Obama's administration's "compromise" position is that they will await the results of the Pentagon's study on GLBT servicemen and women, due in December 2010.
Just yesterday, President Obama lectured another gay activist at yet-another Democratic fundraiser, telling that activist that he was on our side. Oh, really, Mr. President?
That was the second time in as many months that the President has shown his anger at frustrated gay activists who rightly say he's dithering his promise to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
And now we're told to wait until the Pentagon's study comes in in December.
Although I've seen a lot of diaries expressing frustration at the President over his clear truculence, no one's called him out on the timing of all of this.
"Just wait a little longer..." That's what the Democratic Party has been telling its LGBT supporters for decades now. Meanwhile, they court our votes, our volunteer labor and, most importantly, our campaign contributions. That's why Mr. Obama's so red-faced that gay activists would dare disrupt campaign fundraisers.
This time around, we're being expected to contribute to Democratic candidates, volunteer for their campaigns, and vote for them in November. There's a political reason the Pentagon's report won't be out until well after Election Day, and that's to continue the "Lucy with the football" relationship Democratic Party has with the LGBT community.
To that end, I propose we in the LGBT community conduct a study of our own.
I propose that we in the GLBT community study whether or not the Democratic Party, as a whole, is representing our interests at all. Beyond that, I propose that we in the LBGT community study which individual Democratic candidates are furthering our interests, and which ones are not. Further, I propose that we in the LGBT community do a cost-benefit analysis of our campaign contributions and our votes on behalf of Democratic candidates for the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate.
I propose that the results of that study should be available sometime around the middle of December 2010, about a day or two after the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" study is released.
Until our study is complete, I propose we withhold our support, at least in the form of campaign contributions.