Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Here goes the President running on his record again. I thought the Republicans said he couldn't do that?
Hey is it just me, or did anybody else notice a Change, and feel a little Hope?
As Ms. Palin would say, "How is that Hopey-Changey thing working for ya?" It's working just great, Ms. Palin, and I am starting to get fired up and ready to go for the next election!
President Obama has my enthusiastic vote on November 6th. But, until he and his administration stop this ridiculous dance around gay marriage rights, he no longer has my financial support. Four years ago I cut him some slack for his stance. In 2012 it's different - get off the damn fence and say something definitive Mr. President. You look foolish doing otherwise.
You clearly know NOTHING about politics do you? It would be political suicide for President Obama to come out publicly for gay marriage right now. The latest polls show that there is a 50/50 split in this country on the issue.
Get off your sanctimonious riff and look at the reality of things. There's no question that President Obama has done more for the LGBT community and cause than any president in history, but you aren't satisfied, like a little spoiled child.
Get off it, get over it and grow up. There are very stark realities in this country and you best open your eyes to them.
After he comes out in favor of gay marriage then what? The media and firebaggers move the goal post again? He comes out for gay marriage and you think the goal posts won’t be moved again? I believe in gay marriage but I am not going to constantly demand that the most progressive President on LGBT issues show his bona fides time and time and time again to prove that he’s worthy of my vote. He has repealed DADT, he has asked his DOJ to stop defending DOMA, he is backing the bill in congress that supports marriage equality, he has come out against NC’s Amendment One, he wholeheartedly supported NY in their legalization of gay marriage. What more do you want? Seriously What more do you want?
You don’t get to demand that this President come out for gay marriage. You don’t get to dictate what he should and shouldn’t do. You don’t get to demand a timeline of President Obama as to when he comes out for gay marriage or not. This President has hired over 225 LGBT professionals, Romney fired his gay adviser. This President has signed so many laws into existence for the LGBT community. This President has signed so many benefits into law for the LGBT community.
Do we want him to bleed for us until we decide he is 100% worthy of our vote? Do we want him to be in lockstep with every issue under the sun that matters to us before we decide he is 100% worthy of our vote? This man has fought for every freaking demographic in this country and in other locations around the world yet we cannot give him time and space to come to a decision? This is a very personal decision. He might support gay marriage secretly but has looked at the political landscape and decided we need to win an election for the progress of LGBT rights to continue.
Do you know that Amendment One in NC is likely to pass? Do you also know that we need NC to become blue again this November? Do you know that NC hasn’t been blue in decades before PBO won the state? Do you know that only about 14K votes helped PBO win in NC? Do you know that if 7K votes or more swung Romney’s way Pres. Obama would lose NC; a very crucial state in the election? Do you also know that a lot of conservative Democrats in NC back Amendment One for whatever warped reason? Do you know that a lot of the Latino vote in NC which we need to win does not support gay marriage in huge numbers? Do you know that a lot of conservative Democrats around the country do not support gay marriage and could switch to the other column in November? We have an election to win. I will repeat that. We have an election to win. If PBO has looked at the landscape and decided this is too politically risky for the Democrats who are we to judge him? If he decides the political landscape is ok and he comes out for gay marriage, who are we to judge him? Do you think a Romney presidency would magically provide 100% equality for the LGBT community? Words are cheap. Actions speak louder.
We have an election to win. Every state is crucial in this election and as much as I love you, you don’t get to dictate to President Obama how he goes about in laying the groundwork and winning.
The fact is, Obama’s basically doing all the things marriage equality advocates want him to do already. Even if he is doing it without saying explicitly whether he supports marriage rights for LGBT couples.
Advocates of marriage equality acknowledge the president supports the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act, and presides over a Justice Department that will no longer defend the law in court. They’re happy he’s come out against state ballot initiatives like the one voters in North Carolina will consider Tuesday that would ban legal recognition for same-sex couples. They appreciate that his administration has expanded legal rights to same-sex couples, including hospital visitation.
