Dissecting Andy Tobias' official list of Obama's gay 'accomplishments'

[Duncan Grant]

I'm so very tired of seeing Tobias' "offical list" posted at DU. If you're like me, you might be interested in John Aravosis' response to the list -- originally posted on AMERICAblog Gay (link below) 5/17/10.

Monday, May 17, 2010
Dissecting Andy Tobias' official list of Obama's gay 'accomplishments'
Posted by John Aravosis (DC) at 5/17/2010 02:06:00 PM

DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias has compiled a list of President Obama's 30 biggest gay accomplishments during his presidency. Let's take a walk through that list. And make sure you keep a running tally of how much political capital the President has spent to make these "accomplishments" happen - the total amount is zero.

Here's the list, with my commentary after each "accomplishment."

1. Reversed an inexcusable US position by signing the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

That's nice. No idea how it impacts any of our lives, but I suppose it's nice.

2. Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees

That's a lie. And it's one the administration keeps pushing, even though we caught them in the lie, and the NYT reported on our catching them. The benefits weren't "extended." Gay federal employees were already getting these benefits for at least the past 15 years, under Democratic and Republican administrations. I got the head of OPM, John Berry, to admit this during a media conference call. It's unfortunate that the administration and its allies continue to lie about this point.

3. Endorsed the Baldwin-Lieberman bill, The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, to provide full partnership benefits to federal employees

BFD. Endorsed? With all due respect, WTF cares if the President "endorses" some legislation that he's never going to lift a finger to help pass? This is part of the "all talk" nature of the President's, and the Democratic party's, commitment to our civil rights. They believe that talking about giving us rights is the same thing as actually giving us those rights or at the very least, trying to give us those rights.

4. Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

Good.

5. Lifted the HIV Entry Ban effective January 2010

Took him a year, and Congress had already repealed the travel ban during the Bush administration, but still, it's a good thing.

6. Released the first Presidential PRIDE proclamation since 2000

Words.

7. Hosted the first LGBT Pride Month Celebration in White House history

The champagne version of "words." This cocktail party was thrown together at the last minute to try to deflect attention away from the administration's legal brief defending DOMA in court - a brief that invoked incest and pedophilia.

8. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King

Again, nice. But what's the actual impact on our civil rights of these medals? How much political capital did the President spend giving these medals?

9. Appointed the first transgender DNC member in history

That's good.

10. Issued diplomatic passports, and provided other benefits, to the partners of same-sex foreign service employees

That's good. I still think it was Hillary who did this, but still, it's a good thing.

11. Committed to ensuring that HUD’s core housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity

"Committed to ensuring?" Seriously, Andy? Those are words. It means he hasn't done it. He's simply said he will, some day. That will be a recurring theme.

12. Conceived a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders -- the nation's first ever -- funded by a three-year HHS grant to SAGE

Good.

13. Testified in favor of ENDA, the first time any official of any administration has testified in the Senate on ENDA

Words. Obama hasn't lifted a finger to get ENDA passed.

14. Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability -- the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation's history

This one is tricky. Of course it's a good thing the bill became law. But the hate crimes bill passed Congress before, and even survived a GOP filibuster attempt. Any Democratic president would have signed the law. And again, Obama spent no political capital helping to ensure the law's passage. HRC likes to say he did, but they can't point to one thing he actually did.

15. Supported lower taxes for same-sex couples who receive health benefits from employers

"Supported"? What does that mean? Words. What did he actually DO to try to make it happen? Has it happened? Of course, the answer is "no" because the provisions were included in the House version of the Health Care Reform bill, but not the Senate version. And which version did the Obama administration support? The Senate version! So, in fact, they did not support us in getting this provision.


15 more at AMERICAblog Gay.

[Mimosa]

1. Is Andy Tobias the same as Andrew tobias, who used to be a conservative economist type? n/t

[DFW]

2. Andy Tobias is/was an investment advisor, as well as DNC treasurer

I have never heard him referred to as "conservative," and the same goes for his partner, Charles Nolan, the fashion designer.

