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Obama officially thinks it is appropriate to use his executive power to buy a drone from a government contractor and use that drone to execute you without trial, but he won't use his executive power to tell that same contractor they can't fire you for being gay.
President Obama has decided not to follow the example set by President Lyndon B. Johnson and will not use an executive order to ban discrimination. From the Huffington Post:
The Obama administration on Wednesday decided not to move forward with an executive order prohibiting workplace discrimination among federal contractors that is a top priority for the LGBT community.
“While it is not our usual practice to discuss Executive Orders that may or may not be under consideration, we do not expect that an Executive Order on LGBT non-discrimination for federal contractors will be issued at this time,” a senior administration official told The Huffington Post. “We support legislation that has been introduced and we will continue to work with congressional sponsors to build support for it.”
This is a truly pathetic time for Obama to start showing some executive restraint.
I could respect and on net probably be happy with a President that, on principle, was dedicated to limiting the scope of the office. A President that tried as a matter of policy not to use executive orders or, as much as possible, leave most decisions with the legislative branch as the Constitution intended.
That is not how Obama has run his White House though. Obama has decided he can unilaterally declare war against Libya without Congressional approval and decided he can order the killing of American citizens without trial or due process. Obama has radically push the bounds of unilateral executive power when it comes to achieving militaristic and conservative ends, but won’t even follow an established precedent to use executive power to achieve progressive goals.
I hope the LGBT community and the broad progressive community appreciate the full irony of this decision. Obama officially thinks it is appropriate to use his executive power to buy a drone from a government contractor and use that drone to execute you without trial, but he won’t use his executive power to tell that same contractor they can’t fire you for being gay.
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But how can Obama lose 2012 to Romney if he doesn’t completely alienate his base?
Obama has to lose, he’s been ordered to lose by the Democratic Leadership who are all moderate Republicans.
Democratic politicians only exist to temporarily stand in for their Republican slave-masters when the electorate gets fedup with the GOP. The Dems get elected at that point and when they are in the majority they only ever do what their GOP masters allow them to, in order to piss off the base and make it so the GOP wins the next election cycle.
O.K. It’s time to ask the question: what or who is the President afraid of? That he is afraid, there can now be no doubt.
He never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. He has a tin ear for the right thing to do. He does it only if he thinks it’s politically advantageous. If it were 1863 he’d balk at the Emancipation Proclamation. After all that would alienate the South. What a tool.
May I compliment you on your analysis. I think you are “right on”. Not the “right on!” from the old days, you know…..but “right on” as in “right on target.”
I agree we have two political parties…Republicans (1) and Republicans (2).
“Right on” Knut…..
P.S. PLease see #4 above.
JW: All along, Obama has been absolutely unconcerned about what the Left or Progressives want. In fact, Obama has been flat-out hostile and disdainful. But Obama always gave lip-service at least to the Liberals. Now the Liberals are getting the back of the hand too. To put it mildly, this is a curious reelection strategy. I guess Team O is counting on a bout of national Stockholm Syndrome. I think Obama is going to be unpleasantly surprised.
Jill Stein for President! Greens in 2012!
“He never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”
—–
Great quote! can I use that or do you it under copyright?
So being Gay is now officially according to the WH worse than being Black? Whats next Gays only count as 3/5 of a vote ?
As one of this board’s more obnoxious gay dudes, I feel I must present my rebuttal to the President’s decision. *drops trousers*
No, no wait. It’s still not coming. I need somebody to pull my finger. Either that, or I need to eat some more beans.
Seriously, that’s all the legal dispute this decision merits.
You said:
“This is a truly pathetic time for Obama to start showing some executive restraint.”
And now I say:
Replace the word “start” with “continue” and then you’ll be “right on”, as some other posters have said.
The “executive restraint” started with his first piece of craptactular legistation, the credit card “reform” bill which failed to cap interest rates at 30%. And it’s been nothing but restraint from then until now. I expect there to be no restraint on the restraint until he leaves office.
The original quote refered to the Palistinians. But I think it’s public domain.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abba_Eban
Boxturtle (I can’t find a earlier mention)
Well, that’s the GOP position. Obama offered a compromise with gays having 1/2 a vote.
Boxturtle (Quite griping, Gays! progressives get no vote at all)
The official “they have nowhere else to go” strategy.
