Many of you have heard me rant a fair bit about the broken promises of the Obama administration, but many of you may not be aware that I'm the tip of the iceberg in that regard. This post is intended as a bit of a "reading list" for anyone who doesn't get why the Democratic Party is facing outright hostility from the LGBT community, and why that will be a significant negative in the 2010 election cycle if not proactively and forcefully addressed.
The Reading List
First, one of the best blogs around on LGBT issues as well as racism and other progressive issues is Pam's House Blend barista'd by the amazing Pam Spaulding. You could do worse than to spend a few hours reading the past six months, including the comments. You'll find a lot to agree with, you'll find a lot to disagree with, but it's a good place to spend some serious reading time.
A few bits from recent posts there:
Catch Pam Spaulding on CNN, at about 2:30 in this clip.
Read through all the comments in this post.
Then, catch the buzz in the comments in other places:
Joe, My God
TowleRoad
The Associated Press gets snarky.
Sean Bugg
Andrew Sullivan
The Washington Post spends a good bit of time on the subject in the second half of this article.
There's thousands more, but that's a start.
The Analysis
We, the Democratic Party, are behind, not ahead of a rising wave of pessimism, betrayal and anger. The wave will continue to grow until we get ahead of it. It ain't just me, This is not a "vocal minority" of the LGBT community, this is a lot bigger.
And as with any sort of lost trust, it will be more difficult to regain that trust than it would have been to keep it up-front. And the President has earned that distrust.
The anger extends beyond the president, it's not difficult if you read through these blogs to find contempt for a good bit of the Democratic Congress (in places), the HRC (who many believe told Obama not to focus on DADT), Barney Frank (who many folks believe (although I don't), is trying to placate the president to land a cabinet job).
Yes, yes, not everything can be fixed in a day, but let's hear the president say that Prop. 8 violates Equal Protection. Let's hear him speak about what's happening in Maine, and Washington State. Let's see him use an executive order to suspect DADT discharges. Let's see him stop ignoring the letter from the Senate Majority Leader's letter about how to move forward with DADT--a policy supported by 70% of the American Public. Let's see you talk about the 14th amendment and Equal Protection like they mattered. These are the gimmes, the easy things. Not being able to do these things is, I believe, a sign of contempt, not fierce advocacy.
This inaction has angered, badly, what's usually a consistent part of the base, and if we don't start addressing LGBT equality soon, it's going to cost us badly, in about thirteen months.
It's time to get off our asses and fix it.