DISQUS

erip · 6 months ago

Pass this on to everyone you know.. So often its humor that conveys the truth better than lofty speeches..
Obama has thrown the gay community under the bus and everyone makes excuses for him. As colbert said.. how long does it take to write a stop loss order???

tigergrrldc · 6 months ago

The Liar is a liar, so he and the DNC won't be seeing anymore of my money. I think as others in the LGBT community realize that he really isn't our friend, the money is going to dry up, unless we have a lot of Charlie Browns in the community.

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

Read this article from two years ago from Towleroad:

http://www.towleroad.com/2007/06/pride_07_the_a...

Disgusting that NOTHING has changed!

One thing I keep going back to is the FACT if a gay or lesbian serviceman is injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, their partner is NOT notified. If Obama and most of his advisors had bothered to serve in the military, like many of us gay and lesbian veterans, MAYBE they would understand just how unfair it is. Patriotic gay and lesbian troops are willing to FIGHT and DIE for his policy decisions but he is UNWILLING to sign a STOP LOSS order and allow openly gay and lesbian servicemen the respect of notifying their partners if they are injured or killed.

Like Colbert said it would take a "stroke of a pen" and that is too much for the Commander-in-Chief.

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

This just in! Governor Sanford has called the Jackson family and expressed gratitude "Michael Jackson 'took one' for 'Team Sanford' and died at this fortunate time!" so cable news, especially FOX NEWS could rapidly change the subject...

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

The Colbert Nation "gets it" why can't "Team Obama?"

Seansmith · 6 months ago

I used to ask this but now I realize, why should they?

If I can walk all over a group (to appeal to centrist), placate them with crumbs, and still cash in over $1 million at fundraisers I'm thinking as a politician it's the obvious smart thing to do.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

Yep! The gAyTM is closed!

Seansmith · 6 months ago

Your gAyTM is closed. But there's a $1 million gAyTM out there just waiting to come to a DNC fundraiser near you.

I'm beyond saddened by this. How do they actually raise MORE money this year, with all the hoopla. I'm just in shock.

Steve_in_CNJ · 6 months ago

you are probably just seeing a little lingering hope. it's still much smaller than what they could have received.

MrHeathen · 6 months ago

I'm guessing that all those who pulled out and didn't attend, actually made huge contributions, thus appearing to placate both sides.

nicho · 6 months ago

I'm guessing that the $1 million is either inflated -- or was artificially pumped up a the last minute to blunt the effects of our protests. I'm guessing Rahm or someone was on the phone soliciting contributions to "put the queers in their place."

KarenMrsLloydRichards · 6 months ago

"Doesn't it feel like you own a dog?"

Perfect.

tlsintx · 6 months ago

and it might've worked, but for that damn DOMA brief.

that was not smart.

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

I'm thinking the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" would have eventually bitten them in the ass because sane people, outside of Washington DC, see the ridiculous discharges of qualified lesbians and gays in the military, especially those who are trained in human intelligence gathering like arabic translating, is stupid and DANGEROUS! Only a politician would choose to reward homophobia for short term political gain over the threat induced by kicking out qualified servicemen in post 9-11 America. I know the Obama Administration doesn't want to explain we were hit again because they thought ignorant homophobia was more important than National Security! Or DO THEY?

Dateline_Molly · 6 months ago

The ruling class doesn't give a rat's ass about "national security." They understand that terra is a fabricated concept to scare the American public into rolling over while they loot the treasury for defense contractors and privatized mercenary groups like Blackwater.

leliorisen · 6 months ago

I would feel better about things if I thought more people in the glbt community actually paid attention to what is not being done for us. Way too many people are apathetic. How many will actually take the time to visit a site like this one, for example?

The fact that they were able to raise significantly more money at this year's fundraising event is totally nauseating.

heyitsfeej · 6 months ago

I couldn't agree more. How many people do you think will turn out for that march in Washington later this year? My guess: not nearly enough.

nicho · 6 months ago

Marches aren't that effective -- unless you have an awful lot of people. Even so, the "authorities" have perfected methods for dealing with protests they don't want. Just think back to the ones leading up to Bush's invasion of Iraq. In both NYC and DC, they were able to split up the marchers and herd them down different streets so that no one ever got a view of how many people were marching. And, most gays in DC won't march. They're either on the "down low" or they work for the government and aren't gay in public. For people from outside DC, it's very expensive to take time off work, fly across the country, get a place to stay, etc.