Saying the President is “afraid” makes the assumption that he would make a different choice if he only wasn’t “afraid”. I would say his actions for the past three plus years indicate he is doing exactly what he wants. That became really clear to me when he was at a town hall meeting in New Mexico in May of 2009 and stated “why not do a single-payer system. Got the little single-payer advocates up here”. That was the moment I truly realized his level of arrogance.
Wow- An article on the front page. Cool.
Of course progressives also know something else.
Bradley Manning is gay.. Which opens up a whole other can of worms.
Perhaps we can start to see articles about Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein, Roseanne Barr, Mr Alexander here on the front pages of The Lake.
After all, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Rocky Anderson for president. Along with his VP Jill Anderson.
Sorry WBgonne- I am a cheeky fellow. I had to do that..
Grin
Love-Respect-Justice-Solidarity
Last thread Obama was standing up to Israel and risking a fight with the Israel lobby who control most of the House and Senate. Now Obama surrenders to the GOP losing Gay votes to please GOPers who will never vote for him no matter what he does?
I am having trouble seeing the logic here the economy Sucks! Gays like the rest of us are going to pay attention to anything that effects their getting or keeping jobs.
Obama could surrender on any other Gay issue but to surrender on a Jobs issue in this economy?
Obama very well might have just asked Gay voters not to vote for him this election the results would be the same. I wonder how the polling on this issue will be. Gays won’t go GOP but if even 5% stay home, don’t contribute cash or canvass for the election then Obama has a problem.
Its not just Gays he has a problem with but anyone who has a Gay Friend or relative.
Thats the strategy but Gays can stay home this election.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just FDL. Many “progressive” websites repeatedly show us how either the Republican party or both the Republican and Democratic parties are failing the citizens of this country. What they rarely show are alternative solutions.
No sweat, Michael. I’m pleased by all Third Party Progressive votes.
Yeah Scooter Libby outs an American spy working on finding out who wants to get nukes the guy skates. Bradley exposes war crimes which are illegal to try and stop American illegal actions and he is doing more prison time than anyone from the Bush WH.
And people who just plain support “All Men are created equal”.
Boxturtle (And don’t redefine “men” to mean people like me)
Thanks, as always, BT.
I see…………BUMPER STICKERS with no royalties due or payable!!!!
I LOVE Thursdays.
Actually, to be fair, I’ll send you and esk.. a little something.
Gotta call my graphic design girl……
He’s being Caesar’s wife, above suspicion, lest he be suspected and feared that in his second term he’ll push for reparations to slave descendants, which, of course, would exclude him. He still plays chess with a basketball at the poker table.
Wonderful post, Jon. thx.
Agreed Great Point
Not sure your meaning I always thought you were a guy but I don’t think I ever called you a guy on FDL maybe I did once if so sorry.
Can’t we assign pink fonts for the girls and blue fonts for the guys??? Of course, not necessary for me, I’m right upfront with everybody.
I’m a straight white male over 40 and why I’m at FDL rather than redstate confuses the hell out of the demographers.
I was refering to the habits of some to redefine Men in that context to exclude women, gays, moslems, blacks, hispanics and so forth. So when they hollar about the constitution while brandishing their legal handguns they don’t see a conflict.
Boxturtle (That’ll teach the demographers to generalize!)
Don’t worry, there will be some setback to human rights the Obama administration wants cover for, or some major financial shenanigan — like cutting Social Security and Medicare to shreds — and Obama will sign ENDA then for the reverse publicity.
They may think gays have “nowhere else to go”.. but one thing a great many of my friends are starting to say is that maybe the real way to get rid of the GOP and (im)moral ‘value’ voters is to let them have one last crushing f#ckup and implode by overreaching as they have started doing. A Romney Admin banning contraception, etc, will be a great way to have the 2014 and 2016 elections go progressive. The Dems need an intervention, and they won’t do it unless things get rock bottom. Voting for Obama and more of the same won’t help progressive issues in the long run.
Of course the more cynical part of me thinks that the Democratic Party want progressives feeling betrayed and without the knowledge of a real, meaningful alternative. So that we stay home and join the other 50% of the public who do not vote. Thereby ensuring the continued corporate corruption. With a “mandate” showing that people support the rotten, corporate corrupted two party system.
Think again.. Even though the media REFUSE to talk about the alternatives, people are becoming aware.
Michael Cavlan RN
Candidate US Senate 2012
Minnesota Open Progressives
Proudly endorsing
Rocky Anderson for president.
sounds about right.
alas.