[jonnyblitz]

3. investment advisors are rarely lefties. rich white gays I am sure

have no problem with Obama.

[DFW]

5. Andy is a rare exception, then.

He was Howard Dean's right-hand man for Howard's stint at the DNC, was almost single-handedly responsible
for raising over half the money that funded the 50 state strategy. Have you ever even met him?

[jonnyblitz]

30. No I never met him and I don't see what difference that makes.

just because somebody assciates themselves with a Democrat and isn't a republican doesn't make them a leftie. A true leftie would never make a list of "accomplishments" of the NON left behavior of President Obama who favors the wealthy just like a republican would.

and I am not impressed by your name dropping as if you know these folks ("Andy") personally. That may also bias your view just because you are all a twitter because you met them once. sorry but that does not impress me.

[QC]

4. I would love to stick around and read this, but the sun is coming up now

so I must return to my coffin so that I might partake of the dreamless slumber of the Undead.

Cheers!

[donco6]

6. Thanks! Good dissection of the other bullshit post in GD.

I knew that one had the ring of an anonymous blast email.

[mitchtv]

17. It makes great Gay bait, however

Plus all the troops show up to teach us how to behave/think

[ThomCat]

23. We keep seeing that other bullshit post repeatedly.

It's nothing but straight people telling us to be satisfied with crumbs from their table. It needs to be debunked every time it appears.

This OP should be re-posted Every Single Time!

I am so incredibly sick of being told how happy we should be with the abysmal level of so-called-advocacy we are getting from this administration.

Anything we are getting from this administration we are only getting because of constant pressure we keep exerting, and it's only the absolute minimum they feel they can get away with giving us. It's the minimum they think might satisfy us, shut us up, and make us go away while also opening our wallets.

They still aren't taking us seriously.

[Prism]

7. I like the "Does not treat gay people like lepers" flavor of those posts.

Which is the very first thought that comes to mind when I see that Easter Egg roll used to pad accomplishment lists.

I mean, talk about your bare minimum. A Democratic President who received roughly three-fourths of the gay vote and untold millions from our community doesn't entirely treat us like pariahs. Why aren't we celebrating?!

And people with that attitude think they're helping this President.

They don't get it and they don't want to.

[QC]

8. You never really loved him!

:cry:

[donco6]

10. "Doesn't treat us like pariahs" - I wouldn't go that far.

Somehow, I bet there was a "special area" set aside at the Easter Egg roll. Just so there was no - you know - CONFUSION. Can't have that. Must be orderly.

[HillWilliam]

16. A friend of mine and her partner went to this year's Easter Egg roll

When they got back, she said it was nice and the kids had a great time. We talked about how we still can't get married to our partners, our partners have no inheritance rights, how we get no tax benefits, we can't serve in the military, and on and on. The pics are great and all, but they aren't buying any of our votes in exchange for inaction, even directly and overtly thwarting actions the administration said they'd take up on our behalf.

This president won by a margin about the size of our voting community. Pissing us off isn't a winning strategy. With all the other constituencies they're pissing off the word "primary" is not off the table. People telling us repeatedly how we're supposed to be grateful for crumbs in the face of egregious and repeated insults is not helping either the party's or the administration's case.

I see nothing wrong with reporting facts as they happen. Repeated rehashing/reposting of these subjects by any OP isn't getting us anywhere but more and more pissed off. It does begin to look like a pattern of directed or pointed behavior.

[Prism]

29. When has "uppity ingrates!" ever reflected positively on a president?

Which is exactly what those lists are. Shouted accusations that gay people aren't duly appreciative. We're, dare I say, mighty uppity folk given what the President does for us.

I honestly don't think the people armed with these lists know any gay people. Maybe they have gay acquaintances, a friend in passing, but not an actual close gay friend who can be spoken with on any deep or honest level. No one I know would ever present me with such a list in person with the expectation that I'd fall on my knees in gratitude or mute my criticism.

Yet online, people think this stuff is actually some kind of valid tactic that doesn't piss off most LGBTers the instant they see it. (well, some people. Others, I think, are actually trying to piss off and slap at us ingrates).