Dateline_Molly · 6 months ago

Marches and protests have to occur EVERY SINGLE DAY to be effective. That is the only way they will be picked up by the MSM. You can't marginalize an action that occurs day in and day out over and over again with hundreds of thousands or millions of people.

Steve_in_CNJ · 6 months ago

my thinking is, hey it's the first year after the great bush miasma. there's still a residual glow and people don't want to feel miserable again so soon. $1 million is way less than they could have made. and next year it will be zero if things don't change.

tlsintx · 6 months ago

I have no idea what Obama really believes on gay rights. if he's for us, he lacks the courage of his convictions. if he's against us, he's a liar. either way, it sucks.

we now hold the unenviable position that the fundies held with bushco. Obama is playing us just like W. played them.

that worked well for bushco, for awhile, but not ultimately. i wonder what we can do differently...maybe withholding money isn't the answer - that just clears the way for Caribou/Jindaloo in the next election...

and we can't control the gAyTM - really...
maybe the answer is to let the big money gays keep giving them money but just keep calling them on the bullshit and demanding justice. they do seem to be worried about the blogs, but I doubt it's our fundraising clout...just thinking aloud here...help me out.

Indigo · 6 months ago

It doesn't matter what Obama "really" thinks about the gay community. What matters is what he does and what he does is radically inappropriate. So . . . as far as the real world is concerned, he's transparently unfriendly to the gay community.

Seansmith · 6 months ago

One silver lining is that, while reading all the blogs I notice in the comments that most people are still voicing "gaytm = closed"

Since most political contributions come from small donations, maybe this wasn't such a huge loss after all. Considering most money the DNC will make is from people like us who gives <$25 or so, we're the ones controlling the big money.

So the A-gays can do what they will (we must strongly, strongly, strongly boycott and make pariahs are these people), but they don't have nearly the numbers that we do. Based on our numbers and small donations, we're the ones who are truly going to make the dent in the DNC with money, time, and votes if we can just stay solidified. And if the blogs are any conformation, I'd say average gay people are united on this one.

That'll help me sleep tonight at least.

nicho · 6 months ago

That's largely a myth. Most of Obama's money came from corporations and lobbyists. The grass-roots thing was another lie. Why else do you think he's giving a Lewinsky to the giant corporations?

Seansmith · 6 months ago

Yeah I wouldn't doubt that about Obama's money, but what about the DNC as a whole? According to msnbc most of the DNC's money comes from small donations <$250. In 2006 80% of their fundraising came from people like us.

I imagine it's not very different for the gays.

nicho · 6 months ago

I imagine it's all in the bookkeeping methods they use -- kind of like how movies, even blockbusters, never show a profit. They want us to think our donations are important. Of course, they'll take every nickel they can get, but they rely on the corporations and the lobbyists for support. If they didn't, they would be kissing our asses instead of lobbyists.

sonofloud · 6 months ago

Given his decision not to accept public financing, Mr. Obama is counting on his bundlers to help him raise $300 million for his general-election campaign and another $180 million for the Democratic National Committee.

An analysis of campaign finance records shows that about two-thirds of his bundlers are concentrated in four major industries: law, securities and investments, real estate and entertainment. Lawyers make up the largest group, numbering roughly 130, with many of them working for firms that also have lobbying arms. At least 100 Obama bundlers are top executives or brokers from investment businesses: nearly two dozen work for financial titans like Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs or Citigroup. About 40 others come from the real estate industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/politics/0...

cowboyneok · 6 months ago

We can control the gAyTM if we make PARIAHS out of the A-lister gays who continue to play games with the rest of our rights. They won't continue to give if we continue to kiss their narcissistic asses. Unless they want to just "party" with the straight people...

We are going to have to be disciplined and make life miserable for those who continue to work against us by embracing the status quo.

sonofloud · 6 months ago

Viva Colbert and Viva Joe Sudbay !!

sonofloud · 6 months ago

We have to protest at every gay fundraiser for the Democratic Party.....if we stop, we lose momentum.
Does anyone know which city is next?
I live in SF and pride is this weekend. I'm sure there will be some representatives from the Democratic Party there. We must let them know how we feel.
No equality, no money.

jlxn · 6 months ago

I'm happy that Steven Colbert remembered the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall. I knew Obama would forget about us once it became apparent he would win the election, so no disappointment there.