Thought that was what you meant. However most of the Lefty Blogs also tend to have a bunch of White Males. FDL tends to have more Women than most. The Lefty Blogs tend to be bigger than the Righty blogs. If we had better numbers I think we can point out that even on the blogs there are more White Males who are Left than Right.
Heck they from what I’ve seen are Left of Obama on most issues.
As Churchill said of Chamberlain ” He is a sheep in sheep’s clothing” Pathetic will be the term to describe O’s terms in office.
Count this Straight Hispanic 43 in on that plan:)
There is a positive way to look at this. People always want Democrats to show spine.
Proud Irish Male as well..
I refuse to use the term white. White is a product of the racist United States.
I am not white. I am Irish.
Oh and BTW I do not have one drop of “white liberal” guilt in me.
Buck Ofama
Impeach O-Bush-Ma
Rocky Anderson for president.
To avoid confusion it may be more expedient to use “correct”, rather than “right”. Appropriate that the title puts “pathetic” and “Obama” in the same sentence.
That was funny.
Correct. I wish people would stop trying to find excuses to rationalize Obama’s behavior and policy choices. Upon his (s)election to the Senate he requested Joe “Israel” Lieberman as his mentor, has stated his admiration for Reagan, stacked his Cabinet with disaster capitalist economic advisers, pushed for renewal of the Patriot Act, allowed his DHS to coordinate the repression of the Occupy movement, and enacted the NDAA. This is only a partial list, but just how much evidence do people need?
And don’t forget health care, when, instead of putting forward a bold plan for single payer or public option, he said, “I’ll let the in-the-pockets-of-the-health-care-industry Senator Max Baucus be the point man for health care because Congress is where all legislation must begin.”
Sorry, fail. “Right on” always meant “Right on target”.
This guy simply does not know what he is doing. He is relying on the lesser of two evils to keep him in office. We can only imagine what he does the day after election, if he wins. It will not be good for progressives.
That’s a good one.
He’s doing exactly what he was groomed to do. Invalidate the provisions of the New Deal and the Great Society. Something only a politician masquerading as a “Democrat” could accomplish without a massive revolt by the 99%.
Slippery as an eel. Looks like an “OOPS” moment for the admin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=309WkBt3G88
That is just another version of an excuse for Obama. Obama is not afraid. Obama is a conservative. You and some others apparently still hold onto the idea that Obama really is a liberal and wants to do liberal things, but that Obama is just the Obama of your dreams, not the Obama that is.
x2
Oh, if only I could be witness to the garment-rending and tear-pooling that must be taking place at the TBoggateria. ROFLMAO. “Still the Lesser of Two Evils, bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” I guess no TBogger ever went home alone if there were only two ugly girls left at the bar. LOLOLOL
Still, you’d have to agree that most Americans and all FDL regulars would place Obama somewhere in the top 50 of all-time US Presidents.
“Obama officially thinks it is appropriate to use his executive power to buy a drone from a government contractor and use that drone to execute you without trial, but he won’t use his executive power to tell that same contractor they can’t fire you for being gay.”
Touché!
The thing about the “you have nowhere else to go” strategy is that when I have nowhere to go, I tend to stay home.
When it comes to doing much of anything to help Joe and Jane sixpak, or to stop the ongoing bloody and astronomically expensive bushco plan to make the world safe for the Fortune 500, this particular executive has been so “restrained” that we might as well have a cardboard cut-out sitting in the Oval Office.
Good thread, Jon!
And BigChin, don’t forget, he’s buying a Drone from a contractor who doesn’t have to disclose where his campaign donations are going.
And Romberrry gets the gold-plated raised middle finger award for:
“When I have nowhere to go, I tend to stay home.”
Laser-perfect! Laughing as I type. :o) :o) :o)
For SHAME, realitychecker! :o)
Have you no liking and respect for world-class pom-pon waving? :o)
Can you not admire the grace and skill of herring-draggers-for-Obama, as some of our worthy threaders find the most outrageous and nonsensical winger asshattery to shriek about, as they twist themselves into latex pretzels to avoid discussing the realities of Barack Obama’s brave “leadership”?
I can only hope that his next four years, when he will certainly-I-betcha discover his inner progressive self, that he will just negotiate the tar out of the republicans and make us all sorry for the bad things we said about him.
:o)
My only reason for continuing to live is so I can apologize to O directly after he turns back into the Magic Negro, as the righties used to call him./s I am so ashamed of being duped into voting for him, that I can’t imagine what is going on inside the brains of the Obots who continue to intend to vote for him a second time. :-(
Nailed by the numbers lol!