressure on Republican opponents, led by Sen. John McCain, who say efforts to repeal the law are politically motivated and dangerous at a time of two wars.

Obama said in a statement released by the White House: "Today I call on the Senate to act as soon as possible so I can sign this repeal into law this year and ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally."

"For senators who were on the fence – Republicans as well as Democrats – this report should address most if not all the concerns that they have raised," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a pro-repeal advocacy group.

[Recursion]

14. Why does it matter if a politician "cares"? Is that their job?

What concrete action do you want a political leader to take at this point?

[dbackjon]

20. Repeal DOMA, Pass ENDA

Recognize marriage on a federal level

[emulatorloo]

16. The majority of DU'ers are angry at the NC voters who voted for the bigot amendment

I think it would be difficult to find more than a tiny handful of DU'ers (if even that) who are not angry with the 58 percent of bigoted NC voters.

[brooklynite]

17. No, the 50% of 1/3 of the eligible voters...

[marions ghost]

43. thank you

Look at Guilford County (Greensboro) technically falls into the "yes" category, but was 50/50.

The winner-take-all system magnifies the story.

And the way that important issues like this can be tacked onto primaries...well, not very democratic...

[LonePirate]

4. Ain't that the truth!

[Dragonfli]

7. They would care allot more if we had Banker money, money so big they call it

fuck you money.

The money from sources that contribute millions would appear to rent a certain "sympathy" for the cause of the donor.
We are just here for votes, not to please with representative governance.

Expect them to shine you on more and more until November, then it will be bi-partisan deals to please the top donors.

After all, they already have our vote and they will owe much "sympathy" to superpack and other large money donors that deserve their sympathy more having put a down payment on it and all.

What are we going to do. vote for Romney?

[xchrom]

27. we're actually pretty good bundlers for them.

a different problem is our moneyed elite -- doesn't hold the money back w/ a ransom note attached.

[Dragonfli]

54. They need to learn then that you must expect something for something rather than just giving it. nt

[Recursion]

12. They see no gain and lots of loss for "standing up" or whatever

To the extent that the national leaders can do things, they mostly have.

[emulatorloo]

19. BREAKING: Obama Embraces Marriage Equality

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002664948

[dbackjon]

21. Kinda sorta endorses it - at the state level

[emulatorloo]

23. "kinda sorta" Yeah, right.

OBAMA: I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

[dbackjon]

24. Leaving it to the states works so well for civil rights

But I will take this baby step of him going back to his 1996 position.

[xchrom]

28. indeed. he has progressed backwards. nt

[emulatorloo]

30. Obama has finally stood up for marriage equality

Spin it however you would like. From reading your prior posts at DU, does not surprise me that you would spin it negatively.

[xchrom]

36. sigh...

http://www.thenation.com/blog/167798/obama-endorses-gay-marriage-kinda-now-what

'Obama, however, stopped short of lending full support to the multi-state legal and political campaign for marriage equality. According to ABC News, the President stressed that his is a “personal position,” and he continues to think that states should decide the issue independently.'


this stand still deprives of the 14th amendment and equal protection under the law.

you and obama continue to have both of those.

[emulatorloo]

53. See here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/116985

[bvar22]

50. LBJ Stands UP for Racial Equality:

Kinda, sorta different,
don't ya think?

[emulatorloo]

51. Kinda sorta the same. Get the laws in the pipeline, Obama will push for them

and sign them. Like he did with DADT, like he will do with repeal of DOMA.

Will no doubt require some court decisions too.

[woo me with science]

55. He has now evolved to embrace the exact same position Dick Cheney arrived at three years ago.

He has now evolved to embrace the position Dick Cheney arrived at three years ago: that he is personally in favor of equal marriage but that he still considers it not a civil right, but a privilege that can be denied by states through voting.


Obama, 2012:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

"'At a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,' Obama said in an interview with ABC News...The president said he supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own, ABC News reported."



Cheney, 2009:

Cheney supports same-sex marriage 'on a state-by-state basis'
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/02/nation/na-cheney2.

"June 2, 2009 WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney waded into another roiling public debate Monday, saying he supports same-sex marriage as long as the issue is decided by states rather than the federal government."


There is still much more evolving to do.

[Dragonfli]

56. I would hope so, any evolution that ends with Cheney is Cro-Magnon at best /nt

[emulatorloo]

58. Yes I remember how powerfully Cheney pushed to end DADT and his subsequent refusal to enforce DOMA

Cheney and Obama are just the same.

Although it took having a gay daughter for Cheney to evolve, as Republican are incapable of empathy.

