Does Obama Care About the Gays?
Welcome Instapundit Readers!
From the perspective of your humble correspondent, the two biggest stories in the blogosphere this past week have been the ongoing unrest in Iran and the Obama Administration’s relationship with the gay community. Health care has also been an emergent issue and will likely become a focus of next week’s news cycle, replacing the conversation about gays, but Iran will continue to dominate our discourse.
Before the gay issue fades away, I wanted to offer a thought on the President’s attitude toward people like us. It’s an idea that’s been kicking around in my head for some while, at least since I read his first book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Let me qualify my post by saying I don’t have any concrete proof for my notion, but when I was chatting with another blogger, Roger Simon*, earlier this month (before the recent spate of stories on gays) and heard him (without prompting from me) offer a nearly identical theory, I wondered (yet again) if there was some substance to this thought.
My thought was that Obama is either indifferent to or slightly hostile toward gay people. On Thursday, I noted he “sat in a church for twenty years where a racist pastor spewed anti-gay rhetoric and never once challenged him on his prejudiced attitude toward homosexuals.“ But, then again, he never challenged any of the hateful, paranoid or narrow-minded statements Reverend Wright made. It could just be his, to build on a comment of a prominent Democratic Congressman, an absence of political courage.
It’s not just Reverend Wright. Early in his bid for the White House, the Democrat campaigned with anti-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin.
And while Obama has had many enthusiastic gay supporters (and apologists), one wonders if they supported him not so much for his attitude toward gays, but because of what they projected onto him, due to his charisma, his presence and his left-wing politics. That combination does work wonders for certain zealous gay partisans.
I don’t know that I’m right on this one, but it is an impression I’ve had. And my conversation with that straight blogger showed that I was not alone.
We may, in time, find evidence to prove me wrong or to confirm this notion.
But, ponder this, with polls showing an overwhelming number of Americans supporting repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell (DADT), the ban on gays serving openly in the military and his party ostensibly favoring repeal comfortably controlling both houses of Congress, why has the President put this on the backburner? And why do certain prominent gay Democrats give him cover when he does so?
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*I e-mailed Roger after I had posted this piece and ask if I could include his name; he agreed.
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No.
Comment by Kevin — June 20, 2009 @ 10:08 pm - June 20, 2009
Of course he doesn’t care about gays. He cares about power and his vision of turning the United States into Europe. Gays were simply a means to power. His greatest campiagn asset was his ablity to project that he was all things to all people. Some of us figured that out before the election.
Comment by mark arnold — June 20, 2009 @ 10:13 pm - June 20, 2009
GayPatriot » Does Obama Care About the Gays?…
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Trackback by PunditKix — June 20, 2009 @ 10:15 pm - June 20, 2009
Gays are being played. Obama used you because he needed votes, and because gays are regarded as safely Democratic. They are being played for suckers because he and the Dems have no fear that they would ever vote Republican. As far as Obama and the Democrats are concerned, you’re all suckers.
Comment by Don — June 20, 2009 @ 10:29 pm - June 20, 2009
Personally, I think many gays voted for Obama for the same reasons my wife did — he was not Bush, he is cool and he has nice pecs.
Comment by Anthony — June 20, 2009 @ 10:32 pm - June 20, 2009
No is right.
I am an “evil” Right Winger who thinks DADT is a joke and needs to be repealed. ANYONE who wants to sign on the dotted line to protect me and my family should be allowed to, regardless of who they love. I am very grateful to the gays who have to hide who they are and do it because they want to stay in the military. Very grateful.
Comment by Brian G. — June 20, 2009 @ 10:34 pm - June 20, 2009
Compared to Obama, Clinton was downright altruistic.
No, he doesn’t care. About the gays. About anything other than himself.
The man is frighteningly self-absorbed.
Comment by Don in AZ — June 20, 2009 @ 10:37 pm - June 20, 2009
I’m more convinced than ever that he’s strongly shaped by 20 years in Jeremiah Wright’s pews. Of course, the fact that he titled one of his books for him ought to have been proof enough, but a heavy campaign to deny the obvious and brand it as racist/crackpot makes it necessary to re-argue for, carefully. But what have we seen from him so far: antipathy to Israel and gays (even as he’s happy to take their checks), a view of government as being mainly about doling out welfare in one form or another and protecting jobs whether or not they actually do anything anyone wants, a mix of cluelessness and hostility toward the free market and capitalism, with basically no sense that you need a healthy private sector to pay for all those welfare programs… I guess you could learn all that just being in Chicago politics, but it sure makes pretending he was not shaped in any way by the crazy preacher hard to seriously maintain.
