But the latest news from the White House might turn some heads:
"...Attorney General Eric Holder said the Obama administration would no longer defend in court legislation that forbids giving benefits to the legal spouses of gay military members. In a letter to Congress, Talking Points Memo's Ryan J. Reilly reports, Holder said the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment. A year ago, the administration said it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, but legally married gay military couples still couldn't get benefits."President Obama has been less than the "fierce advocate" to the LGBT community he claimed to be during the 2008 election. It's one disappointment in a relatively short--but no less significant--list of walkbacks or just plain broken promises throughout his first term (for instance, his administration is exceptionally tough on illegal immigration, a stance that should be praised by the GOP).
Still, the president's promises kept include a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell--fought for and won in Congress. Along with a refusal to block military benefits for same-sex couples, the Commander in Chief is standing behind his gay and lesbian service members. It's a surprisingly effective example of benign neglect: by ignoring the "problem" and refusing to litigate it in court, LGBT members of the military can have many (if not all) of the same rights that cisgendered heterosexual couples receive.
Meanwhile, New Jersey's state legislature just voted to allow same-sex couples to marry; and although governor Chris Christie has vowed to veto the bill, the fight isn't over. Just last week Washington made same-sex marriages legal, joining six other states and California, a state still grappling with the law in court. It might be fair to say that the president has led from behind on the issue of gay marriage: By agreeing not to stand in the way, Obama is making it easier for states to enact their own laws.
Still, there's the matter of Obama's own stated stance on gay marriage; he's said most recently that he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, although that wasn't always his belief. Instead of "evolving" on the issue, why not just come out of the closet? Obama should openly support the right of gays, lesbians and transgender Americans to marry, and he should stand behind members of Congress who support it as well. He should match his actions with his words, and push harder for marriage equality for the entire country.
Of course, we're fighting two wars with the GOP already: birth control and economic inequality. How much political capital should we expect the president to spend in an election year? And isn't keeping the rowdy right-wing trained on Nuvarings, aspirin and Newt's million-dollar implosion a perfect way to distract from the quiet, consistent wins for gay marriage?
Several more states are considering marriage equality--and as more people become involved in the political process, the tide will continue to turn. This isn't the president's job. It's ours--and we need to stay engaged all year, from local and state legislatures on up to the race for the White House. That means paying attention, and it means voting this November.
Roger Hedgecock, blogger for conservative site Human Events, has it just right:
If the persistent recession, high unemployment, a falling standard of living, rising dependency on government, higher taxes, and too much government debt are the dominating political issues in the 2012 Presidential race, Obama loses.
Obama's winning. So are we.If social issues like gay marriage and free contraceptives are the dominating political issues in the 2012 Presidential race, Obama wins.
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