Obama to Grant Federal Workers Same Sex Partner Benefit

[launderess]

Was watching the evening news, and this just came on:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/16/obama.same.sex.benefits/

 

[~sudsshane]

Oh, How nice is it to be thrown a bone or two....

Keep in mind that several major, gay fundraisers withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee event where V.P Biden is expected to speak.

Why???

Because The Justice Department, (Obama Administration) issued a briefing on June 12, 2009 that defended the Defense of Marriage Act. Justice lawyers argued that the law allowed states to reject marriages performed in other states, or countries that defy their own standards.

Also, recently, Obama and Co declined to intervene in the cases of enlisted military members facing court martial for defying the Clinton-era "Don't ask, Don't tell" policies.
So, everyday, we have qualified gay and lesbian heros who are being booted out of the military because of these ridiculous policies.

I have felt all along that Obama wasn't going to deliver for us. Considering some of the bigots he has associated with, (Reverand Jeremiah Wright) this comes as no surprise.

So, that being said...Keven, (Panthera) your thoughts? Can't blame this one on the Republicans!

 

[maytagbear]

Well,

it may not be ideal, but it is progress.

Give the guy a break, says I. He's made remarkable progress so far in clearing up the mess of the last eight long (very) years.

Gay rights have come pretty far since 1969.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[~sudsshane]

I expect the majority here to make excuses for The Democrats

Sorry, no breaks given here.

He campaigned to overturn and do away with these ridiculous laws, now he is backpeddling.

Yes, true, gay rights have come pretty far since 1969. So does that mean that we are just supposed to accept this and become complacent?
Personally, I am more concerned about about getting "Defense of Marriage Act" overturned as well as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Federal benefits for same sex partners, while a good thing, does not affect the average Gay and Lesbian person. DOMA and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" does.

 

[frigilux]

It is frustrating to feel we're so close to kicking down doors...but not quite. All we can do is continue to push, push, push. We'll get there.

You have to remember that while some of us shake our heads in disbelief at the inequality, it is a sea-change for general social policy. And there will be a HUGE backlash when national legalities finally fall into place.

I'm certainly not going to bitch about Obama's lack of accomplishments six months into his presidency after all the damage done by Bush and Co. (Featuring The Evangelicals!) over the last eight years.

Having said that, we still have to demand equality every single day, as tiring and frustrating as that can be; no matter who is in office. Anyone who thinks this is the beginning of a long-term Democratic majority is just as foolish as the Republicans who thought Bush was the beginning of the same for their party.

 

[~sudsshane]

Good Point Eugene..

While I agree with most of what you said, this is the party,(Democrats) that constantly talk about being on "our side".
They manipulate the Gay and Lesbian voting bloc every election cycle, and never deliver on the majority of their promises. Keep in mind that Clinton was the President that screwed us with DOMA and "Don't ask, Don't Tell" back in the mid '90's.
I would expect this from the Bush Administration, and right winged Republicans, but not from Obama and the platform he ran on. This is precisley why I decided to leave the Democratic Party and become a Libertarian leaning Republican.

Maybe with any luck, Nancy "Do Nothing" Pelosi will be sent back to San Francisco where she belongs. To think I was so excited about having the first Italian-American woman to become Speaker of The House. She is nothing short of a complete let down.

We will see next year in the midterms.

 

[rapunzel]

'it may not be ideal, but it is progress.'

It isn't progress at all. Either this administration is committed to policies that stamp out discrimination or they are not. You simply can not have it both ways and that is exactly what is happening right now. In so many other policy areas they don't give a stuff about majority opinion and implement whatever they see fit. This is simply more of the same old and idiotic crap that has been dished out for too damn long.

Like most of us here, I reject being made to feel second class because of my sexuality. We are as good as anyone else and shouldn't have to be patient about asserting and enjoying the same rights as (hetero)sexual beings. This is exactly the kind of crap that I have become accustomed to tho from these supposedly open-minded heteros that always start of with 'I have nothing against gays, I'm all for this that and the other - some of my best friends are and so on.' When push comes to shove they are the first to distance themselves.

rapunzel

 

[rapunzel]

The gay lobby has dropped it's bundle

We are largely responsible for melding into the background. In the eighties and nineties we were a lot more visible and pro-active in the arts, politics and other areas. And do not make the mistake to think that younger people are more tolerant. They may be more open to sexual and other types of experimentation for as long as it floats their boat, but it doesn't mean that they are without prejudice, sympathetic and ultimately supportive of us.

 

[MikeS]

Count me as one of those who believe things will get better--if not by Obama, then by time and persuasion. I'm also unhappy with Obama's Justice Department brief regarding DOMA and his silence on DADT, but I'm willing to cut the guy some slack--considering the mess he's attempting to clean up. But let's see what happens at this time next year.

 

[frigilux]

In fact, let's see what's happened three-and-a-half years from now. If nothing, then we were duped. Would't be the first time. I've never thought Obama would be the almighty savior of everything. In fact, I don't think anyone except Republicans have ever mentioned that. Most of us believe our odds are better with Obama than they would have been with McCain/Palin.

It's a bit soon to declare that Obama has turned his back on equality. Believe me, he will hear from The Community loudly and clearly in the coming three years.