Comment by Mike G — June 20, 2009 @ 10:39 pm - June 20, 2009
I don’t think Obama’s attitude is limited, or specific, to gay people. He showed the same indifference to the stock holders of GM. I know, I am one of them. We elected a narcissist, what did everybody expect?
Comment by Greg F — June 20, 2009 @ 10:40 pm - June 20, 2009
Just a few of the many traits of Narcissist Personality Disorder
1) Narcissists will lie or manipulate the truth to gain personal advantage.
2) Narcissists cannot feel sorry for other people. They lack empathy
3) Narcissists are morally bankrupt. Illegal acts are condoned if they feel they can get away with it.
4) Narcissists can be extremely nice if they want something from you
5) Narcissists will take advantage of you anyway they can
6) Narcissists contradict themselves
Comment by Racer — June 20, 2009 @ 10:41 pm - June 20, 2009
Racer – that describes pretty much almost all politicians.
Someone said that Obama looked at the Prop 8 exit polls, and his atttude towards gays has been shaped by that. He’s trying too hard to be in tune with the black community, which pretty much means being anti-gay.
Comment by Anthony — June 20, 2009 @ 10:48 pm - June 20, 2009
Gays are to Democrats what gun owners are to the Republicans. The “party” wants the votes, the volunteering, and most of all the money. But the “party” isn’t going to do shit for either of “their” constituent groups. Once the election is over, the “party” wants “them” to shut the fuck up and get back in the closet because “their” usefulness has come to an end.
Comment by Letalis Maximus, Esq. — June 20, 2009 @ 11:00 pm - June 20, 2009
The critical event that defined Obama, that shaped his life more than any other, happened when he was a small child. His absent father died… long before Barack could get to know him.
Some children who feel abandoned lash out at the absent parent, swearing they will be nothing like them… others build them up to mythic proportions, and (consciously or not) work to be just like them… awaiting an approving pat on the head that can never come.
The fact that Barack Obama named his book “Dreams of My Father” shows which camp he belongs to.
Once you understand this, Barack’s political philosophy makes sense. Barack’s father was an African socialist, a mid-twentieth century hybrid of Marxism, anti-colonialism, and tribalism. Whenever Obama’s beliefs diverge from the standard Democrat party line, it is because he is, at heart, an African socialist like his father. He is (consciously or not) trying to “legitimize” or “redeem” the beliefs of his father.
This explains his general antipathy to gay issues.
This explains why he is so openly rewarding his supporters and punishing his detractors using federal power and money… that is common in his father’s homeland, and must be made legitimate here for that very reason.
This also explains his dislike of all things European.
Also explained is his nomination of Sotomeyer. He is unbothered with the idea of ethnic/racial tribalism being a part of the law, tribal loyalty is considered quite natural throughout large parts of Africa. Tribal membership is oft-times more important than abstracts like “truth” and “the law”.
His father wrote of taxing both outsiders and the rich at rates of 90% to 100%, with the proceeds going to favored tribes… not too far from the experience of Chrysler bondholders.
His use of political thugs like ACORN and the SEIU fit comfortably within the mainstream of politics in his father’s homeland.
Barack Obama built his identity to please a ghost, to resurrect a ghost. to redeem a ghost. He truly thinks the ways of his father, learned from his writings and from family stories, are as legitimate as anything invented here in the West, and he will always try to “normalize” those beliefs.
He is not a communist, a socialist, or a secret muslim. He is an African socialist. And that makes him a little bit of all those things, but not quite any one of them.
Comment by winky the barbarian — June 20, 2009 @ 11:03 pm - June 20, 2009
“…one wonders if they supported him not so much for his attitude toward gays, but because of what they projected onto him…”
Obama made a conscious effort to avoid specifics and deal in broad generalities precisely to permit potential supporters to project their own agendas on him. Note that he was more specifically supportive of the agendas of factions when he spoke to those factions, then retreated into generalities when remarks he made to limited audiences were brought up in more general forums.
