"Is Lady Gaga a Better Politician Than Barack Obama?"

[KeepItReal]

"On Tuesday afternoon, Senate Republicans successfully filibustered a military spending bill that would have repealed the military's Don't Ask/Don't Tell policy on gay servicemen and women. More than half of the Senate—54 Democrats and two independents—supported the measure (as did Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, who voted no purely for procedural purposes); all the GOPers opposed it. But because breaking a filibuster requires 60 votes, the decisions of moderate Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Scott Brown to join their obstructionist GOP colleagues ensured that gay people would still be unable to serve openly in the military.
...
The repeal of DADT was one of President Barack Obama's key campaign promises—one that he repeated in his first State of the Union address earlier this year. Now it's a promise that may well wither, especially if Republicans gain control of the House in November. But as usual, the White House did little to publicly pressure Collins, Snowe, or Brown. Obama spent the day before the vote at a fundraiser in Pennsylvania and did little to draw attention to the upcoming vote and the GOP's intrasingence. The White House wouldn't even answer the New York Times' questions about the bill. Vice President Joe Biden, according to the White House, did call Snowe. But Obama did no lobbying of his own. Instead, the pressure politics were left to someone who's never been elected to public office: a 24-year-old New Yorker named Stefani Germanotta—a.k.a. Lady Gaga
...
The Obama administration has not yet figured out how to make Republicans pay a political cost for obstructionism. But the White House has rarely tried to slam Republicans. (When Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a liberal Democrat from Ohio, said he was a solid no vote on the health care bill, Obama was in his district that week to pressure him, and Kucinich flipped.) This week, Lady Gaga did her best with the ladies from Maine. She didn't turn them, but she did succeed in putting them on the hot seat. And after all, she's just a pop star, not the president. But the next time the White House wants to break a filibuster, it might consider going Gaga."

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/09/dont-ask-dont-tell-vote-dadt-lady-gaga

[Jim Sagle]

1. More principled, in any event.

[DrToast]

2. I've been saying for a while that we need to start leaning on Snowe and Collins

Especially with their future in jeopardy by the teabaggers.

[Telly Savalas]

23. Leaning on Snowe and Collins is smart politics

but I'm not sure that having a marginally talented pop diva preach to the choir constitutes leaning on someone.

I doubt that Snowe and Collins lay awake at night worried that Lady Gaga is poaching votes from them.

[mitchum]

58. +1

[xchrom]

3. Yes, she is. Nt

[LonePirate]

4. At least she stands up for and is proud of her supporters. I can't say that for Obama.

[prolesunited]

9. You mean the ones who pay her?

[depakid]

29. Quite a few supporters donated or raised much more money

for Democrats and the President than most people pay for recorded music or concert tickets.

[vaberella]

46. You people are disturbing.

The adoration of over the top celebrities. Ridiculous.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

61. replace the word "celebrities" with something else

:hi:

[Dawgs]

5. Looks like Lady GaGa convinced a few more suckers that it's nothing more than a PR campaign.

Everything she does is calculated.

[vaberella]

39. Lulz.n/t

[davidpdx]

6. Everything is Obama's fault

Get sick of hearing that, especially when it is Congress that screwed up.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

53. Me too

I call it "Blame Obama First (and for everything)".

[Whisp]

7. Then vote for her.

Obama is the better dancer.

[jenmito]

8. Apple and orange. n/t

[craigmatic]

10. No just more passionate. Obama lives in his head more. Gaga is more about gut feeling.

[smalll]

11. No she isn't. Exhibit A -- her speech at that rally in Maine --

watch it (or read the transcript.)

Of course we should get rid of DADT. But her main argument that emerged as the speech develops is one which attacks NOT stick-in-the mud generals and the Pentagon, nor even craven or go-along-to-get-along politicians -- instead it directly attacks enlisted men -- the straight enlisted men who would feel "uncomfortable" serving with a gay person.

If you are a good politician, one who succeeds and actually gets good things done, you don't shoot down, you shoot up. You don't succeed by telling the average Joe he's dirt; you succeed by showing the average Joe how the big people above, the privileged, the elites, are screwing him over.

