DOMA Follow-Up (From the Daily Kos)

[5047]

Obama's "Justice" department crossed a line today by filing a hideously hateful brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act. The brief contained legal arguments comparing gay marriage to incest and parroting far right homophobic viewpoints that would make Pat Robertson giddy. Worse, it said that DOMA is constitutional, and that denying gay

Comments

[ccf_8002]

i don't think they'll touch any gay issues until after he's re-elected. that's IF he gets re-elected.

[schmiss]

Barney Frank said the same thing in an interview w/GQ :/

[victorialupin]

I hate believing this, but it's true.

The sad thing is, they can continue to coast and little about GLBT issues and they'll still be the better party for the GLBT community. I really wish the GOP would radically reform their stance on GLBT rights in the next few years, because that might actually put real pressure on the dems.

[ccf_8002]

you know the republican party can radically reform their stance tomorrow but i won't believe it til i see some action. anyone can make promises, but it's what they do with it once in office (i.e. obama).

[victorialupin]

Oh, I wouldn't believe it either. I'm just saying that if they changed their stance--even on a superficial level without actually taking any action--it might push the Democrats to actually do something. Right now the Dems can coast, doing next to nothing for equal rights, all the while knowing they've still got most of the GLBT vote simply because they're not quite as backward as the GOP.

[ubiquitous_a]

And if you saw the news nugget from today, apparently a former GOP leader in the State of NY is now reversing his position on gay rights, and gay marriage. I think it's a political reality that someone who doesn't have to get reelected has far more leeway in expressing their true opinion on this issue than someone who is at the mercy of the electorate.

I'm frustrated with Obama on this too, but I can see how they want to do something that will be permanent, rather than something that another incoming President can reverse with the stroke of a pen.

It is a political reality that politicians can't do everything they promise within the first term, the first year, and certainly not the first 4 months of their administration. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, because I am hoping beyond hope that there is a plan in mind on how to make these things happen for the long term, at the very least.

[haruhiko]

Oh but in 2014 there'll be Congressional mid-term elections and how can they jeopardize the Lulzmocratic majority by supporting gay rights~

[azelmaroark]

+1.

[ladyaeryn]

That's more or less what I've figured too.

I could see Obama worrying that pushing this issue now would use up his political capital when he needs every bit of it he can muster to push other issues he wants to tackle in his first term, like universal health care.

Not that that makes me any happier about this, mind.