Also note the alarming frequency of incidents wherein people with whom he met were left with the impression he supported them, only to be dismayed when he disavowed positions he had led them to believe he held. The Polish leader who though Obama had committed to missile defense in Eastern Europe leaps to mind, but there are many others.
He is a megalomaniac narcissist who has mastered the profoundly effective strategies for political and personal manipulation of Saul Alinsky. Gays should not feel too badly; they are only one group among many absolutely duped by the Obama-Axelrod-Emmanuel Axis of Deceit.
Obama has one agenda, and that is what is best for Obama. Axelrod and Emmanuel are along for the ride, and for whatever they can get.
Comment by novaculus — June 20, 2009 @ 11:16 pm - June 20, 2009
Newsflash: Muslims don’t like homosexuality
Comment by Noonan — June 20, 2009 @ 11:27 pm - June 20, 2009
Obama cares about Obama. Period. If it was to his advantage to set his own children afire, he’d do it in a heartbeat. If it was to his advantage to make gays sew pink triangles on their clothes and send them to the camps, he would. He is as much a monster as Stalin, Mao or Hitler. The only chance anyone has is that our system is strong enough to protect you gays, and the rest of us. Because, like Mao, Stalin or Hitler, it doesn’t matter who he starts with, in the end, he’ll bring everyone to ruin.
Comment by Peter — June 21, 2009 @ 12:20 am - June 21, 2009
Between the Muslim upbringing and Rev. Wright, it is not surprising that Obama is homophobic. We would have done better with (ack!) McCain.
Comment by Meremortal — June 21, 2009 @ 12:56 am - June 21, 2009
Is there anything at the center?
Is there common decency?
Is there respect for democracy?
Is there respect for human rights?
Like say in Iran?
The question is,
“Who is the next one to be thrown under the bus??”
Comment by Rob — June 21, 2009 @ 1:27 am - June 21, 2009
Food for thought:
#1 – Is Obama is hiding something in his closet?
#2 – Occidental College was extremely open to gay & lesbian students during the 1980s due, in part, to the Dean of Students. Obama may not have liked what he saw, experienced or experimented with, leading to long standing resentment toward LGBTs.
#3 – Prop 8 voting records indicate ‘macho-communities’ (black, latino) do not tolerate LGBT, implying they would not believe one of their own could be of them if that person tolerated LGBT. In order to ‘prove’ his blackness or hide his metrosexual gayness, Obama must avoid appearing too LGBT friendly otherwise he will be exposed for not being black-enough and perhaps painted as gay himself.
Comment by RM3 Frisker FTN — June 21, 2009 @ 3:09 am - June 21, 2009
Racer– Is that narcissism or sociopathy?
Comment by Fescue — June 21, 2009 @ 6:45 am - June 21, 2009
Obama is a shallow, narcissistic, jerk. It’s always about him, even when people are dying in the streets.
Comment by george — June 21, 2009 @ 7:47 am - June 21, 2009
No, he played you for chumps and you’re much better off that way. The Democrats have “cared” about the Black Community for decades. The results of that “caring” are increased poverty, rampant crime, and grossly inadequate public education. The Democrats “cared” so much that they destroyed the Black Community. Why would the Gay Community want to give the government the power to destroy them? Those who live by Marxist Identity Politics die by Marxist Identity Politics.
[GP. Ed. Note - Just a clarification for the commenters that are saying Obama played "you". Not me. And not my co-blogger Dan. We voted for McCain; though my vote was very reluctant. It was an anti-Obama vote.]
