President Obama Has A Communications Problem With LGBT Community

[Whoa_Nelly]

http://lezgetreal.com/2011/06/president-obama-has-a-communications-problem-with-lgbt-community/

06-24-2011 by Linda S. Carbonell
Vermont became the first state to institute civil unions because of an act that had nothing to do with marriage equality. The Legislature rewrote the State Constitution to eliminate gender-specific language. An act taken to satisfy the women’s rights movement benefitted the LGBT rights movement. Without gender-specific language, it could be proven in court that the State Constitution did not bar marriage between members of the same gender.

It is the kind of understanding of the nuances of the law that has been missing from the marriage equality debate ever since.

<snip>
President Obama needs to learn to speak plain English. His statements concerning marriage equality appear to understand this nuance of the law, but he has never properly explained how he can separate supporting full rights for the LGBT community with his resistence to gay marriage. His decision to not defend DOMA is part of that apparent ambiguity about LGBT rights. He understands the separation of church and state issue and cannot explain it. As an avowed Christian (rumors to the contrary), he probably has an ingrained belief that a church should not be forced to perform ceremonies that are contrary to the tenets of their faith. As a Constitutional scholar, he understands that civil contracts should not be subject to religious restrictions, and therefore supports civil unions. He has never been able to properly express that. He has never been able to express the need to remove those aspects of law that make civil marriages between same sex couples a second-tier marriage when a civil marriage between hetero couples is equal under the law to one performed by a clergyperson.

<snip>
If the LGBT community wants Federal action on same sex marriage, they need to address the manner in which a purely civil contract is certified by persons over whom the states exercise little or no authority. And President Obama needs to explain that to them. He needs to explain the necessity of separating state and church. Somehow, a man who has a remarkable capacity for stirring oratory has become stunningly incapable of explaining much of anything in the past three years, from immigration to economics to same sex marriage. In the next year, someone needs to teach him to speak plain English and offer clear explanations of complex issues. Anything less than that will cost him and us the ability to save the future.

[msongs]

1. lol and pretty much everyone else nt

[MouseFitzgerald]

2. Obama's problem is that he doesn't support gay marriage

It has nothing to do with "communications". Its not going to be easy to get a community of people on your side when you don't think they should be allowed to get married.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. 'Zactly, Moose! n/t

[Shagbark Hickory]

16. Mouse, you mean nt

[dbackjon]

4. Disgusting article

Either you are for full equality for all Americans, or you are not.

Take a stand President Obama - either you are a bigot that does not support immediate full equality, or you support immediate full equality - which means GAY MARRIAGE in ALL STATES.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. sd

[David Gill]

5. Pragmatism

I live in Poughkeepsie NY. My State Senator (who I voted against) was the Republican that broke the tie on same sex marriage in NY, so tonight I'm a proud Poughkeepsie-an!

The problem is, there's no practical benefits for Obama to come out for gay marriage. He's certainly not going to be able to get legislation passed in support of it. All it would do is make him less popular in swing states, and less likely to be reelected.

Not everything's an "all or nothing" issue. I hope that many states follow in NY's footsteps, but if I was forced to choose between having a Democrat in the White House the next five years, or having a President make a gesture of support, I choose the former.

[Bluebear]

8. Very brave of you.

[Kahuna]

11. Do you want to win a battle or the whole war?

I think I already know the answer to that.

[Bluebear]

12. You have all the answers.

/ignore

[Kahuna]

13. LOL!

:rofl:

[Kahuna]

14. DELETE DUPE.

[yardwork]

18. LOL!

DU is full of newbies telling us not to celebrate today. I wonder why.

[tpsbmam]

17. Whatever happened to taking a stance because it's the morally

correct thing to do? Do I want politicians whose actions are solely guided by polls, their belief that standing up for the right thing will lose them votes, who refuse to stand up for equal rights for ALL Americans? A resounding HELL NO!!

What if the whites in power, and it was whites in power, did the "pragmatic" thing and allowed slavery to continue for another generation? Or the whites in power had done the "pragmatic" thing and let Jim Crow continue to be the unwritten law of the land, denying equal rights to African Americans? Or how about women's civil rights? I hope you're getting the point.

I have zero respect for someone who won't stand up and fight for GLBT equal rights because it's "pragmatic" not to do so. The same was true of many of Obama's predecessors when it came to fighting for HIS rights. He seems to take all of that for granted now that he's part of the rich and powerful. He seems to have forgotten LOTS of his roots and the people who got him to the place he's in now.

[Cresent City Kid]

6. Obama tries to split the difference on many things

and falls flat on this issue. I don't know anyone who's feelings about gay marriage are as contrived as the way he expresses his opinion on it. I know people who oppose it and who support it with passion. I also know some who don't object to gay marriage because they don't give a shit. His communication problem is that he's trying to say "I'm on your side" to people on different sides with one sweeping statement, which pleases none of the people none of the time.

[xchrom]

9. +1

[LetTimmySmoke]

7. Let me fix the title for you:

President Obama Has A Communications Problem With LGBT Community Everyone

[divvy]

10. The "Great Orator" has been stuttering and sputtering for some time now.

I think the voters may be a wee bit more clear.