Obama, Gay Rights, and the LeBron Factor
I moderated a spirited conversation this week about president Barack Obama and gay rights. Like many progressives across the country, more than a few of my guests were dumbfounded by the administration's inaction over these first few months. It is a matter of courage, they said, and for all he's done elsewhere, Obama hasn't shown much on gay rights thus far. While that is certainly true, it's also not surprising. The winds on gay rights are changing -- I mean, even Cheney is to the left of Obama on gay marriage! (Not to toot my own horn too much, but I saw that one coming.) Iowa, New Hampshire -- movement is underway, and that momentum informs the president's decision. But so does politics, and he's got some cover there -- despite the backlash in California, there's no denying that the most liberal state in country voted down the exact measure that liberals expect the president suddenly to enact.
Still, he's had cover for other tough issues he's taken on. Why leave gay rights on the sidelines? Because to achieve equality for same sex-couples and still accomplish everything else on his agenda, Obama knows he can't do everything alone. And on gay marriage, his strategy seems to be to let others fight the battle -- people like Gavin Newsom, who told me this week that he won't stop pushing for gay marriage, even if it hurts his gubernatorial campaign. "There are principles that are more important than politics or politicians," he said. "I believe in this."
That's the kind of conviction the president needs from folks outside the White House. Obama is our main leader, but he's not our only leader. It is not up to him and him alone to change the world. We pay lots of elected and unelected officials billions of dollars a year to help craft public policy. And to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, even many people who are not paid public servants have a duty to do the right thing and lead boldly on important issues. It's easy to fall into the trap that LeBron James' teammates often do -- we get so used to watching a miracle worker put up fantastical stats each night, we assume he can do anything. So we start taking it easy. And as we saw in the NBA playoffs, that doesn't work too well.
Consider what Obama has done to raise our expectations: banking reform, health care, energy, foreign relations, a pandemic, and stimulus package. What if John McCain had won last fall? No disrespect intended, but I frankly cannot imagine McCain multi-processing all of the major initiatives that Obama has -- McCain just would've taken on less. It would've made my small-government friends happy, but while that philosophy may have suited other moments best, we're living in a time where we need that much from the president.
So the next time you get ready to take Obama's leadership for granted, take stock of what you or your representatives are doing, too. I'm not saying "don't criticize the President." Just make sure that we are taking a responsible team approach to change and improvement. GOP: jump in there and help really reform entitlement programs. Democrats: once Obama proposes significant defense cuts, step up with creative public pressure to make sure those trillions are truly removed.
And gay rights advocates: keep fighting. Even if it doesn't feel that way, you've got gay marriage bans on the ropes. And you don't need the president to deliver the knockout punch.
Cross-posted at The Stimulist. For more on gay rights, check out Jon Soltz' utter debunking of the logic behind Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and my prediction that Dick Cheney will become the left's next hero.
Follow Carlos Watson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/carloswatson
Steve Clemons: Which Communities Are Still in High Sizzle Support Mode for Barack Obama?
There are a lot of folks out there who are as grateful today for Obama running the nation as they were in January -- but we aren't hearing much from them of late.
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Yes, you marched with King, but their were some among you in very powerful positions that did whatever it took to derail the movement. See, you qoute King, but you trivialize the methods that was used to bring about change. Sure, Obama could sign something to dispell the current restrictions. That's a poison pill that those among you weren't clearly willing to take themselves when confronted with this defining moment. Bush lead us to two wars, facilitated the largest financial collapse in modern history, and turned his back on hundreds of thousands of people in need in New Orleans. Ain't the results of absolute power grand.
A former commentor stated that this change has to be resilient, not being repealed and watered down from one administration to another. So I ask you, where are the organized sit-ins and boycott of businesses. Why don't you demand that your sexuality be tax exempted on the basis of unequal representation in the law. Trust me, you would have a whole bunch of diehard bible thumping Repugs adawning garter belts, waving the rainbow flag, and singing it's raining men to escape the ever imposing meddling governing authority.
If not now, when?
This is a popular president, in the prime of his mandate, who ran on change, including THIS change, and whose opposition is in complete disarray & incapable of opposing anything effectively. And he can't find the energy to act on two pieces of legislation even he admits discriminate against a demographic which has voted massively for him and which has supported his party for years?
