Can he win over the LGBT community???
source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28146.html
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- pandaman2105
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Strident conservative attacks on two of President Barack Obama’s gay nominees could temper the impatience gay and lesbian activists show as he speaks to a major gay civil rights group Saturday night — but the widespread restlessness still will be palpable.
Obama’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner comes just days after a gay Education Department official, Kevin Jennings, and a lesbian nominee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Chai Feldblum, were targets of a flurry of criticism from conservative groups and some media outlets.
“It certainly can’t hurt if people on our side realize the vehemence of the opposition the president faces,” a top gay Democrat close to Obama told POLITICO. “The stuff the right wing is cranking out is horrible, terrible. There are a lot of understandably impatient LGBT Americans…but while all their criticism is well-intended, some of it is politically naïve.”
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) also said gay activists lobbing criticism after criticism at Obama are ignoring real progress being made on Capitol Hill.
“These concerns are wildly unfounded and silly,” Frank told POLITICO. “As Obama speaks, Congress is about to send him the first piece of gay civil rights legislation in American history,” the congressman said, referring to a hate-crimes bill passed Thursday by the House.
Ever since taking office, Obama has come under fire from leading gay and lesbian activists who say he’s foot-dragging on their top priorities – repealing a ban on gays in the military, expanding same-sex marriage and prohibiting workplace discrimination.
Obama has pleaded for patience – saying he’s believes in expanding gay rights but has so much on his plate with the recession and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that he and Congress just need more time
Obama’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner comes just days after a gay Education Department official, Kevin Jennings, and a lesbian nominee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Chai Feldblum, were targets of a flurry of criticism from conservative groups and some media outlets.
“It certainly can’t hurt if people on our side realize the vehemence of the opposition the president faces,” a top gay Democrat close to Obama told POLITICO. “The stuff the right wing is cranking out is horrible, terrible. There are a lot of understandably impatient LGBT Americans…but while all their criticism is well-intended, some of it is politically naïve.”
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) also said gay activists lobbing criticism after criticism at Obama are ignoring real progress being made on Capitol Hill.
“These concerns are wildly unfounded and silly,” Frank told POLITICO. “As Obama speaks, Congress is about to send him the first piece of gay civil rights legislation in American history,” the congressman said, referring to a hate-crimes bill passed Thursday by the House.
Ever since taking office, Obama has come under fire from leading gay and lesbian activists who say he’s foot-dragging on their top priorities – repealing a ban on gays in the military, expanding same-sex marriage and prohibiting workplace discrimination.
Obama has pleaded for patience – saying he’s believes in expanding gay rights but has so much on his plate with the recession and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that he and Congress just need more time
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- groups:
- Community, Culture, LGBT, Transgender Coalition
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- tags:
- Obama, Gay, LGBT, Obama Administration, 1 more
