HEADLINE: Obama embraces incremental response to gay issues

[Bluebear]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is chipping away at his long list of promises to gay voters but has yet to win the enthusiastic backing of the reliably Democratic voting bloc.

The Obama White House has accomplished more than any other on gay rights, yet has drawn sharp criticism from some of those who stand to benefit from the president's efforts.

Instead of the sweeping change gays and lesbians had sought, a piece-by-piece approach has been the administration's favored strategy, drawing neither serious fire from conservatives nor lavish praise from activists.

The strategy was on display Tuesday as Obama hosted gay rights activists at the White House in recognition of gay pride month. "We've got a lot of hard work we've still got to do," the president told them in the East Room, even while boasting of accomplishments including anti-hate crimes legislation and extending some benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.

He promised to continue to fight for full benefits, including health care, for same-sex partners, and also pledged to make good on his campaign promise to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. That's the 1993 law that allows gay people to serve only if they hide their sexual orientation.

Gay activists complaint that Obama hasn't moved quickly enough on changing the policy. But it's a promise, Obama said, "this administration is going to keep."...

There's reason for the frustration.

Fulfilling the goal of repealing "don't ask, don't tell" appears years away, despite a vote in the House in support of repeal once the Pentagon has completed a study. In a legal brief, Obama's Justice Department cited incest as a reason to defend the traditional definition of marriage, prompting some gay donors last year to boycott the Democratic National Committee. And just last week, a committee at his Health and Human Services Department recommended the nation retain its policy barring gay men from donating blood.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama_gay_rights

[Unvanguard]

1. It is hard to get substantive change through Congress.

But one--well, I--cannot help but wonder why he did not do more of this executive power stuff back in the first month or so of his administration, instead of dragging it on over the past year and half. If the point is to provide continually fresh demonstrations that he cares, then that is a kind of politics-over-principle strategy that is rather disgraceful. (There may be better reasons; I don't know.)

[Bluebear]

2. Because it was only a month. Then it was only 3 months, then 6.

Now it's "only" a year and a half, soon it will be the midterms, and so on. I remain hopeful because, after all, what is there but hope, but...

[readmoreoften]

3. He will as long as we keep pressuring him. I'm not sure we can make him do what's right,

but if we keep doing the hard work in the streets of organizing and pressuring him we might continue to get some small successes like these. And I guess that's better than having an absolute enemy in the White House.

[Bluebear]

4. I can't tell you the fear I have of losing Congress.

Not that having a majority Congress did a thing for GLBT rights issues these last two years yet, but if we lose in Novemeber, holy toledo.

[Unvanguard]

6. It didn't do absolutely nothing.

There is the DADT sorta-kinda repeal, for instance--better than nothing if far from perfect--and at least a reasonable chance that immigration reform in a Democratic Congress will include provisions for same-sex binational couples.

[davidinalameda]

8. and I think that is the reason he has put off the DADT repeal

with a republican congress or even a Democratic congress but with a lot fewer Democrats, he can blame congress if it isn't repealed

[Ohio Joe]

5. Equal rights for everyone.

Is it really such a hard concept?

[DJ13]

7. Obama embraces incremental response to most every issue

Forget bold, forget anything resembling real change, that requires too much effort.