The job is never going to get any easier than it is right now.
Don't be fooled. The Republican party is alive and well despite the their seeming dissarray. They are given a heavy platform by the media who is constantly repeating their talking points as fact 24/7. Just check the sunday morning cable news shows to see what I'm talking about.
It is not about "having energy" as you put it - it's about working through a largely conservative congress, and enacting additional laws to prevent the fallout after the laws are repealed. These laws are complicated and require critical and strategic thinking in order to be permanently discarded, not glib superficial action that can be reversed as soon as the administration changes.
Obama promised that he would prioritize three issues in his first year, (1) Economy, (2) HEalth care and (3) Energy dependence. He is currently doing as he campaigned.
By the way, ALL presidential candidates campaign on the premise of CHANGE.
Agree 100%. Your observation of the media coverage of Republicans is spot on. Dick Cheney and his daughter were given free access to the media. Low and behold his approval ratings went up.
Hell, we might have already had a gay President. We will never know because he refused gave the so called indignant black community a shout out on behalf of your constituency. What sights and liberties he must have had while hanging with the social elite. King was never offered the protection of SECRET service even though the FBI knew his life was in peril. One thing for certain: it is clear that our sexually liberated President understood the value of "Don't Tell" though many languish before him.
You need to start towing your own line a little bit better. You can't escape goat blacks for this. There are alot of positive thing happening for your movement. There has been several states that have approved the legitimacy of your unions. If that isn't progress, what is it?
That's scapegoat, not escape goat.
Everybody will get what they want but it was take time. Please be patient, for Rome wasn't build in a day. It's been only 6 months!
But 0.5 years of 4 years, that is 1/8 of the Obama's 4 year term, has gone. And he hasn't initiated ^anything^ positive (in words or actions) on it yet. But damage we have seen.
Ok, you can stop with the black community doesn't support gay marriage. J. Edgar Hoover was one of the most powerful people in american history, and guess what, he was gay. You might need to pick up a book. He gave Martin Luther King holy hell during the civil rights movement. Why didn't your ranks "out" him? Why didn't his LOVER tell him that what he was doing was wrong for the righteous cause of BLACK people? See, nobody ever addresses these issues. There is a difference between race and sexuality. Good old Edgar and friends understood that quite well. Face it. When you own your own sins, maybe others can see where your coming from. Go for it, vote for the Repug. I'm sure the "Big Tent" party will welcome you with open arms. Craig will be greeting you at the door. While I'm at it, how many of you knew Craig was gay. We're just now hearing about it. Instead of running to media after your jilted by your lovers, how about working for the community your accusing. It is you that say there are alot of you out there. Trust me, attacking Obama is not winning you any friends in the black community. The crazy part I'm actually a supporter of your cause. There are alot among you that are doing your movement an injustice.
That's an absurd analogy. You're comparing the actions of the entire LGBT community to a couple of retrograde, conservative closet cases???
I hate to burst your bigot bubble, but I was on the lines in the 1960's defending the rights of Black Americans. My mother was one of the heads of the county Civil Rights division. My father hired more blacks than whites to try to redress the imbalance as much as one individual or company could.
And, personally, I wrote and I marched (being pelted with fruit and vegetables by bigots on the sidelines). I stood with the black community for their rights.
So don't waste my time with your "you didn't care about us" crap. A lot of us did. A lot of us supported, and still support, the African-American community.
That's the problem with assumptions - they often show your ignorance rather than demonstrating your point.
And I will continue to attack Obama, someone I worked for, someone I donated to, someone who brought me to tears when elected, as long as he promulgates homophobia, continues to deny Habeas Corpus to illegal detainees, and breaks his promise for "transparency" by ruling all kinds of documents (this week, the White House logs) off-limits to the public who voted him into office.
I reserve the right to call any hypocrite to task, regardless of color or party.
"So don't waste my time with your "you didn't care about us" crap. A lot of us did. A lot of us supported, and still support, the African-American community."
*****
Exactly, I laid a lot on the line in the Deep South during the fight against segregation because I believed Dr. King: an unjust law is one that demeans people.
That's why the antigay bigotry from SOME black folks today really stings....Thank god, it's not universal.
