DADT and DOMA to be Repealed by 2011?

June 18, 2009

So President Obama signed that memorandum yesterday, and it was pretty much what we’d all expected. No health benefits, no social security, no benefits for military personnel, and the effect of the memorandum disappears as soon as President Obama leaves office. The benefits that were offered are not new; they’ve been available for over ten years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VasC9lDsw_4

The signing itself is surprisingly clumsy. I get the impression that President Obama knew that he was doing nothing and was uncomfortable about it, at least I’m hoping that’s the case.

On December 18, 2008, President Obama proclaimed that he was a “fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans”, and then didn’t let the G-word or the L-word pass his lips for six months. It cannot be another six months before he’s prodded to publicly acknowledge us again.

More important than the signing held last night, though, is a nugget of information buried in yesterday morning’s press briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The two big topics in the briefing were the election in Iran and the forthcoming signing, and they bounced back and forth between the two. Skip ahead to 25:27 for some information that I don’t think we’ve heard before.

Q: And on — just one more time on DOMA, “don’t ask, don’t tell” timeline, does the President want to see that overturned in this Congress? I mean, is there a plan to do that in this Congress?

MR. GIBBS: I think, as Senator Reid said, it’s something we can do in this Congress and it’s something that the President is working with members of Congress, working with — on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” working with the Pentagon to ensure that that happens.

(full transcript here)

“This congress” is 2009-2010. I wouldn’t exactly call this a firm commitment, but it’s certainly more specific than the vague Sunday’s “on this administration’s watch” that we got last Sunday.

Of course, I still think it’s reasonable to suggest that President Obama stop the DADT bleeding while Congress works out the details over the next 18 months.


  • http://keltic.wordpress.com/ keltic

    You know, I just got an email asking me to donate to the DNC via barackObama.com and David Plouffe. I took a chance and replied to it, stating that I had no intention of giving money when the President has forgotten who supported him, and offered such a pitiful crumb to so few lgbt people and only because the big LGBT money was pulling out of Joe Biden's DNC fundraiser. I also pointed out the disgusting DoJ document, how insulting it is to compare the love between my husband and myself to that of an incestuous crime. Surpisingly, I got a response, albeit computer generated, but at least I know someone MAY read it at some point. The reply did say that they have a lot of emails at the moment. Good. I hope it is every LGBT person who got the original email and they are replying with “no money until you acknowledge us”

  • Larry Ohio

    Fundraiser email: I got the email too, and promptly deleted it. I'm not a democrat; I'm an independent. I happily gave money to Obama's campaign last fall, and will again when he runs for reelection, but I will not give a penny to the DNC now or in any foreseeable timeline. It is my belief that House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid are the two worst members of congress and if anything I will give money to their non-Republican opponents when they come up for reelection (both in 2010). Reid is such a buffoon. He's laughable.

    White House Briefing: I'm glad to see the press corps asking questions like this several times a week. That puts pressure on Press Secretary Gibbs and his people to probe the President more often for his thoughts and plans on these LGBT issues.

  • Larry Ohio

    Fundraiser email: I got the email too, and promptly deleted it. I'm not a democrat; I'm an independent. I happily gave money to Obama's campaign last fall, and will again when he runs for reelection, but I will not give a penny to the DNC now or in any foreseeable timeline. It is my belief that House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid are the two worst members of congress and if anything I will give money to their non-Republican opponents when they come up for reelection (both in 2010). Reid is such a buffoon. He's laughable.

    White House Briefing: I'm glad to see the press corps asking questions like this several times a week. That puts pressure on Press Secretary Gibbs and his people to probe the President more often for his thoughts and plans on these LGBT issues.

  • Larry Ohio

    Fundraiser email: I got the email too, and promptly deleted it. I'm not a democrat; I'm an independent. I happily gave money to Obama's campaign last fall, and will again when he runs for reelection, but I will not give a penny to the DNC now or in any foreseeable timeline. It is my belief that House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid are the two worst members of congress and if anything I will give money to their non-Republican opponents when they come up for reelection (both in 2010). Reid is such a buffoon. He's laughable.

    White House Briefing: I'm glad to see the press corps asking questions like this several times a week. That puts pressure on Press Secretary Gibbs and his people to probe the President more often for his thoughts and plans on these LGBT issues.

  • http://keltic.wordpress.com/ keltic

    You know, I just got an email asking me to donate to the DNC via barackObama.com and David Plouffe. I took a chance and replied to it, stating that I had no intention of giving money when the President has forgotten who supported him, and offered such a pitiful crumb to so few lgbt people and only because the big LGBT money was pulling out of Joe Biden's DNC fundraiser. I also pointed out the disgusting DoJ document, how insulting it is to compare the love between my husband and myself to that of an incestuous crime. Surpisingly, I got a response, albeit computer generated, but at least I know someone MAY read it at some point. The reply did say that they have a lot of emails at the moment. Good. I hope it is every LGBT person who got the original email and they are replying with “no money until you acknowledge us”

  • Larry Ohio

    Fundraiser email: I got the email too, and promptly deleted it. I'm not a democrat; I'm an independent. I happily gave money to Obama's campaign last fall, and will again when he runs for reelection, but I will not give a penny to the DNC now or in any foreseeable timeline. It is my belief that House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid are the two worst members of congress and if anything I will give money to their non-Republican opponents when they come up for reelection (both in 2010). Reid is such a buffoon. He's laughable.

    White House Briefing: I'm glad to see the press corps asking questions like this several times a week. That puts pressure on Press Secretary Gibbs and his people to probe the President more often for his thoughts and plans on these LGBT issues.