The only offline person I know who's always yammering at me about how pro-gay Obama is is met with an indulgent smile, because nothing I say will dissuade her and there's no use destroying the friendship over her hero worship. She believes what she wants to believe, and nothing I, a real live gay person, say will make her think any differently. So be it. I do a lot of nodding and leave it at that. She probably thinks I agree with her, but she's kind of in her own world that way. People do that sometimes.

They just don't want to know the truth, because it's too unpleasant and too damaging to the preconceptions that are sometimes needed for them to feel the world is a worthy place.

[Laughing Mirror]

9. Let us stop and admire the condescending tone of these lists ...

The generosity of scorn these lists reveal, in all good conscience, of course, the good conscience of the generous owner of the bank tossing a crumb to his subordinates. "Ah! See how good I am?"

[donco6]

11. Are we the only one's who can see that?

I have to say I was a little surprised at some of the people who jumped into the GD list with a "huzzah!" Can they not see this type of thing?

[MuseRider]

13. No you are not

there are some of us who tire of and are infuriated by the entitled telling the not equal to sit down, shut up and like the crumbs. That someone thought to post that in this forum is beyond mean. I am certain there are many more but they probably do not frequent this forum. (I am certain? Well let me just say that I hope. Too many good people got shut out during the election and after).

Keep fighting. They can not back you under that bus anymore. They only think you are there.

[HillWilliam]

15. Dunno about you

but my ignore list has lately grown. For all the times we LGBTQI folk have asked again and again not to have those lists posted because invariably they devolve into flame-wars, they continue to arise for the seeming sole purpose of dividing DU. For me, it has been better not to post in them any more and to ignore the authors. Passive-aggressive behavior takes two players and I'm not dancin' any more. I posted my OP with the opposite opinion, I thought I did so politely, I thought I explained my position reasonably, the needling didn't stop, so I'm done.

[davidinalameda]

19. I thought I was fairly polite in my responses as well

I didn't call anyone a fucking homophobe like I wanted to

[HillWilliam]

25. .

Me either

:rofl:

[ThomCat]

27. But if we ignore the straight people who post those lists

then they get to post them unopposed, and other straight people will get the impression that they are right as a result, that because we are silent, they get to dictate to us the terms and conditions of how we try to get our rights, and what are consider rights, and whether or not separate and unequal is acceptable.

We can't ignore those lists. We have to keep challenging straight people who insist that we have to accept condescending crumbs from their table. Especially when they insist that we accept those crumbs swept down to us in such a condescending manner.

Homophobia cannot be acceptable just because it is presented in pseudo-polite, or rationalized ways that supposedly stay just within the rules. Even if the moderators and admins cannot, or do not, or will not see it as homophobia that does not mean that we have to close our eyes to what WE know is Blatant Homophobia. We still have to speak up about it, regardless of their blindness and tolerance for homophobia.

[Starry Messenger]

21. I see it too.

It's the same tone as the crap anti-feminists write about womens' rights. I call it "Shut up and eat your gruel". Hey we're allowed to learn to read and wear *shoes*! Cheer the fuck up! It's not quite the same, but I associate it in my mind with a similar privileged viewpoint.

[davidinalameda]

28. they see it as an attack on Obama

they can't or won't see that Obama has done little for our community

they don't want any challenges to him

unfortunately, that's very common on DU

if you disagree with the chorus, you're disloyal or whatever

[QC]

12. The bellyaching around here about the ungrateful queers has always made me think

of guests at a sumptuous banquet complaining that the growling stomachs of the hungry beggars outside are making it hard for them to enjoy their meal.

[ruggerson]

14. well, vampires are known to be eternally hungry

n/t

[QC]

20. What about dens of vipers? How much do they eat? n/t

[ThomCat]

24. That exactly right. But we are supposed to be fooled by that.

:(

[davidinalameda]

18. I wondered who put this list together

[donco6]

22. Prosense? Just a guess. n/t

[TriMera]

26. Good guess. n/t