A civics lesson from Hillary Clinton regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell:
During a recent interview with CBS on LOGOs Jason Bellini, Senator Hillary Clinton took the opportunity to discuss her presidential candidacy, her recent post-debate embrace with Barack Obama and her record on issues affecting the gay community — including “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”Clinton reminded viewers of an important truth, that the ban on gays and lesbians in our armed forces is not a policy or a regulation, but a law; and as such, only Congress, with the support and signature of the President, can repeal it.
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SLDN is urging lawmakers to support the Military Readiness Enhansment [sic] Act (HR 1246), the bill which will repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and allow every patriotic American to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.
As I commented at SLDN’s website:
Still no version in the Senate.If only there were a Senator or two who claimed to oppose DADT and who could sponsor a companion version of MREA in that chamber.
Especially one who sits on the Armed Services Committee, where such a bill would be first debated.
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Folks, I applaud your commitment to this issue, but do you realize at all how utterly preposterous it is for you, how humiliating it is to you, to commend HRC for reminding people that DADT is a statute without simultaneously calling her out for her despicable hypocrisy on the policy?
Regarding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, it’s time for Put Up, or Shut Up.
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Meanwhile, Clinton herself today penned a missive explaining why she’s just so fabulous for gays and cites all the wonderful things — all seven of them — that she’s done for us.
One of those seven — I am not making this up — is that she marches in gay pride parades. For that she apparently deserves the White House.
Another — I am not making this up — is that she met, actually met, with some gays as Chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee (whatever that is).
No wonder she hasn’t found time to sponsor the MREA in the Senate, what with all those parades to march in, committees to chair and gays to meet.
(Via Good As You.)
5 responses so far ↓
Link Alec // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Gay Democrats have not overlooked this. There is a surge of support for him in the gay community. This is not the reason I'm voting for him, but I am sure younger gay Democrats in particular are taking these things into account.
Link Chuck H // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Alex: Him who? Are you saying one of the male senators running has sponsored a companion version of MREA in the Senate? To the best of my knowledge none of the senators running has given anything but lip service to ending DADT.
Link Alec // Feb 5, 2008 at 2:13 am
Obama (the only other male senator still running in the Dem primaries). I make no representations on his record on gay rights; I would simply note that he is not associated with the triangulation strategy that resulted in DOMA. Personally, gay rights is low on my totem pole of issues at this juncture. He has a tendency to interject pro-gay statements in unusual settings and his past work in civil rights indicates he will be very careful about his judicial nominees.
Of course, all that being said, Obama is no libertarian and you are unlikely to support him. I was making a comment about the interest gay Democratic voters have in him, and lingering suspicions from the Clinton era.
As an aside, although I will not be voting for Clinton in the primary, I will be supporting her if she is the Democratic nominee. The fact that Clinton has not sponsored legislation to repeal DODT is not something I am especially concerned about. There were only two realistic windows of opportunity to do so: May 2001-January 2003 and Jan. 2007-Now. There were and are reasons to be hesitant about that kind of change in those time periods unrelated to fear of a Bush veto, anti-gay prejudice or political backlash. Moreover, any version of the MREA is dead without a Democratic president.
Link KipEsquire // Feb 5, 2008 at 9:31 am
That hasn't stopped the Democrats from moving forward with ENDA.
Link Matt Comer // Feb 5, 2008 at 11:07 am
"Meanwhile, Clinton herself today penned a missive explaining why she's just so fabulous for gays and cites all the wonderful things — all seven of them — that she's done for us."
Too little. Too Late.