Comment by Curly Smith — June 21, 2009 @ 8:44 am - June 21, 2009
Mayo clinic-Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:
-Believing that you’re better than others
-Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
-Exaggerating your achievements or talents
-Expecting constant praise and admiration
-Believing that you’re special
-Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings
-Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
-Taking advantage of others
-Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
-Being jealous of others
-Believing that others are jealous of you
-Trouble keeping healthy relationships
-Setting unrealistic goals
-Being easily hurt and rejected
-Having a fragile self-esteem
-Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional
Comment by Racer — June 21, 2009 @ 9:23 am - June 21, 2009
We hear a lot about the Religious Right, but we often overlook the very large–and thus politically important–Religious Left, made up largely of black and hispanic voters who are hostile to the gay segment of their own party. Obama won’t embrace the relatively small gay vote if it means risking the much larger black and hispanic vote. He’ll probably throw us a bone roundabout year three, when he’s looking to re-election and wants to secure our goodwill. And it will work, because the gay community believes in the depths of its soul that the Democratic party supports all gay issues. They demonize the “red staters” while ignoring the fact that many within their own party–including their president–are hostile to gay marriage, don’t see the gay agenda as constituting a legitimate civil rights movement, and don’t really care whether gays ever get to serve openly in the military. Obama is counting on the fact that the Democrats have always been able to purchase gay loyalty on the cheap, and he’s not so worried about alienating what he knows to be a peripheral minority within the party. Unless he rounds up the gays and puts them in camps, the Hollywood crowd will never turn Republican, and rank-and-file Democrats won’t forget their fear of big-business “Republicons” long enough to raise the voice of protest. Obama is selfish, yes, but he’s incredibly politcally saavy, and he knows that when the gays protest the Dems, they don’t really mean it. No matter what the President does or says, in November, they’ll crawl into the booths and pull the lever for the Left.
Comment by Marty — June 21, 2009 @ 9:40 am - June 21, 2009
#13 Winks:
This also explains his attraction for Wright’s brand of Marxism called Black Liberation Theology (Marx for the black believers of God).
Until Wright, he was rather agnostic, if not atheistic, then Michelle turned him on to this vileness and **Bingo** a “religion” that espoused his political leanings. That it also lent a shade of legitimacy to his political aspirations was a bonus.
The short answer is #1 Kevin’s:
NO
at least until the next elections.
#12 Letalis Maximus, Esq.:
We gun owners are not at the same level as Gays to the Dems though. We at least have a larger number of those on our “side” holding office, who feel the same as we do. I stopped Giving the NRA my monies because THEY are the ones who let political expedience get in they way of common sense. They recommend voting for the incumbent as long as he answered the questionnaire the right way. . .never mind he may well be the First Choice of Nancy Pelosi(indeed many in the Dems wanted Chet Edwards) as Vice President!
Heh, Now that Joe the Walking Mis-statement has been working his charms, bet you anything, Obama wishes John Edwards hadn’t queered that deal with his affair. . .
Comment by JP — June 21, 2009 @ 10:42 am - June 21, 2009
#25 JP:
A very interesting point WRT to gun owners, although I’m not sure it’s telling.
I suspect it may be a cultural/class sort of thing, such that people on the the RKBA side are much less likely to be members of the political class and most of the political class loathe such people, e.g. Cheney and especially Palin.
Comment by Harold — June 21, 2009 @ 10:57 am - June 21, 2009
You can replace the word Gay in this paragraph with any other grievance group. This is how the Democratic party operates, gather all victims, promise them all the same thing, then screw them over time and time again.
Comment by Leah — June 21, 2009 @ 11:35 am - June 21, 2009
I spend some time each day reading blogs of different sites and am happy to have stumbled onto the Gay Patriot where I find interesting commentary and the writings of rational thinkers and smart writers. I will now spend more time here.
Comment by Romeo — June 21, 2009 @ 11:43 am - June 21, 2009
good comments all; however, I think the meme that something is hiding in the closet will get more traction.
South Park did an episode along these lines …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapped_in_the_Closet_(South_Park)
Time for humiliation and sarcasm. This will work at several levels:
#1 – hiding from LGBT issues (doing nothing ~ hiding in the closet)
#2 – associating with moonbat religious beliefs (Rev Wright ~ Scientology)
#3 – narcissistic personality (Obama ~ Tom Cruise)
Comment by RM3 Frisker FTN — June 21, 2009 @ 12:03 pm - June 21, 2009
GPW: You’ve codified something I’ve been thinking: nobody’s who’s actually read Dreams From My Father (and, as per Reagan, understood it) would have voted for Obama. He’s got more baggage than Paris Hilton walking out of a Macy’s and you never quite know how it’s going to manifest.
Comment by Ian S. — June 21, 2009 @ 12:04 pm - June 21, 2009
Dan, I actually believe that Obama does care about gay people and gay rights. However, that and $1 won’t even get you a cup of coffee.