Regarding Obama, he should be ashamed of that brief his DoJ prepared. If he is (and I sure hope so) he probably can't say so publicly, but behind the scenes some heads should roll. It was a major gaffe. The problem is that he seems to be gaffe-prone with the gay community: McClurkin, Warren, now backtracking on DOMA. People can only be asked to forgive being slapped in the face so many times....
"Ok, you can stop with the black community doesn't support gay marriage." Does that mean that the black community DOES support gay marriage?
Some do and some don't, like every other demographic in the land.
Hoover wasn't necessarily gay, many transvestites are straight
It's not about how much he can handle on his plate at a time, it's about what he is willing to expend political capital on. Obama never said he was for gay marriage, but he did say he was against DADT and DOMA and a fierce advocate of gay rights. To this point, Obama has not only been (for the most part) hands off these issues, he has allowed things like the DOJ report to be anything BUT be an advocate of gay rights.
I will not argue that he may need to focus on things like the economy or health care right now, but that hardly means he should allow the DOJ to compare gay marriages to incestous or underage marraiges.
And even if Obama is making a good decision to focus on other things, that certainly does not mean that true advocates of gay rights should sit back and wait. They must continue to forge ahead, even if that means criticizing Obama for his inaction.
He definitely once was for our civil equality, saying he supports our marriages "unequivocally". No longer.
There are two articles on this on this site alone.
I like your style, superstition, and, you're right. No more should people be allowed to be for or against "gay marriage"; people should have to declare themselves either for or against "full civil equality".
1) The black community does not support gay marriage.
2) Obama knows what the polls say.
69-75% of the public wants Don't Ask Don't Tell ended right now.
Instead, the President has fired another 258 troops.
http://www.sldn.org/content/discharged
69-75% of the public wants DADT ended right now, but probably the same number wants both wars ended right now. And I'm sure if you had asked the public back in 1996 re DADT, you would have probably gotten the same response.
You keep citing these statistics and quotes from blogs, and lawyers, MLK, etc., but have you spoken to or met with any member or group from the Obama administration DOJ or congressmen/women? Are you interested in why the OBama administration filed the DOMA brief in that particular way, or just that they filed the DOMA brief?
The same site you posted also shows that between 1994 and 2007 at least 600 troops per year have been fired, some years reaching as high as 1000 or higher. When the DADT law is repealed, what is going to happen to these servicemen and women? Will they be allowed to file lawsuits, and if so how will they be compensated??
That is a low blow and a very divisive one at that. Lack of support for gay marriage transcends race and ethnicity. Are you also suggesting that all the Republicans who never prioritized gay marriage did so to pander to the Black community?
No, I am saying that those who oppose gay marriage include blacks and minorities, who are more often Democrats. I am also saying that Obama knows the polls regarding gay marriage, and therefore is not chaning anything.
1) The black community is comprised of people who can think for themselves and don't fall into lockstep with some orthodoxy, just like the white community. There are even, *gasp*, black gays.
2) Obama works on behalf of the corporations. Polls also show the overwhelming majority of people support a strong public health care option, something Obama is, at best, lukewarm about. He doesn't seem to be swayed by polls. He's more than capable of choosing to do the wrong thing in spite of public opinion, and he most certainly isn't responding to any poll showing black opposition to gay rights.
I agree with you. I it is the left that puts everyone into groups. That is called identity politics. The fact remains, many black and minorites who voted for Obama in California, also voted for Prop 8. Anti prop 8 people always attack right wingers.
For nationalized health care, wait and see. THis will not happen, as most people will not want to give up their own health care in the end.
Maybe better to phrase that Obama is just like the majority of the Black community who oppose gay marriage. Obama's (in)actions may not be responding to any poll conducted on the black community, but he certainly shares their view on gay marriage. As to whether he is also sharing the sentiment and views on homosexuality in general, it remains to be seen. (If he was, his positive words on gay rights during campaign then were all lip service).
BTW, lack of support for gay marriage or homosexuality may transcend race and ethnicity, but the African Americans have a disproportionally larger percentage of disapproval, followed by White Americans. Asian Americans are most sympathetic.
Again, this "Black Community hates gays" narrative you folks are spinning will not fly.