That makes Obama wildly different from presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Not only has Romney firmly and flatly said he’s opposed to same-sex marriage — and promised not to “evolve” — last August Romney signed a pledge stating his support for a federal constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage. Where Obama is opposed to new limitations on same-sex couples’ rights to marry, Romney is in favor of them. This is one of the main arguments the Obama campaign uses to deflect awkward questions about the president’s undefined views on gay marriage, and it’s generally well-received by voters concerned with civil rights for the LGBT community. (That’s not to say it’s all milk and honey, however: Obama is currently facing the ire of some wealthy LGBT donors after he declined to use an executive order to stop federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, an initiative he supports at the legislative level.)
In any case, the fight to increase marriage equality continues apace, but mostly in places where Obama has little direct involvement. There’s a bill Obama supports in Congress that would repeal DOMA, but that would require congressional action — incredibly unlikely — before the president could sign it.
Forty-one states have same-sex marriage bans on the books or in their state constitutions, and voters in those states would have to vote to overturn them, or successfully beat them down in court. Some advocates believe the best route is for the Supreme Court to weigh in — possibly by taking up the case of California’s Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage that was subsequently struck down by a federal court and an appellate court.
In any case, the success or failure of any of the current marriage equality initiatives has very little to do with Obama publicly stating his personal views, marriage advocates and political observers agree.
The Gallup poll showed a slight dip in support for same-sex marriage from 2011, when the polling organization found that 53 percent of Americans -- an all-time high -- believe same-sex marriages should receive equal recognition under the law as those between a man and a woman.
The Tuesday poll found that 65 percent of Democrats support same-sex marriage, as do 57 percent of Independents. Only 22 percent of Republicans agree, seeming to show that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney was making the right call by reiterating his opposition to same-sex marriage on Monday.
Americans who said they have no religious identity overwhelmingly support extending full recognition to same-sex couples, at 88 percent, while Catholics came in at 51 percent. Thirty-eight percent of Protestants support same-sex marriage, according to the poll.
No one I've read on this gay marriage question seems to be making the obvious (to me) point that if the administration is going to send a pre-election signal in favor of gay marriage, it's far better for Joe Biden to do it than for Barack Obama to do it.
Biden is Catholic. He has that working-class, Pennsylvania-style cred. It's far, far better for Americans to hear that kind of talk from him than from Obama, the black urban liberal cosmopolite. So I'm not so sure this was a gaffe. Or if it was a gaffe, it may have been a happy one.
I wrote a column about six weeks ago arguing that Obama should not endorse gay marriage before the election, for various political reasons, mostly because the majority that supports same-sex marriage seems a little fragile to me as yet. Liberals like to say, "But it's the majority view, and it's what he believes, so what's the problem?"
But that's really simplistic politically. I'd want to know a lot about how that position sits with various voting blocs in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida. I'd want to know what voting blocs a pre-election public embrace would be more likely to motivate in all those states (and some others). For example, the fact that there is simple majority support in America (and it's not a huge majority by any means--53, 54 percent) might mean that quite large majorities in a handful of already-blue states support gay marriage. But that would have nothing to do with how independents in Virginia feel. And this is the important point: Wanting to know such things before acting isn't political cowardice. It's political horse sense.
If the President were to come out publicly and endorse gay rights, the right wing would suddenly be able to put his face on their opposition to the issue. He would become the target, and they would use his support for gay rights to pound home the message of opposition. He is not, and should not be, the target to their opposition. There is a reason why they call him all those ridiculous names, as the Republican party is not above using character assassination to avoid legislating social problems.
This is also why he should not become the face of OWS. He should be seen as somewhat above the fray, but address specific concerns. It is a delicate balancing act, but this president is quite talented on the Washington high wire.
