A Gallup Poll, taken May 7-10, 2009 shows quite a bit of movement in favor of allowing gays to OPENLY serve in the military.
Conservatives at 58%
Moderates at 77%
Liberals at 86%
Weekly churchgoers also show double-digit increase in support from 2004
Weekly churchgoers, fer chrissakes!!
But that isn't even the striking part. The striking part is that "weekly churchgoers" and "Conservatives" were the only groups that were BELOW 50% the LAST time the poll was taken in 2004.
All other groups were above 50% IN 2004.
Back in 2004, 63% of Americans were in favor, with 83% of liberals, 72% of moderates, and 46% of conservatives.
So, let's give President Obama the benefit of the doubt that he's not done anything on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) been waiting for exactly this.....
CONSENSUS.
It is now quite clear that Americans, to the tune of 69% are now in favor of allowing gays to serve openly in the military.
As the Obama administration weighs the political and military consequences of a policy change on this issue, it can do so knowing Americans are for the most part strongly in favor of change toward allowing gay men and lesbian women to serve openly alongside their fellow service members.
58% of Conservatives? Yes, I think that's a safe assumption.
And think about this: If they live in Vermont, Maine, Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, or New Hampshire, they can be LEGALLY MARRIED and still have to lie about that fact to recruiters when they join. CAN they even lie about something like that? Will they now have to choose between being married and having their military career?
We all know that during the presidential campaign he was decidedly FOR overturning DADT.
September 17, 2008
Obama Campaign Holds Policy Briefing on
The Barack Obama campaign held a conference call Wednesday aimed at contrasting the senator's support for repeal of the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy with John McCain’s belief in maintaining the ban against gays and lesbians serving openly in the Armed Forces.
Then.....two months later (and only a few weeks after being elected)......this:
November 21st, 2009:
President-elect Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military's decades-old ban on open homosexuals in the ranks, two people who have advised the Obama transition team on this issue say.
But, why the wait? (beware, Washington Times article approaching!)
Lawrence Korb, an analyst at the Center for American Progress and an adviser to the Obama campaign, said the new administration should set up a Pentagon committee to make recommendations to Congress on a host of manpower issues, including the gay ban.
"If it's part of a larger package, it has a better chance of getting passed," he said.
So, politically, Obama now has absolute consensus from the American people to overturn DADT. He now needs to gain that same consensus from his military leaders.
Perhaps Obama had a quick talk with ex-president Clinton to see how it went for him, back in 1993? Is this what he's shying away from?
On Capitol Hill, Republicans, and some leading Democrats, including then-Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn of Georgia, objected. Retired military officers and a number of pro-military conservative activist groups joined the fight.
But what about since then?
2006:
Ex-military leaders file brief against "don't ask, don't tell"
A group of 14 retired military leaders has filed a brief with the first circuit court of appeals in Washington, D.C., in support of a lawsuit filed by military personnel dismissed under the armed services' antigay "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The case is being appealed after it was dismissed by a lower federal court in April, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement on Tuesday.
2007:
Opposition to the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy regarding the service of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals in the U.S. armed forces is gaining momentum — this time from within the military community.
Marking the 14th anniversary of the implementation of "don’t ask, don’t tell," 28 retired generals and admirals signed a letter late last month calling for repealing the policy.
And on November 17th, 2008, FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE ARTICLE ABOUT OBAMA'S DELAY?
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 100 retired U.S. military leaders -- including the former head of the Naval Academy -- have signed a statement calling for an end to the military's "don't ask-don't tell" policy, according to a California-based think tank that supports the movement.
These are all retired military leaders, and I'm not sure what percentage of the whole, they represent. But when you've got a former head of the Naval Academy??? Naval academy. Men on ships. In close quarters. With long periods of nowhere to go. And he wants DADT repealed.
So, what obstacles remain? The Pentagon leaders? Joint Chiefs? Obama's style of governing?
But that was January, 2009. Since then, Iowa. And as more and more states legalize same-sex marriage, President Obama is looking more and more out of step, both with his promises, and now with the American people.
You're from Hawaii, Barack. The wave is here.
RIDE IT!!
UPDATE: I forgot to ask the military personnel.
Most active-duty service members continue to oppose President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to end the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy to allow gays to serve openly in the military, a Military Times survey shows.
Moreover, if the policy was repealed, nearly 10 percent of respondents said they would not re-enlist or extend their service, and 14 percent said they would consider terminating their careers after serving their obligated tours.
Army Capt. Steven J. Lacy, a logistician assigned to the 71st Transportation Battalion at Fort Eustis, Va., said he is very concerned about the policy being repealed.
"I think a lot of people are," Lacy said. "In the field environment, you’re in very close proximity to one another. The fact that someone could be openly gay could exacerbate stress on teams and small units when you’re already at a high stress level."
However, 71 percent of respondents said they would continue to serve if the policy was overturned.
So, recruitment and re-enlistment may be the main concern here. And recruitment IS way down. But that's more likely because we found out we had no business being in Iraq.