14 days out from the electoral fight of our lives, Obama has officially killed the hopes of thousands of gay and lesbian soldiers to be able to serve openly and honestly, without fear of being thrown out of the military because of the person that they loved. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was dead — and Obama just brought it back.
That’s right, Obama is now officially the reason why Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell exists. So much for the fierce urgency of now, Obama may have just killed all hope of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell being repealed for decades. The stars were aligned — hell, Obama was handed this repeal on a silver platter, without having to sign an executive order or rely on the legislature to come through — and if a Speaker Boehner weren’t a certain thing before, it’s probably certain now.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that, while gay people may be a somewhat small slice of the population at large, we’re a very large chunk of the electoral pie. Gay people vote in some of the highest numbers out of any demographic in the entire country — true story. And Obama just gave us yet another — and the biggest — slap in the face.
Everything he’s said about getting rid of DADT is now officially a lie — it was gone and he brought it back. Gay people were already furious and rebelling, it may be a full-scale abandonment at this point. Possibly for good, especially given the token gestures of support even from members of the fringe right. GLBT people are desperate for change, and will do anything for their civil rights —– why doesn’t President Obama, of all people, get that?
Obama chastised the base for not getting out to vote — before the freaking election, no less. If this is how he motivates his base supporters, it seems to me he has no one to blame but himself.
And we should all be sorry and disappointed. This isn’t the leadership I expected, and I feel badly for my gay brothers and sisters that their basic human rights are being trampled in the name of political expediency. I can’t even imagine what the President and his advisors think they will gain from this. I had “hoped” (a way overused word from 2008, IMHO) for better.
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p>You’re right….there will be an enthusiasm deficit.
My cynical side says that a shift further to the right in Congress will give Obama yet more excuses for listening to his corporate masters instead of the progressives who helped him in 2008.