There was an excellent segment on The Last Word last night in which a North Carolina pastor explained the real problem with the actions taken by North Carolina's congress. The issue is not about gay marriage, the issue is...should a majority party be allowed to remove rights from minority citizens. This would set a very dangerous precedent. He also very succinctly explained what "states rights" actually means; how it is, in effect, legislated bigotry. I think the pastor will be on with Tamron Hall today. Wish I could watch.
These are a few images from the first official campaign rally for Barack Obama for the 2012 election. It took place in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio State on Saturday, May 5. At the bottom is an interactive panoramic image from the Rally and along with a panoramic still that can be zoomed in so close you can actually find yourself if you were there. Enjoy!
Robert De Niro Eviscerates the Right’s MSM Lap Dogs Who Bash Obama
...De Niro continued: It’s not easy to be President of the United States, and he — that was pointed out in the “New York Times” in the last Sunday week in review by Peter Bergen about all the things he did as far as bin Laden and other things that he stepped up being a liberal president, supposedly, that were effective.
(Oh, no you didn’t Robert! You did not just own national security for a Democrat on MTP! Not allowed!)
De Niro softly reminded Gregory of the risks Obama took: Not always — you know, there’s all the negative side of that, but he took the chance to do it, and he did it ultimately with bin Laden.
Gregory was perhaps stunned into silence, so De Niro went on: I give him credit (small dig here—I give him credit, why don’t you?) and I hope he does – I know he’ll do better in the next four years when he doesn’t have to worry about being elected or not.
I swear I saw David Gregory’s face freeze to avoid an involuntary twitch of shock when De Niro pointed out Obama’s accomplishments, specifically calling out the killing of bin Laden. Gregory was thinking that surely all liberals got the message that it was “unseemly” to take credit for that. Hush up, you Democrats. Show a little respect for the Real Patriots – you know, the ones who never even looked for bin Laden but now want the credit. The ones who never served and whose children never served. Those patriots.
That pop you just heard was about 4 different right wing frames of Democrats exploding at once.
Gryphen, Do you think the President will come out in favor of gay rights? What do you think if holding him back? Biden is certainly on board and could his comments be testing the water for Barack?
>>Do you think the President will come out in favor of gay rights?
Uh, what the hell does that mean? President Obama has been in favor of gay rights in a plethora of areas, have you not been on the planet or something? What sort of really stupid question are you asking? Do you not have a fucking CLUE to how politics works? Geesh. I think your screenname is pretty accurate on this one.
I love the video. Straightforward, comprehensive, easy to take in and highly impressive when it's laid out this way. Good on Obama's team for this excellent video.
Not that he needs it, but whoever does his campaign ads are simply brilliant! They're crisp, focused intensely on the people he cares for and each issue is well framed and well placed. He doesn't put the spotlight on himself, he said OBL is dead because of our heroes, the soldiers from Iraq are home... etc. I noticed a change, hope, and real enthusiasm.
It's just you
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking
I'm better off than I was 4 years ago. So what are YOU doing wrong? Sounds like a personal problem.
DeleteShe's mentally deteriorating.
DeleteAs Ms. Palin would say, "How is that Hopey-Changey thing working for ya?" It's working just great, Ms. Palin, and I am starting to get fired up and ready to go for the next election!
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has my enthusiastic vote on November 6th. But, until he and his administration stop this ridiculous dance around gay marriage rights, he no longer has my financial support.
ReplyDeleteFour years ago I cut him some slack for his stance. In 2012 it's different - get off the damn fence and say something definitive Mr. President. You look foolish doing otherwise.
You clearly know NOTHING about politics do you? It would be political suicide for President Obama to come out publicly for gay marriage right now. The latest polls show that there is a 50/50 split in this country on the issue.
DeleteGet off your sanctimonious riff and look at the reality of things. There's no question that President Obama has done more for the LGBT community and cause than any president in history, but you aren't satisfied, like a little spoiled child.
Get off it, get over it and grow up. There are very stark realities in this country and you best open your eyes to them.