1. First of all, President Obama was not raised in the Black community, or by Black parents. So his subconscious feelings about sexual orientation are most likely largely the result of how he was raised, and I don't think it's homophobic. Resist the temptation to categorize people solely along color lines, and think a bit more deeply about how their specific upbringing and culture is MORE influential than skin color.
2. In America, there is a strong correlation between educational attainment and acceptance of sexual orientations outside of heterosexuality. Not surprisingly, Black Americans who as a group are the least educated among Whites and Asians, probably have higher percentage of disapprovals of gay marriage. Asian Americans are self-selected immigrants with extremely high levels of education. If you go the Asian countries, you will find not only an astonishing level of sexism and brutal treatment of women, but also homophobia.
Coretta King...ring any bell for you ......huh cupcake?
how about Kewesi Mfume, or Pam Spaulding?
i don't expect obama to lobby for same sex marriage. he never said he would.
however, he could easily suspend the expulsion of gays & lesbians from the military. he's the commander in chief. he could put all investigations and expulsions on hold pending a full review. he did just that with bush's "conscience clause." why not dadt? is he too scared? over and over during the campaign he said he would end dadt.
i NEVER expected obama to file that vile defense of DOMA. Equating my 15 year committed relationship to incest and pedophilia? who needs pat robertson or james dobson when there;s obama's justice department?
what is mr. obama scared of? we lgbt's are NOT pariahs. it's the 21st century.
This might fly for me if Obama had made enough public statements and stood up enough for gay rights. However, on many many issues - he has been silent - his press secretary has been a joke when talking about them. Yes, Obama has said some good things about gay rights. But he needs to say them often - whenever a major development breaks - such as another state legalizing gay marriage. He didn't even comment on some of those. That's outrageous. He's the president of the United States and he's not going to make an affirmative comment or even any comment when one of those states makes this step? If you want me to accept his inaction because he's doing so many other things, at LEAST he can use his bully pulpit - as he promised to do - a little more frequently.
It's important to keep perspective, we can't get everything we want right now, but we can keep the momentum going for years to come. If we do, the United States will be a much better place one, two, five, ten years from now. Obama swatted a fly on television and PETA is outraged (in the UK Guardian, he was hailed as a zen master for the same thing!) We just need to keep the up the persistent pressure without ripping him to pieces like Fox news does 24 hours a day. He's the best we've probably ever had, and there will be a brighter day tomorrow.
hillary would have been much better for lgbt's.
If Hillary had won the primary then John McCain and Scary Sarah (not necessarily in that order) would be pretending to govern us. Hillary would NOT have won the male vote and people like me who didn't want to see Slick Willy anywhere near his old haunts again would have voted third party. It was a privilege to cast my vote for Obama. But just keep bashing on him and maybe you'll end up with Scary Sarah. Bet you'll just love that !
And you can't keep the momentum going without criticizing Obama.
I am doing my best to be patient with him...but how can you say he is the best we have had when he continues to lie on a daily basis. He fired an Inspector General with basically no excuse...then when the asked for one he called the guy "disorientated" and "senial". I don't think we can call him the best when he fires a man for doing his job...which was to watch for corrupt spending. Which is what he found Obama's buddy Kevin Johnson (mayor of Sacremento) doing.
Do you really think he is the best considering all of the lies?
Well Dutch, I said he's the best we've probably had...I was born about the time Kennedy was elected, I hear he was pretty cool :-) But I don't remember any non-lying presidents except maybe Carter....do you?
Yes, Obama did promise to do things on the campaign trail but, he also repeatedly said he cannot do things alone.
People hear what they want and 'forget' what does not fit in with their mood, or temper or convienence.
Obama can supply the leadership and let it be known what he wants. He can sign things into law but, ultimately, there are things that takes congress to enact.
Like it or not.
Why are the activists not holding congress to the fire and why are they not trashing them and accusing them. Obama can only do so much and yet you are dumping everything on his already burdened shoulders.
This man has come into office with so much more then any president in history and yet, it's not enough for people. And they expect him to take care of and fix everything, including their own pet issues, curing cancer and ending poverty in 6 months time.