 

[panthera]

The trouble is,

we don't have three and one-half years. At the most, we have until the mid-term congressional elections. If we don't have human status by then, we aren't soon going to get it.

 

[launderess]

Update!

Apparently the scheme will give access to *all* domestic partners of federal workers, including those of the same sex. To in theory it is rather like some European countries in that couples of mixed and same genders could apply. The scheme however does not cover all benefits nor full health benefits.

This rather makes sense as the federal government would have been possibly open to lawsuits and complaints from mixed gender federal employees who felt they should be offered the same. Yes, one knows that male/female couples can marry, but we're not on that right now.

Scheme has been worked on in the background for the past several months, and is being called a "first step", not a final one. One would also have to imagine given the terrible state of the United States budget, adding yet more drain on the treasury without offsets would have opened up Mr. Obama and the democrats to more of the same charges of "tax and spend".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/17/AR2009061702578.html

 

[andrewinorlando]

I will give George Bush credit for one thing - he said it wasn't gonna happen and it didn't. Barry said it was gonna happen, fast, and it hasn't. Given that, you have to remember that he is a shrewd lawyer, and he's not going to do anything that will damage his abilities with Congress (not that the Republicans are team players anyway, so that doesn't really matter), but there are Dems who are fractured in their support on many issues, so in effect, he doesn't have a "majority" on certain issues. Not that there aren't other important problems to deal with right now, but I don't agree that there are "more important" things to be done because guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens of this country is among the most important thing any President can do.

And yes, Nancy Pelosi can go jump into San Francisco Bay for all I care.

 

[alr2903]

Laundress you make a very good point, the benefit announced that caught my ear was "Long term care", Not full coverage health insurance, but MSNBC now says the President has requested a new bill. We will have to see how this plays out. Andrewinorlando, yes the republicans ARE TEAMPLAYERS, but i think they only like play with their republican cronies. I respect the President for all he has accomplished, I am just fearful if he does not go for it NOW. it wont happen. 2010 is coming FAST, bye bye slim majority.

 

[sudsmaster]

Don't forget the uproar in the first few years of the Clinton administration when he tried to integrate the armed forces.

Obama is being extra careful not to move too fast on gay rights issues for fear of alienating too many voters. I really don't think he has a choice, but I think he will eventually produce many of the results that gays are looking for.

 

[launderess]

Maybe. Maybe Not.

There is only so much that can be done via executive order, so Obama will need assistance from Congress, and even with Democrats controlling both houses, a good majority of newly elected members of both the senate and congress are from conservative districts. This is true especially for members from the South and Deep South.

Personally think the man will wait and see what the SCOTUS and federal courts will do on certian matters, this way he can say his hand was forced.

Said this at the time, and will say it again; Obama won in part (large or small), because there was a strong feelng against GWB Junior and Republicans. Just as those gearing up for 2010 elections, Obama will not be able to simply stand there and blame things on other pepople when he runs for re-election. He will be judged by his own record (as it should be), and all bets are he wishes to run in 2012 and is not stirring to many pots because he will run from the centre.

 

[andrewinorlando]

"Obama is being extra careful not to move too fast on gay rights issues for fear of alienating too many voters. I really don't think he has a choice, but I think he will eventually produce many of the results that gays are looking for."

For the most part...I do agree with this statement. Like I said, he is a shrewd lawyer and he knows who to coddle and when, and when to bulldoze the resistance.

 

[jeffg]

The bottom line, as others have said, is that we're doing better with Obama than we would have with McCain.

Trying to move Congress on any issue is like trying to move Mt. Everest: it's 525 people, all of whom want something different. Look at the current health care debate, reregulating the financial sector, closing the U.S. gulag in Guantanamo, and otherwise cleaning up the most catastrophic presidency in 80 years etc, I don't envy Obama one bit.

On the issue of gay rights, the "it's now or never" mentality is nonsense IMO. As has been proven by women, blacks etc, evolution of knowledge and societal attitudes is one-way, and when the light bulb finally turns on in someone's head, that "defense of marriage" is nothing but gay bashing with a smiley face painted on it, it never turns off again.

 

[panthera]

Jeff,

I hope you are right, but my experience has been that human rights are not a one way street. Obama is our best chance at being treated as humans in the US.
We mustn't let our guard down or stop pushing and pushing hard for what is right - the christianists were able to impose their will on us for so very long (and we lost California) because of complacency.
NOT saying you are complacent.

 

[andrewinorlando]

We are doing better with Obama then we ever would have done with McCain and Caribou Barbie. But we're not there yet, far from it. And he doesn't have all the answers, but that's to be expected from anyone who sits in that chair. And there is a lot of mess to clean up, and no one says that he is going to do it all right (and no one expects that he won't make mistakes - he will, and that's just life). But at least there is some progress being made. Not enough on this front, in my opinion, but progress is being made. But like every other civil rights upset in this country's history, two steps forward was usually accompanied by one step back. And this is no different. And politics such as it is, is still one big game, and that will never change. But we have to keep pushing and making our displeasure known to all that will listen and keep the pressure for change alive.

 

[neptunebob]

A better motor club...

I saw the thread about AAA has scrolled off, but I wanted to tell about the Better World Club - a competitor to AAA that DOES take domestic partners. They also promote bicycling and other forms of travel.

http://www.betterworldclub.com