Your Asshat of the Week: Pres. Obama and the DOJ

Exactly. Wouldn't you rather him fix the economy first before attempting to make gay marriage legal? At this rate, you won't even be able to AFFORD your wedding if the economy is still in the dumps when you choose to get married when it becomes legal. 

He's just barely been President for six months. He fully supports gay marriage and all that it entails and he will make it happen eventually. Just give him some time. 

Right now, I think keeping us from getting bombed is far more important than making gay marriage legal. After all, what's the use of me being able to get married if I'm not ALIVE to walk down the aisle?

Understand here, the briefs that Obama's Justice Department went way beyond saying that DOMA was valid simply by virtue of being an Act of Congress. They went ahead and trotted out many of the same arguments that conservatives use to justify the denial of partnership rights to same-sex couples!

So essentially, the administration argued that DOMA is good law with a reasonable basis!

What does that say about the attitude of the Obama Administration towards the LGBT community?  Essentially it argues that it is acceptable for us to be discriminated against if the government deems it legal to do so!

That is an outrageous stance that would be considered incredibly bigoted if it were directed at say, African-Americans or Jews or any other minority group! Comparisons to the laws that would have made Obama's parent's marriage illegal in many states are perfectly valid. The argument essentially being that some perceived state interest (at the time maintaining "racial purity") was more important than individuals' rights.

What is more striking is that while Obama loves to claim in speeches that he is a "fierce advocate" of gay rights (more like a lukewarm one at best) and that he wants to see DADT and DOMA repealed, he is neither inclined to pressure Congress on the matter, nor is he willing to back any judicial challenges. Indeed, he will fight against judicial challenges!

My personal opinion is that Obama and Pelosi want DADT and DOMA to remain the law of the land. Not so much for reasons of bigotry but because they are convenient.

You see, Obama is studiously trying to steer clear of the so-called "Culture Wars", which are themselves nothing more than a Republican public relations campaign. With DADT and DOMA on the books Obama can argue that his hands are tied regarding LGBT rights and he can thus avoid doing anything that might really set off conservative ire.

His outreach to people like Patrick Warren is predicated on a strategy of placating the Right. Same-sex marriage and partnership wins in the states do not spill over into federal affairs while DOMA is on the books. So Obama can simply point the finger at the states when the LGBT community does win a victory and let conservatives direct their energies in that direct. He remains safely above the fray in this scenario. 

In short, we're just too "controversial" for Obama to do anything especially risky for us. He likes his "moderate" image that he has been working so hard to cultivate. He also knows that most of straight America doesn't follow the LGBT rights struggle in close detail and is very headline oriented. So doing things like extending "some" (negligible) benefits to LGBT federal employees can sound more impressive than it is.

This is just extremely disappointing. When you compare and contrast us to, for example, the U.K., where the government, and even the opposition, have given considerable support to LGBT rights issues, it makes our do-little President and Congress look pathetic and cowardly. Bloody David Cameron had to face down a large chunk of the core establishment of his own party when he weighed in to support civil partnerships and handed responsibility for crafting the Tory position to gay front-bencher Alan Duncan. Note: the leader of the UK "Conservtive" party has put openly gay MP's on the front bench.

In contrast, only Barney Frank's seniority has really driven his position in Congress. Obama completely passed on nominating any LGBT people to his Cabinet, preferring to make a few token appointments to lesser posts that are at a "safer" distance from him in the administration hierarchy. Again, crumbs that we're supposed to be ecstatic about.

So does he deserve our ire?  Yes, I believe he does. The "no free time" argument doesn't cut it. He has plenty of time for other things. Today he's off promoting fatherhood. And he has no trouble shoving legislative bills into Congress on virtually every other topic besides us. So why don't his people craft a DOMA repeal and push Pelosi to get it onto the agenda? Why aren't they pushing the DADT repeal that's already in committee?

Because he doesn't want to. He wants those laws to stand. Just as he wants to keep LGBT people and issues at a "safe" distance from himself to avoid any "Culture War" entanglements.

I voted for Obama and i think he does have a lot on his plate. I'm not saying he has to do everything in a certain time period.

my issue is simply....maybe he can't do certain things, but he can speak out against certain things

there has been so much on DADT and these people coming forth and saying "I'm going to be fired and this is my last day..." and obama could've (or this what i have heard) signed an executive order to postpone their firings. if not that, he could've held a press conference saying "i will work very hard to repeal DADT. i will speak to XYZ and try to postpone the firings of the brave men and women who are risking their life for all of us..."

has he? NO. and he did say he is against DADT. that, to me, is baffling

as for DOMA, he wants to also get rid of that. I don't expect it to happen quickly. hell no. BUT....when you say you are a fierce advocate, wouldn't you be upset as hell to see something that links people you support in the category of incest? incest, seen as something very disgusting and against the law? (i think its against the law...?)

Obama has not come out and said "it's been brought to my attention that this brief says gay marriage is the same as incest and i disagree strongly and i will work to see that this is not the case" or something along those lines.

I'm not asking for immediate action. i dont think any of us really expect that. we just want support, even if verbal. he hasn't done that. I don't call that being a fierce advocate.

Pathetic indeed.  I was at the rally a few weeks ago outside of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles where we demonstrated and asked Barack why he couldn't at the very least sign a stop-loss order to halt DADT until congress could pass legislation.  He churlishly mocked us at the dinner stating, "Keep my promise, I'm not sure what promise they were talking about".  This is when my Obama love came to a halt. 

 I helped campaign for Obama, donated money to the campaign and feel made a fool of.  Obama may not have written the DOJ brief but he had every opportunity to denounce the egregious case precedents they used.  Instead he cobbled together a memo, not an Executive Order (just as simple) but a memo, which could be as easily tossed away by the next administration as the napkin it was probably drafter on (it has since been admitted under anonymity that the "memo" was done exactly for the purposes of quieting the gay community).  I'm happy that a few gays will benefit from a few rigths but it in my opinion this is no contrition. This stubborn refusal to admit wrong doing reminds me of our former president.

 This idea that we shouldn't bite the hand that feeds us siphons whatever nominal power we have to the DNC.  I completely disagree.  How much longer do we let the brokers of power put our needs at the very bottom of their collective lists.  Republicans may be the enemy but at least they don't take our money and support while affecting nearly the same action. 

Timing is also a poor excuse. Like Martin Luther King said in his letter from Birmigham Jail, "I have yet to engage in a direct-action action campaign that can be viewed that was "well timed" and "justice too long delayed is justice denied".  It's been 40 years since Stonewall.  Argue another four years or so to the gay couples that currently don't receive survivor benefits from social security, equal tax privileges, etc.

 I expected the very minimum from Obama, he's proved he's willing to go above and beyond that.  And should any of us think Obama has too much on his plate remember that he's created a new Internet Security Department and appointed an Internet Security Czar.  We got a memo.