How self centered
It's time to hold congress's feet to the fire and direct some of your rage at them. Afterall, until you do nothing can be done.
"The buck stops here." Not in Congress.
If he couldn't do it, he shouldn't have promised to do it.
Both DOMA and DADT repeal were oft-repeated and confirmed promises when he needed our money and our votes.
Now that he's in, his Department of Justice not only does the opposite of what Obama promised, but insults the hell out of us in the process.
Is there no one left in the White House with brains and scruples?
Great post!
It's sometimes so hard to accept that there are others who can make the changes that are so greatly desired, especially when there is a leader present who appears to be getting things done, and effecting change with everything they touch. Winning enough little battles makes the bigger battle easier in the long run. Things are changing and it's starting to really gain momentum, there is legislation coming up that can really make a difference... So Obama looks like he's dropped the ball... there's nothing wrong with picking it up and running with it and maybe throwing it back at him.
I appreciate this post but I also need to comment. I am loyal to Obama and everything that he is trying to do for the country and for LGBT rights. Using the metaphor put forth by Mr. Watson, I saw in Obama a champion for my team and even if he's not on the court, it's still nice to know that he's on the bench. During the campaign, he was talking and making great promises that I'm sure he wants to live up to. Since the election, however, we haven't seen much of him. politically speaking, we know that he has a lot to do and government is about prioritizing, but on a personal level, when our champion seems to have left the stadium altogether, it hurts morale. I don't speak for the LGBT community but I feel much more motivated in fighting an uphill battle when I am assured that we have a strong fighter in our corner (I'm mixing metaphors here). Progress is slow, agreed, but it is much slower when we're worried about playing politics and making sure the Republicans are on board (and they'll never be on board as long as they're run by conservative money). Meanwhile human rights are being denied or taken away. People are losing their jobs, the military is losing decent soldiers when an executive moratorium could be applied to DADT. I would like to see what can be done now, done now so that the ball can continue to roll.
Yeah he seems to acknowledge the absurd discrimination of it all... progress is slowwww
Progress is slow because leaders like Obama are slow to do the right thing.
Last night, on a blog here, I offended someone on this topic. I didn't mean to. I tried to say what you just said only I didn't say it as well and they were offended. And so they turned around and offended me. :-)
It's the nature it seems of political discussion. Real discussion is about real things. Real issues. And those issues aren't an abstract. Sometimes they're someone's nerve endings. Someone's heart. And in trying to explain or question you can fray or break.
In the end though, the important thing is that people realize that there are human beings behind the issues. And there's another human they look to at this moment in our history. He's human. He knows that so when he said "we are the one ones been waiting for" those weren't just words. He was saying that whoever we are, whatever want, whatever we believe to be needed or true, we have to look to ourselves. That's where the change is born. It grows from there.
Keep growing it. We have to tend it ourselves, whatever the issue that's near and dear to us personally.
Thanks for writing this Carlos.
Darn well put. Politics IS about people, and people seem to have forgotten or ignored the human factor when defending their stance on a particular political issue
What a wonderful post. I got teary and all.
Thanks for sharing.
the reason you were annoying (i wasn't involved in the discussion but i read it) is that you made it about yourself, your assumptions, and tired prejudices.
"And so they turned around and offended me. :-) " is an example of how you keep turning the spotlight away from the issue and ending your post in an insincere call for "respect", which i'm sure you meant in only your direction.
i will say this though, you MIGHT be learning something about lgbt's, and about how you think and talk about us, and how to be more fair.
dm10003, there was nothing prejudiced in my post you refer to. I even said I hoped the blogger would continue to speak out for his community.
And "turned around and offended me" was simply a reference to how tangled political discussion is and how it can diminish to a "oh yeah? Well you're a ...."
Kind of like now. I think you're frustrated and even hurt by the lack of progress on lgbt issues, but the poster I was referring to called me a "homophobe" when there was nothing homophobic in my comment. Just a frustration at the pile on of Obama. I didn't deserve the slur. Any more than he/she would have deserved my slurring them. Politics suddenly gets personal and sometimes ugly and that's why remembering a person is behind the post is important.
As for the "thinking and talking about us" - if you check my posting history I've never talked badly of you. Just saying in the interest of your point on "how to be more fair".
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