DADT Repeal Passage Owed to Incredible Grassroots Activism

[Better Believe It]

DADT Repeal Passage Owed to Incredible Grassroots Activism
By: David Dayen
December 18, 2010

The military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy will eventually be a thing of the past, after cloture was invoked today on a standalone bill to repeal it legislatively. Final passage is expected either tomorrow or Monday. There will be a 90-day waiting period (which I believe was inserted into the legislation by the late Robert Byrd) and then the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will all have to certify repeal to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly. The implementation time could take several months. So DADT is not repealed after today. (UPDATE: final Senate passage will come with a vote at 3pm ET.)

I would expect the same grassroots actors who demanded repeal this year to not quit until they get a full certification and a date certain for the actual repeal. That’s because they have led the way at every turn on eradicating this policy. It is because of them that the vote happened in the Senate today.

Their advocacy got us to this day. When the defense authorization bill stalled in September, they pushed for a vote in the lame duck session. When that didn’t work, they sought a standalone vote. They cultivated allies in both parties to break down the procedural hurdles. That’s how this ended up working.

I think there’s a lesson for other advocates about how to light a fire under both parties. You probably will not see the same opportunities in next year’s Congress, but it’s something to file away for the future. During the Presidential campaign, President Obama said that “change happens from the bottom up.” We just saw an example of that today.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/12/18/dadt-repeal-passage-owed-to-incredible-grassroots-activism/

[stray cat]

1. It helped but would not have had the same outcome if McCain were president

Elections matter

[Better Believe It]

3. We don't know for sure what McCain would have done. The repeal movement would have

probably been much bigger, louder and possibly even more effective in pressuring McCain to once again change his position.

He has no problem flip flopping when it's politically convenient.

So we can only engage in needless speculation.

The point is a well organized and persistent movement made this change possible.

[me b zola]

4. OFFS, give it a rest

:eyes:

[AlabamaLibrul]

8. Different outcome - so a McCain DOJ wouldn't have fought it every step of the way?

Just trying to figure out what you mean by that

[Petrus Romanus]

11. A President McCain would not have pressured Congress to pass any such legislation.

Hell, he'd probably have killed it with a veto threat.

[Petrus Romanus]

2. It helped, sure. So did many things.

It wouldn't have been passed if not for the leadership the Senate displayed, if not for the support Mullen and Gates provided, and if not for the President's insistence that a legislative solution to DADT be found.

[TheKentuckian]

5. How the hell do you think those folks came to their power?

It is all about the people.

[Better Believe It]

6. Without that independent movement it's unlikely the repeal would have passed.

And passage of all significant progressive legislation has always been dependent on the formation and mobilization of independent mass movements.

Without such big and viable movements there is no change.

[Petrus Romanus]

7. True. And without political leadership, the repeal never would have passed.

The two aren't in competition. Don't divorce one from the other.

[Better Believe It]

13. The repeal movement provided the political leadership that put the heat on the politicians.

Without such movements you will never find enough politicians who will on their own advance and pass progressive legislation.

Political rulers don't just suddenly "see the light" and act on their own to pass progressive laws.

The mass protest movements come first, the progressive legislative reforms later, if at all.

[Exilednight]

9. +1

[Warpy]

10. It would have had no chance had it not been for people in uniform now

who said it needed to go and military brass who agreed with them since they'd lost so many qualified and expensively trained people over the years due to gossip from jealous homophobes.

Maybe there should be a new DADT covering the homophobes.

[Exilednight]

12. 100% agree. Those that deserve the most credit are those that gave up a career they

loved to stand on principal instead of the status quo.

[xchrom]

14. Recommend - I'm not thanking anybody in washington

For this torturous process.

[MineralMan]

15. Ah...if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll find a way to

deny credit to President Obama. Isn't that embarrassing for you? Uff da!