WaPo leaks results of Pentagon DADT study

[Imran Siddiqui]

Why not try convincing some of those Republicans you support to back repeal? They're the major roadblock, after all.

It was Obama's campaign position. And everyone knows the Republican leadership won't go for it, but a few Senators have said they'd back repeal in an up or down vote (Snowe, Collins, Brown). Show their hand.

And with the House going Republican, here is the only shot Obama has of ending it.

[giblets]

And yet it was the black churches what came out in droves to elect Obama in 08 that were most instrumental in holding to homophobic positions. Not just the repubs but core components of his base.

It's been two years since that election and you still haven't gotten over that talking point?

I really don't see the relevance to this topic. African american support for Obama doesn't exactly hinge on his position wrt DADT.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

History has a way of being mutable I am sure. What was true then apparently is not true in hindsight.


Thank you Mr. Doublespeak.

I really don't see the relevance to this topic. African american support for Obama doesn't exactly hinge on his position wrt DADT.

Of course not, but then similar instances of support on related issues of important to the gay community apparently is beyond your grasp and how that might possibly correspond to motive and levels of support. I'll tone it down a little for you.

[Boris Godunov]

Ogie, you unbelievable moron: DADT repeal passed the House. It is being blocked in the Senate by the Republicans. If that's your definition of "not being broached," you're stupider than I thought.

Let's get this straight: The POTUS has said he wants DADT repealed. He tells the Pentagon to prepare for a policy change and conduct a study not on whether or not to change it, but how they can best change it and prep the military for it. He urges Congress to pass repeal. The Democratic House passes repeal. However, the Republicans in the Senate block repeal via filibuster. But it's aaaaaaaaalll the Democrats fault, not the Republicans who actually oppose it. And for some reason the gay marriage ban in California has something to do with it, but I can't figure out how.

Given I don't qualify as the prerequisite is to be a Republican, I ask the same of you who presumably are not a republican, How many GOP reps have you contacted? Or more to the point how many Dems have you contacted to get the item on the agenda in the first place?

The item is on the agenda, moron. Passed the House, remember?

1. I write letters to my representatives. All of mine, fortunately, back repeal.
2. I give money to organizations backing repeal, including the ACLU and the HRC.
3. I don't vote for *******s who oppose repeal

You, however, have clearly done nothing, as you would have said so. So you don't give a rat's ass about repealing DADT and the well-being of gay service members, you're only here to make a stupid political attack. That makes you both a hypocrite and a dick, so kindly shut up.

[DinoDoc]

They could have tried putting the repeal up as a clean bill rather than tacking it on as an amendment to an appropriations bill normally free of such chicanery if they thought it was an important issue. Same with the Dream Act.

[Arrian]

normally free of such chicanery

I'm certainly against chicanery. I wonder if this is true, though (that defense appropriations bills are normally exempt from it)?

As for the DREAM Act, that's a point. That may - MAY - have prevented passage. Or it was a convenient excuse. I'm not sure which.

-Arrian

[Elok]

They could have tried putting the repeal up as a clean bill rather than tacking it on as an amendment to an appropriations bill normally free of such chicanery if they thought it was an important issue. Same with the Dream Act.

You make it sound as though tacking random material onto a completely unrelated bill is a rare occurrence in congress. What percentage of bills, appropriations or otherwise, do NOT have sections allocating things like $200K for a Cheese Appreciation Center in rural Wisconsin?

[DinoDoc]

You make it sound as though tacking random material onto a completely unrelated bill is a rare occurrence in congress.

Defense appropriation bills are normally free of such riders (DADT repeal, DREAM act), Elok.

[Elok]

Oh. I didn't know there was a House or Senate rule that you can't fluff that particular kind of bill. Are there others you can't pad that way, or is it just defense appropriations?

[Kuciwalker]

Complaints about process hypocrisy are usually more hypocritical than what they're complaining about...

[KrazyHorse]

There are too many layers of indirection here.

Repealing DADT is a good idea. Any elected representative who opposes it is wrong. However, there are other dimensions on which to judge politicians. DADT is certainly not one of the critical issues facing the US today.

[connorkimbro]

As an army veteran, I can tell you first hand how damaging the current DADT policy is to units that it has affected. It's far past time to repeal it. The arguments that are used to support keeping DADT policy as it stands are the same arguments that were used against racial integration as well - but they did the right thing then, and they should do the right thing now.

RE: Senate republicans - (i may be getting this slightly wrong, but basically this is how I understand it) we actually did have the votes to get the NDAA passed with DADT amendment tacked on, HOWEVER, harry reid tried to push it through without authorizing additional (republican) amendmants to be discussed. Because of this, the few republicans that would have voted for it, who are on record as supporting repeal of DADT, did not vote for it. I'm putting the blame on reid here.

Here's to hoping it gets based during the lame duck session. Hopefully the early leaked pentagon report will help move things along.

Defense appropriation bills are normally free of such riders

Except that DADT originally was passed as part of the NDAA 17 some odd years ago. Therefore I see no issue with it being repealed in the same way.

Given I don't qualify as the prerequisite is to be a Republican, I ask the same of you who presumably are not a republican, How many GOP reps have you contacted? Or more to the point how many Dems have you contacted to get the item on the agenda in the first place?

I'm not exactly republican, more like libertarian with republican leanings - I personally visited washington to speak with my representatives (Reps Wilson, Brown Senators DeMint and Graham and of south carolina - wilson is my rep but I went with another carolinian to talk to brown as well) as part of service members united "veterans lobby day" back in may to argue for repeal of DADT. We had some 400+ vets show up from all over the country.

(Service members united is the largest organization of glbt servicemembers/vets and their straight allies whos founder and co-founder happen to be close personal friends of mine, one of whom I served in the army with.

edit: oh, actually the named party in the LCR case IS one of the two I'm speaking about, alex nicholson Great guy - super motivated. SU is non-partisan but I *believe* he is actually a republican, though that never comes up. Insider info. I may be wrong on this point though, don't quote me )

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Complaints about process hypocrisy are usually more hypocritical than what they're complaining about...

Save that it was truly a cynical ploy by Harry to win his Senate seat. He poisoned the Appropriations bill by adding the Dream Act in order to show clear lines of distinction between Himself and his opponent (Generic GOP).

By having the vote fail it worked as a a perfect dog whistle in order to gin up necessary support for his senate challenge all the while knowing it unlikely to pass cloture. Things don't go to vote unless the Senate leader knows he has the votes.

[-Jrabbit]

Jon Stewart's skewering of John McCain on DADT last night was classic. That man has the most portable goalposts ever.

There are a zillion links to this. Here's one:

http://tv.gawker.com/5690894/jon-stewarts-harshest-john-mccain-critique-yet

[Hauldren Collider]

John McCain's weaseling of the DADT issue, while pathetic, isn't nearly as big a deal to me as Obama's weaseling of the definition of the word "tax"...