Now that DADT, DOMA and ENDA are all dead, please vote for Democrats. Maybe next time they'll keep their promises. Or not.

By John Aravosis

President Obama promised us during the campaign that he would repeal DADT and DOMA, and pass ENDA. He's done nothing to advance the latter two, and on the former, finally came up with a crappy last-minute compromise, and then hardly lifted a finger to get it to pass. And it didn't.

Yesterday, when "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was going down in flames, where was our self-proclaimed Fierce Advocate? Was he manning the phones, calling Senators and twisting their arms to vote against the filibuster of the Defense Bill? No. He was busy calling the WNBA champions. President Obama couldn't be bothered to help pass a major campaign promise to a major Democratic constituency. (And don't think the Republicans won't notice that he couldn't be bothered to help pass a major defense bill while the nation is in two wars.)

He did, however, have a low-level aide issue a statement in support of the bill. I'll bet that sent shivers down Mitch McConnell's spine.

And he did have the DNC's "Organizing for America" group, formerly "Obama for America," send an email to "some" of their members urging them to call - get this - John McCain. No effort was made to have OFA's members contact the actual targets we needed to contact, moderate Republicans and wavering Democrats. Instead, they wasted their effort having people call John McCain, someone who no one thought would change his mind. Which begs the question: Why contact McCain and not the actual targets? One possible reason: The Democrats aren't willing to risk angering moderates "just" to help the gays get their civil rights. So sic everyone - sorry, "some" of the list - on McCain. Even though it's useless, it'll look good, and the gays will think the Democrats tried to help, when that was never their intent.

And today, the day after Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln joined the Republicans in filibustering the Defense Bill, and thus dooming the already weak-tea DADT compromise, was the President teaching Lincoln a lesson about slapping the President of the United States - her party's leader - in the face on one of his top priorities for the year? Hardly. Today VP Biden is out fundraising for Lincoln's re-election (here in Boston. Fuck Biden and fuck Lincoln too!)

That'll show her who's boss. (That'll also put to rest the notion that the leader of the free world is powerless to influence legislation before Congress. He had the power to influence Lincoln via the fundraiser. He chose not to.)

But surely, you'd think, the President would at least be lambasting the Republicans in Congress for leading the charge against passage of a major defense bill while our nation is at war(s). You'd be wrong. No searing criticism from the White House. They've moved on.

That'll show the Republicans who's boss.

Had the shoe been on the other foot, had the Democrats torpedoed a major defense bill, six weeks before the election, while the nation was involved in two wars, the Republicans would have annihilated us, branding us as the second coming of Benedict Arnold. And it might have won the GOP the election.

But President Obama doesn't do mean. At least not against people who are out to destroy him. So the White House's response to yesterday's utter humiliation of the President and Senator Reid is muted at best.

That'll show the American people who has the backbone to run this country.



At this point, anyone who tells you that they're going to pass the DADT compromise during the lame duck session (i.e., after the November election but before the new Congress gets seated in January), is either naive or simply lying to you. This Congress and this President wouldn't even hold a vote on the health care reform bill - the President's #1 campaign promise - after we lost Senator Kennedy's seat and before Scott Brown was seated. Do you honestly believe that Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress care more about passing gay rights legislation than they did about health care reform?

All three of Barack Obama's most important promises to the LGBT community - DADT, DOMA, ENDA - are now dead in the water, in large part due the White House's own malfeasance and neglect. And you're expected to wipe the tears, open your wallets, and once again go to polls and vote for the same people who weren't competent enough - who didn't care enough - to keep their promises to you the first time around.

That'll show them who's boss.


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