Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Blog Swarm: Ask HRC To Demand Obama Work To Repeal DADT This Year

A number of bloggers have launched a "blog swarm" today to pressure the Human Rights Campaign ("HRC") into forcefully pressuring President Obama to take a leadership role in the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As I have complained numerous times, Obama makes pretty speeches and then punts to Congress and does nothing - the health care reform debacle is but one example. We cannot allow the same thing to happen with DADT and HRC needs to stop ass kissing the President and demand action. Indeed, to date, HRC has provided political cover for Obama's do nothing approach to LGBT issues. Here are details of the blog swarm effort which I fully endorse:
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OUR MESSAGE TO HRC IS SIMPLE:Publicly demand that President Obama take the lead in getting DADT repealed this year.
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1) That means the President needs to state publicly that he wants Congress to repeal DADT this year; and
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2) The President needs to take the lead in working with Congress to make sure the repeal happens.
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HRC Front Desk: (202) 628-4160
TTY: (202) 216-1572
Toll-Free: (800) 777-4723
HRC Web site comment page.
General membership email at hrc: membership@hrc.org
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As Joe at Joe By God correctly notes, Obama CAN do something if he would but choose to do so (the problem to date is that he has chosen to do nothing):
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Some may say that there is little the President can do, or that this is up to Congress now. That is simply untrue. The President can send a powerful signal that he wants the repeal done this year. He can include the repeal of DADT in the Defense Budget he sends to Congress in the next few months. If the President is serious about keeping his promises to our community, now is his chance to prove it. . . . As we painfully learned last year during health care reform, nothing happens in Congress unless the President leads. And when the President doesn't lead, disaster is guaranteed.
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I urge readers to take action and contact HRC. Among the sponsoring blogs are the following:
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Joe Sudbay and John Aravosis, AMERICAblog
Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend
Michelangelo Signorile, Sirius OutQ & the Gist
Markos Moulitsas, DailyKos
Andy Towle, TowleRoad
Joe Jervis, Joe My GodBil Browning, Bilerico
Taylor Marsh, TaylorMarsh.com
Dan Savage, Slog

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