[Azathoth]

12. Lady Gaga's strategy failed, ergo we should blame Obama for not following her strategy

The logic, it burns :crazy:

[vaberella]

37. Utterly.

Not to mention I was beyond irked listening to her speech. She did so many OTT gestures I figured I was listening to a dictator.

[ZombieHorde]

13. I don't understand the logic, can you explain it to me? nt

[ProSense]

18. It's

the enthusiasm gap.

Sorry, that's all I've got.

:rofl:

[CBR]

14. Jesus H Christ. These is so fucking stupid.

Maybe the political cost will be the GOP not winning in 2010 or 2012 despite a shitty economy. I am pretty damn sure this is not the end for DADT. I know some of you wanted the Prez to scream in Lincoln's face until she agreed to vote our way.

[COLGATE4]

62. I'll tell you one thing - LBJ would have done a hell of a lot

more than just 'scream' in Blanche's face.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pirate Smile]

16. Did she accomplish something?

[ProSense]

17. Yes, she did.

She got someone to write this stupid article.

That must count for something?

[vaberella]

38. +Infinity. n/t

[LonePirate]

19. It's a pity that she has done more to repeal the ban than he has

She also has far more passion about the issue whereas Obama is at best indifferent despite his so called statement seeking its repeal. At least when she speaks about it in public, it is genuine compared to his lip service.

[Pirate Smile]

21. He got the military as in the Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chief of

Staff to go public in testimony to Congress supporting the repeal.

How much of a chance of getting repeal through Congress would there be if the Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff were publicly testifying to Congress that it would hurt the war effort or any other such nonsense? It would be Clinton Part 2.

[Honeycombe8]

20. If anything, her stunt hurt the "cause." She's a joke. No one pays any attention...

to someone like that, except the very young. And they are not good at voting.

The lesson: If a person wants to be taken seriously, they have to look at least somewhat serious. Or possibly grown up.

[depakid]

22. Well, she certainly knows how to take a stand and use her "bully pulpit"

to shame and undermine the support of the opposition.

[VMI Dem]

24. She is a fiercer advocate for gays.

[scheming daemons]

25. She went to Maine and convinced NEITHER Senator... she failed.. why does that make her better at it?

[depakid]

26. It's called "paying a political price"

A skill that the current administration seems incapable of wielding against those who oppose progressive policies.

Ms. Lincoln (and Mr Lieberman) being perhaps the more glaring examples- although there are many more.

[vaberella]

36. Actually Obama did pay a price.

He made a deal with Repubs to hold his hand on military dismissals---something all of DU hated him for when they didn't know it was a deal and they assumed it was him dragging his feet. With the reassurance on a seemingly continuous basis that some REpubs would come to his side and then he was slapped in the face. He was disliked on this board and the public eye by the LGBT community except it seems Rachel Maddow---I wondered why she stopped talking about the dismissals in the last few months until Lady Gaga brought it up again. However she knew what was going on. And they slapped him in the face with their word which amounted to noting. He was promised this and Lincoln, Pryor and a few Repubs turned on him. I don't know why you brought up Lieberman, because on this vote he came through. He actually put out an impassioned plea to end DADT. However, in general, the Conservadems have done this. The administration is locked by shitty congressional officers overall. And to even compare his position to a pop star is ridiculous. She has no political price---she's a star. If she loses some youth here, she's got the rest of the world. Unfortunately for Obama, the rest of the world doesn't vote in the US.

[depakid]

44. I brought up Lieberman in the broader context of opposing the candidate- and now president

and not paying a political price- but rather retaining his chairmanship (and continuing to oppose items on the agenda and cause trouble for the Democratic majority).

This is a guy who campaigned for McCain and Palin.

Sort of sent a message to everyone else out there when he waltzed right back into to his seniority and predictably thumbed his nose- the results of which we saw over the past 20 months with every two bit corrupt exortionist in the Senate blocking this or that.

No coincidence that this behavior went right alongside the President's and the Democrats' nose dive in the polls.

[vaberella]

47. This is true.

However on rare occasions, on this one in particular he was a loud advocate.

