Friday, June 12, 2009

Defense of Malice Act

Here we go. Please tell me THIS didn't just happen. Whatever lame explanation the White House is offering (and there are a number of them), I'm not buying it. President Obama claimed he was looking for an empathetic judge to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. But given the way Loving v. Virginia is dismissed in this DOJ filing, I'd say our first mixed-race president has shown he's severely lacking in this quality himself as it relates to the LGBT population. These are fighting words and it's not going to be pretty. (THIS piece by Richard Socarides, a former Hill staffer and top aide to President Clinton, puts things into perspective.)

6 comments:

Scott G said...

Don't act surprised that Obama is not defending gay rights. There was ample evidence during the campaign that his actions would not match his words. He hid from the gay press throughout the campaign, just like he is hiding from gay issues now. He never even spoke out about what he felt about Prop 8. He lacks courage to take any stand. All he does is use his words to make it look like he is for something and against something, when in reality the only thing he is for is his self preservation.

Unknown said...

If a McCain/Palin administration would have done this, our LGBT community would be motivated to revolt. Obama's administration can include horrific things in the briefs (compaing gay marriage to incest) and where is the outrage? Kenneth, this will be swept under the rug like everything else he has done. Thanks for giving the issue the attention it deserves even if few others will.

Jimmy said...

If he continues to alienate LGBT and our allies on the left, he and the Dems will feel it at the polls and that margin may make him a 1 term president.

JSH said...

@ Scott - there's outrage! I'm f**king furious! And most everyone I know it equally infuriated. Now we have to channel that rage into action. Whether it's a March on Washington this fall or making sure democratic incumbents get unseated in the midterm, then that's what we have to do. I personally will be working very hard to unseat any democrat next fall who supports Obama & his anti-gay stance. Even if that means I have to vote for a republican. It's time to make him & his pack of spineless weasels in Congress pay at the polls!

Mike said...

@ JSH-I'm with you, brother! I actively campaigned for President Obama during the election and I feel totally had by this administration. Obama=wolf in sheep's clothing. Yes we can-unless you're GAY!! What a punk!!

Lavi Soloway said...

Yup-we have to make this an issue and not let it die in the 24 hour news cycle. On Friday at 5 a.m. I pulled the document of the federal court's website and I found myself speed-reading the Motion, excerpting parts and sending them to John at Americablog.com with my shock and horror commentary. We have to fight back, we have to express our outrage, not just our (justifiable) righteous indignation. We can't just blame gay leadership in DC or even the administration if we aren't willing to make personal sacrifices of time and money. If we aren't wiling take to the streets, to our members of Congress, to Op-Ed pages, blogs, the court of public opinion, the voting booth and to protest, again and again to exhaustion until DOMA is repealed, then 8 years from now we'll still be talking about how DOMA is destroying gay and lesbian families.