After he comes out in favor of gay marriage then what? The media and firebaggers move the goal post again? He comes out for gay marriage and you think the goal posts won’t be moved again? I believe in gay marriage but I am not going to constantly demand that the most progressive President on LGBT issues show his bona fides time and time and time again to prove that he’s worthy of my vote. He has repealed DADT, he has asked his DOJ to stop defending DOMA, he is backing the bill in congress that supports marriage equality, he has come out against NC’s Amendment One, he wholeheartedly supported NY in their legalization of gay marriage. What more do you want? Seriously What more do you want?
DeleteYou don’t get to demand that this President come out for gay marriage. You don’t get to dictate what he should and shouldn’t do. You don’t get to demand a timeline of President Obama as to when he comes out for gay marriage or not. This President has hired over 225 LGBT professionals, Romney fired his gay adviser. This President has signed so many laws into existence for the LGBT community. This President has signed so many benefits into law for the LGBT community.
Do we want him to bleed for us until we decide he is 100% worthy of our vote? Do we want him to be in lockstep with every issue under the sun that matters to us before we decide he is 100% worthy of our vote? This man has fought for every freaking demographic in this country and in other locations around the world yet we cannot give him time and space to come to a decision? This is a very personal decision. He might support gay marriage secretly but has looked at the political landscape and decided we need to win an election for the progress of LGBT rights to continue.
Do you know that Amendment One in NC is likely to pass? Do you also know that we need NC to become blue again this November? Do you know that NC hasn’t been blue in decades before PBO won the state? Do you know that only about 14K votes helped PBO win in NC? Do you know that if 7K votes or more swung Romney’s way Pres. Obama would lose NC; a very crucial state in the election? Do you also know that a lot of conservative Democrats in NC back Amendment One for whatever warped reason? Do you know that a lot of the Latino vote in NC which we need to win does not support gay marriage in huge numbers? Do you know that a lot of conservative Democrats around the country do not support gay marriage and could switch to the other column in November? We have an election to win. I will repeat that. We have an election to win. If PBO has looked at the landscape and decided this is too politically risky for the Democrats who are we to judge him? If he decides the political landscape is ok and he comes out for gay marriage, who are we to judge him? Do you think a Romney presidency would magically provide 100% equality for the LGBT community? Words are cheap. Actions speak louder.
We have an election to win. Every state is crucial in this election and as much as I love you, you don’t get to dictate to President Obama how he goes about in laying the groundwork and winning.
The fact is, Obama’s basically doing all the things marriage equality advocates want him to do already. Even if he is doing it without saying explicitly whether he supports marriage rights for LGBT couples.
DeleteAdvocates of marriage equality acknowledge the president supports the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act, and presides over a Justice Department that will no longer defend the law in court. They’re happy he’s come out against state ballot initiatives like the one voters in North Carolina will consider Tuesday that would ban legal recognition for same-sex couples. They appreciate that his administration has expanded legal rights to same-sex couples, including hospital visitation.
That makes Obama wildly different from presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Not only has Romney firmly and flatly said he’s opposed to same-sex marriage — and promised not to “evolve” — last August Romney signed a pledge stating his support for a federal constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage. Where Obama is opposed to new limitations on same-sex couples’ rights to marry, Romney is in favor of them. This is one of the main arguments the Obama campaign uses to deflect awkward questions about the president’s undefined views on gay marriage, and it’s generally well-received by voters concerned with civil rights for the LGBT community. (That’s not to say it’s all milk and honey, however: Obama is currently facing the ire of some wealthy LGBT donors after he declined to use an executive order to stop federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, an initiative he supports at the legislative level.)
In any case, the fight to increase marriage equality continues apace, but mostly in places where Obama has little direct involvement. There’s a bill Obama supports in Congress that would repeal DOMA, but that would require congressional action — incredibly unlikely — before the president could sign it.