[Unvanguard]

27. She is a better advocate. But she is a better advocate because she is not a politician.

Making the comparison is silly.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

48. Spot On

Lady Gaga and Newt Gingrich can say and do what they do because they won't have to face voters and they don't actually have to get a bill through Congress -- which is the bureaucratic equivalent of passing a kidney stone.

[Lilyeye]

28. This is bullshit.

Has any President in history been told that a "hot celeb" at the moment was a better politician than them? I appreciate what Lady Gaga did, but I am sick of this shit.

[ProSense]

31. He's Barack

Obama, the black President who bit off more than he could chew and is supposed to end hunger, wars, poverty and reverse the worse economic crisis since the depression in 19 months.

Seriously, Fox News maybe, but MoJo?

[azmouse]

30. She's a singer.

...and not much of one, at that. :eyes:

[CakeGrrl]

32. Yes! Gaga for President 2012!!

:eyes:

[Ter]

35. Too young, gotta be be 35

:)

[smalll]

41. Also, got to be at least semi-hot --

That's one homely looking broad. Hell, Mitt Romney is far and away more beautiful than Stefani Germanotta. Even Huckabee perhaps.

[vaberella]

45. Yeah...she's been compared to Orly Taitz. It's uncanny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSFMlI5nbF0

[Ter]

52. Disagree, I so would date her

Was Martin Van Buren hot? :)To each their own. :)

[musiclawyer]

54. No, more like 2024

If any female from the entertainment arena could eventually run successfully for POTUS, it's her. If she has such ambitions, she would have to do several things
1. Keep evolving as a musician, yet stay relevant, as her fanbase moves on in age.
2. Control her image: Maybe not stay squeeky clean but no sex-romp videos, no drug rehabs etc.
3. Chime in periodically on the issues.
4. Hire political pros eventually when she's ready to go all in.

This type of lady has a way better chance of being a lady POTUS than your average congresswoman.

[KingFlorez]

33. It's important to remember that entertainers will grandstand to sell albums and tickets

[niceypoo]

55. Like the Dixie Chicks did?

I heard they lost a fortune, but didn't bend.

[vaberella]

34. Don't bring this shit here. Please. n/t

[4lbs]

40. Evidently not, because her speech didn't convince either of the Maine Senators.

Nor did it convince any other Republicans.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

42. Or, perhaps this is evidence that NGOs need to start actually doing their jobs and apply pressure.

You know, instead of sitting on their collective asses after election day and do nothing but bitch and moan, the way our left-leaning orgs have been. It's shocking that she understands that pressure needs to be placed on Republicans but our groups think it should be placed on their allies instead.

[depakid]

43. As has been pointed out

it's not heloful to belittle the hard work that everyone in the various NGO's does day in and day out. Often for little or no pay.

And people wonder why we're staring down a 1994 event.

:eyes:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

56. Are you kidding me?

(free registration required)
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2008/300/126/2008-300126510-057e3e13-9.pdf
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/?_10+C00341396

No money, eh?

[depakid]

63. If you're seriously telling me that NGO's (and in this I include domestic non-profits)

have anywhere close to the resources available to corporate entities and far right "interest" groups that oppose them, then my only response to that is "wow."

[Vidar]

49. Better politician, no: better person, obviously.

[ampad]

50. Wow

I'm surprised that some of you are still walking among the living on this board. Fucking unbelievable.

[ampad]

51. No

She is an attention seeking tweet. I watched Joy Behar last night and I totally agree with Joy. This tweet has crossed the line. I guess that makes me a anti-gay for saying so but I really do not care what some of you think. Telling men and women serving the armed forces that they should go home if they do not feel comfortable serving with gay people? Let us fight divisiveness with more divisiveness. And oh by the way let us say this during a time of war. I am so sick and tired of people making the military out as a bunch of homophobic idiots. During the stress of war, hell the stress of military service people have more important issues to worry about other than others sexual orientation. Trust me on that. For her to come out and say that IMO was distasteful. IMO, she is an attention seeking, no talent, hack. I bet you this is one entertainer that will not be joining the USO and I say wonderful.

[AtomicKitten]

57. Pfft.

[opihimoimoi]

59. slow leak///pfffft

[AtomicKitten]

60. *

[bigwillq]

64. No

because she is not a politician.
But Gaga is sure one heck of a fierce advocate.