Obama cares more about political survival and his reelection chances, and perhaps the 2010 elections. Unfortunately, this is not unique to Obama. This seemed to be the case for at least two of his immediate predecessors. For example, Clinton signed DADT and DOMA. Bush made zero effort to urge Congress to repeal these pieces of legislation and wanted to expand on the latter (people argue that this was also done for political expediency). And now Obama, despite his promises, has not moved in that direction yet. He does have a little more than three years to make good on his promises, but I’m not holding my breath.
Racer – that describes pretty much almost all politicians.
Bingo, Anthony.
Comment by Pat — June 21, 2009 @ 12:31 pm - June 21, 2009
Pat,
I think President Obama is worse than his predicessors. Even President Clinton (who shame was as alien a concept as fidelity wouldn’t have been so ballsy as to file a brief defending DOMA and then turn right around and lament that he ‘wants to appeal it’.
That’s what worries me about him the most, he seems to only be concerned about his advancement
Comment by The_Livewire — June 21, 2009 @ 3:50 pm - June 21, 2009
of course Obama cares about gays. To think, however, that he’d take up gay causes in the midst of trying to right our economic ship (caused by that immoral bushco regime), fix the health-care system (caused by greedy health-care companies, BigPharma, megaInsurance and filthy lobbyists), restore our credibility in the world, bring peace to the middle east and solve two wars, is simply ridiculous. He’s not willing to spend any political capital on it, and who can blame him? He saw what the vast right-wing conspiracy and repugnant republicans did to Bill Clinton when 42 tried to allow gays in the military.
To think he’ll accomplish everything he promised within his first six months is unrealistic. Naturally you people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. I can’t blame you for that; but go on, keep whining…it’s what you do best.
It’s going to be a LONG, LONG decade for you.
Comment by buckeyenutlover — June 21, 2009 @ 3:52 pm - June 21, 2009
Letalis Maximus wrote: Gays are to Democrats what gun owners are to the Republicans. The “party” wants the votes, the volunteering, and most of all the money. But the “party” isn’t going to do shit for either of “their” constituent groups.
I think the Republican party has been very consistent and effective in supporting gun rights/2nd amendment rights. Letalis, do you have a non-trivial example of Republican betrayal of gun rights?
Comment by MGCC — June 21, 2009 @ 4:27 pm - June 21, 2009
Is there anything bnl wouldn’t justfiy?
Comment by The_Livewire — June 21, 2009 @ 8:58 pm - June 21, 2009
“why buy the gay community cow when you can get the milk for free”
Comment by Every Democrat in Washignton — June 21, 2009 @ 11:36 pm - June 21, 2009
re: buckeyenutlover
—————
And they say liberals have no sense of humor, good one! I spit my coffee on my keyboard when I read your note, too funny
Comment by Joe — June 21, 2009 @ 11:38 pm - June 21, 2009
Does that include actively covering up a lack of achievements and/or talents?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 22, 2009 @ 5:10 am - June 22, 2009
Crap. My point remains valid.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 22, 2009 @ 5:10 am - June 22, 2009
I really wish there were more people who didn’t need their President to care about them.
Comment by Ignatius — June 22, 2009 @ 9:54 am - June 22, 2009
[...] on Obama’s failure to act, he offers a hypothesis similar to one blogger Roger Simon and I have also put forward. Gary contends “the obvious reason for Barack Obama’s behavior is [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » The Integrity of Gay Left Bloggers Who Criticize Obama — June 26, 2009 @ 7:13 pm - June 26, 2009
Obama is busy taking care of the USA from becoming dust, and you guys whine about him “not caring” for homosexuals…
He has priorities ladies and gentlemen, but he hasnt spoken anything hostile against homosexuals has he? He is out there trying to save the ass of every American that Bush sent to their deaths, so lets wait and see what happens, before anyone start whining about Obama not caring about gays. He just has his hands a bit full right now… And believe it or not, but gay rights have a tendency to be a bit secondary for us non gays in times of war. As insipid as it may sound, tell me, is it true? Or am I lying?
Comment by WHATEVER — July 26, 2009 @ 5:56 pm - July 26, 2009