Forty-one states have same-sex marriage bans on the books or in their state constitutions, and voters in those states would have to vote to overturn them, or successfully beat them down in court. Some advocates believe the best route is for the Supreme Court to weigh in — possibly by taking up the case of California’s Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage that was subsequently struck down by a federal court and an appellate court.
In any case, the success or failure of any of the current marriage equality initiatives has very little to do with Obama publicly stating his personal views, marriage advocates and political observers agree.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/05/obama-gay-marriage-support.php
Poll: Half Of Americans Support Same-Sex Marriage
DeleteThe Gallup poll showed a slight dip in support for same-sex marriage from 2011, when the polling organization found that 53 percent of Americans -- an all-time high -- believe same-sex marriages should receive equal recognition under the law as those between a man and a woman.
The Tuesday poll found that 65 percent of Democrats support same-sex marriage, as do 57 percent of Independents. Only 22 percent of Republicans agree, seeming to show that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney was making the right call by reiterating his opposition to same-sex marriage on Monday.
Americans who said they have no religious identity overwhelmingly support extending full recognition to same-sex couples, at 88 percent, while Catholics came in at 51 percent. Thirty-eight percent of Protestants support same-sex marriage, according to the poll.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/same-sex-marriage-support_n_1499247.html
Well said!
DeleteNo one I've read on this gay marriage question seems to be making the obvious (to me) point that if the administration is going to send a pre-election signal in favor of gay marriage, it's far better for Joe Biden to do it than for Barack Obama to do it.
DeleteBiden is Catholic. He has that working-class, Pennsylvania-style cred. It's far, far better for Americans to hear that kind of talk from him than from Obama, the black urban liberal cosmopolite. So I'm not so sure this was a gaffe. Or if it was a gaffe, it may have been a happy one.
I wrote a column about six weeks ago arguing that Obama should not endorse gay marriage before the election, for various political reasons, mostly because the majority that supports same-sex marriage seems a little fragile to me as yet. Liberals like to say, "But it's the majority view, and it's what he believes, so what's the problem?"
But that's really simplistic politically. I'd want to know a lot about how that position sits with various voting blocs in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida. I'd want to know what voting blocs a pre-election public embrace would be more likely to motivate in all those states (and some others). For example, the fact that there is simple majority support in America (and it's not a huge majority by any means--53, 54 percent) might mean that quite large majorities in a handful of already-blue states support gay marriage. But that would have nothing to do with how independents in Virginia feel. And this is the important point: Wanting to know such things before acting isn't political cowardice. It's political horse sense.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/07/gay-marriage-still-politically-complicated.html
I thought the change we were hoping for would include a President who says what he means and means what he says.
DeleteIf the President were to come out publicly and endorse gay rights, the right wing would suddenly be able to put his face on their opposition to the issue. He would become the target, and they would use his support for gay rights to pound home the message of opposition. He is not, and should not be, the target to their opposition. There is a reason why they call him all those ridiculous names, as the Republican party is not above using character assassination to avoid legislating social problems.
DeleteThis is also why he should not become the face of OWS. He should be seen as somewhat above the fray, but address specific concerns. It is a delicate balancing act, but this president is quite talented on the Washington high wire.
There was an excellent segment on The Last Word last night in which a North Carolina pastor explained the real problem with the actions taken by North Carolina's congress. The issue is not about gay marriage, the issue is...should a majority party be allowed to remove rights from minority citizens. This would set a very dangerous precedent. He also very succinctly explained what "states rights" actually means; how it is, in effect, legislated bigotry. I think the pastor will be on with Tamron Hall today. Wish I could watch.
It's all been said and said well already in the comments, and I agree.
DeleteWhy, that Hopey-Changey stuff really has put a bounce in our step these last four years after all!
ReplyDeleteFired up and ready to GO!