[Marrah_G]

31. Well he only sort of supports it

He thinks the states....like NC, should be the ones to decide.

[SoutherDem]

5. They know we don't have another choice

Being realistic, what are we going to do? Vote Republican?

I hope someday, one day we will have another choice, but like it or not every time we have had a 3rd party candidate it has helped the other worst of the two evils get into office (from the 3rd parties point of view).

[Demonaut]

10. so vote republican, Mitt will be right on it

I understand your frustration and Obama should have voiced his support for same sex marriage a long time ago
but he's done a great deal for the LGBT community, more than any other Pres and you know it

if he loses this election trust that a roll back will happen on rights


on edit

thirty years ago I still feared gays

twenty seven years ago my fear was gone and I now had gay friends

six years ago I still supported civil unions but not marriage

five years ago I started supporting marriage equality


I evolved

[Marrah_G]

32. "so vote republican"

I'd like to tell you where I think you should go, instead I will just put you on ignore.

[mitchtv]

45. snooze

who said anything about voting for mitt? what a tired thoughtless retort

[Demonaut]

47. the Pres's support was inevitable, as a candidate for

POTUS he said as much
The fact that he picked today was a surprise, figured it would happen after the election
but sooner is better
yeah, maybe the "vote republican" was inappropriate
but "lack of leadership" is the meme of the right
and I'm sick of seeing some of the left using it

[madinmaryland]

11. Yeah. I see that reported every night on the news (all of the news networks, no less!)

[catbyte]

13. Take it from a minority...

Change is slow and it's frustrating, but at least progress is being made. Native Americans weren't granted the right to vote until 1924--4 years after women got the vote. My mom wasn't allowed into a local hamburger joint in northern lower MI because "Indians" weren't allowed inside, but I was.

Keep the faith and us heteros will keep fighting right alongside you.

Diane
Anishinaabe in MI & mom to Leo, Sophie, Taz & Nigel, members of Dogs Against Romney, Cat Division
"We ride inside--HISS!”

[catbyte]

18. Hey, at least the President is with the program now...

[treestar]

15. How is the Democratic Party supposed to manage anger

Are there people mistaking it for a psychological clinic?

[dbackjon]

22. Take stands that support equality

Your dismissive attitude shows you don't give a fuck about equality

[treestar]

29. Not true.

But why does it all have to be "anger?" Anger doesn't get anyone anywhere, it just creates destruction. Anyway, I thought the post was broader than it seems to be on second reading.

I care about equality, but don't see how anger at Democrats is going to help. Anger at bigots just makes them dig their heels in.

[Bake]

33. I believe the Vice President did exactly that -- came out in support of marriage equality.

He's the highest ranking official ever to do that. And he's a Democrat.

We're getting there. Not fast enough, but getting there.

Bake

[Quantess]

26. Wow, that was cold.

An attempt to invalidate how people feel about something as important as marriage equality. That was rude.

[Capt. Obvious]

34. .

[cali]

35. I'm pretty goddamn sure they understand

[Bake]

37. Now that the President, for the first time in history, has endorsed marriage equality

Do you feel any better? Want to tone it down maybe?

Bake

[dbackjon]

38. No - because he still feels it is a states rights issue

[mitchtv]

46. right back at ya

tone it down you

[Bake]

48. I'm sorry, I didn't know my tone was anything other than factual.

I wasn't ragging on either the activists or the President.

Bake

[WI_DEM]

39. Obama has done more for gay rights than all presidents combined.

[dbackjon]

40. And yet I can stil be fired for being gay, and he doesn't support a Federal Marriage law

My life has not gotten any better.


But thanks for playing

[Dragonfli]

57. I guess that is as good as some think "your kind" deserves, how literally "unevolved" of them.

Not that I can help much, but you are not alone, I will not stand for your life not getting at least as good as any multi-marriage breeder in America.

I say this as an evolved version of a straight male.

Am I allowed to call my fellow breeders, "breeders"?

I certainly hope so, if not, I have enjoyed my 8 year stay here until getting booted over this post

[dbackjon]

62. Thank you!!

[joeybee12]

41. A good part of DU doesn't either...knr

[dbackjon]

42. No they don't

They think now we should be all full of unicorns, and rainbows and well, you know.

[Rex]

44. Anger? If I was a woman in this country I would be in a state of rage.

.

[RainDog]

52. thank you

some days I can totally understand and justify why the French Revolutionaries murdered the priests.

[DocMac]

60. You got it.

This is up in the face of religious institutions. They will never stop fighting gay rights.

I wish the church would fight against war that hard.

I'm wishing the LGBT community the best of luck.

[Ship of Fools]

61. Thank you!