ReplyDeleteThese are a few images from the first official campaign rally for Barack Obama for the 2012 election. It took place in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio State on Saturday, May 5. At the bottom is an interactive panoramic image from the Rally and along with a panoramic still that can be zoomed in so close you can actually find yourself if you were there. Enjoy!
http://eclectablog.com/2012/05/first-official-obama-rally-of-2012-in-columbus-ohio.html#disqus_thread
I have noticed change, I have a lot of hope, and with President Obama at the helm we will continue to move forward.
ReplyDeleteU.S. to run first surplus since 2008: CBO
ReplyDeleteSurplus is first of Obama’s presidency
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-to-run-first-surplus-since-2008-cbo-2012-05-07
The Face of Failure: Only 500 People Show Up To See Mitt Romney In Ohio
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/romney-ohio-attendance.html
I'm coming to strongly dislike David Gregory...
ReplyDeleteRobert De Niro Eviscerates the Right’s MSM Lap Dogs Who Bash Obama
...De Niro continued: It’s not easy to be President of the United States, and he — that was pointed out in the “New York Times” in the last Sunday week in review by Peter Bergen about all the things he did as far as bin Laden and other things that he stepped up being a liberal president, supposedly, that were effective.
(Oh, no you didn’t Robert! You did not just own national security for a Democrat on MTP! Not allowed!)
De Niro softly reminded Gregory of the risks Obama took: Not always — you know, there’s all the negative side of that, but he took the chance to do it, and he did it ultimately with bin Laden.
Gregory was perhaps stunned into silence, so De Niro went on: I give him credit (small dig here—I give him credit, why don’t you?) and I hope he does – I know he’ll do better in the next four years when he doesn’t have to worry about being elected or not.
I swear I saw David Gregory’s face freeze to avoid an involuntary twitch of shock when De Niro pointed out Obama’s accomplishments, specifically calling out the killing of bin Laden. Gregory was thinking that surely all liberals got the message that it was “unseemly” to take credit for that. Hush up, you Democrats. Show a little respect for the Real Patriots – you know, the ones who never even looked for bin Laden but now want the credit. The ones who never served and whose children never served. Those patriots.
That pop you just heard was about 4 different right wing frames of Democrats exploding at once.
http://www.politicususa.com/robert-de-niro-eviscerates-the-rights-msm-lap-dogs-who-bash-obama.html
Oh, that is nice. Thank you, Robert De Niro!
DeleteDavid Gregory is a tool. Watch for videos of him dancing with Ham Rove.
That's how it's done! Robert De Niro was soft spoken, steady, and unrelenting!
DeleteIs was nice to see David Gregory choke back his vomit a little.
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteDo you think the President will come out in favor of gay rights? What do you think if holding him back? Biden is certainly on board and could his comments be testing the water for Barack?
See above comments from commenters - all great points.
Delete>>Do you think the President will come out in favor of gay rights?
DeleteUh, what the hell does that mean? President Obama has been in favor of gay rights in a plethora of areas, have you not been on the planet or something? What sort of really stupid question are you asking? Do you not have a fucking CLUE to how politics works? Geesh. I think your screenname is pretty accurate on this one.
President Obama has ALWAYS been for rights of ALL Americans, and that includes gays.
DeleteI like. I saw it last week.
ReplyDeleteI love the video. Straightforward, comprehensive, easy to take in and highly impressive when it's laid out this way. Good on Obama's team for this excellent video.
ReplyDeleteI felt it too, Gryphen.
ReplyDeleteAnd it felt good...like I knew that it would.
He can't truthfully do that, but when has he let the truth get in his way?
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Mittens wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the butt
DeleteNot that he needs it, but whoever does his campaign ads are simply brilliant! They're crisp, focused intensely on the people he cares for and each issue is well framed and well placed. He doesn't put the spotlight on himself, he said OBL is dead because of our heroes, the soldiers from Iraq are home... etc.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a change, hope, and real enthusiasm.
O/T
ReplyDeleteRomeny laments demise of Oldsmobile after claiming credit for Auto Industry success
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-silent-after-claiming-credit-for-auto-industry-comeback-20120508,0,928764.story