Source: sandandglass
President Obama on the Daily Show
Tag Archives: DADT
Four more years: Obama’s top 50 accomplishments — #9
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.
GIFs: Obama on the gay rights movement
Source: billydarley
If you vote Republican (or don’t vote at all)…
image: reagan-was-a-horrible-president
Colorado Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman joined Rep. Michele Bachmann and 83 other members of the House as signers of a letter to the U.S. Senate urging that body to pass an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would prohibit gay members of America’s Armed Forces from using military facilities for marriage ceremonies.
The Department of Defense, in the wake of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, has indicated that it will allow chaplains and same-sex couples to use facilities on a “sexual orientation-neutral basis,” something Republican members of the U.S. House oppose.
The letter was authored by Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri and was signed by 86 members of the House.
“The Defense of Marriage Act was passed by a bipartisan vote in Congress and signed into law by President Clinton,” Akin said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this current administration is now directing the Department of Defense to ignore this law and perform gay marriages on military bases. I think this is wrong, which is why I offered an amendment to the House-passed defense bill making it clear that DOMA applies to the DOD. This letter calls for the Senate to add a similar amendment to their version of the bill. The Department of Defense should not be allowed to simply ignore laws they do not like.”
manicchill: How many attempts have Republicans made to subvert the clear intentions of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the last year or two? How many jobs bills have they introduced in that same period of time? If you vote Republican, you don’t support job growth, and you don’t support limited government. You support institutionalized bigotry, and the idea that a continuously growing community of your fellow citizens are somehow second-class.
Real talk. Occupy a voting booth in 2012.
Oh snap, Mr. President!
“You wanna be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the United States uniform, even when it’s not politically convenient.”
— President Obama to the GOP candidates, who stayed quiet as the debate crowd booed a gay soldier serving in Iraq (via cornachio)
GIF: Presdient Obama signing the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Barack Obama signs the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell into law.
tehblackbird: Sometimes I get mad at you, Barry, but I’ll be goddamned if you aren’t the cutest President ever.
Seconded.
Tom Hanks fully on board the Obama 2012 train
“If you would have told me a few years ago that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ would be repealed and about a billion jobs at General Motors and Chrysler would have been saved because the president was smart enough and strong enough and bold enough to do so, I would have said, ‘Wow. That’s a good president, I think I’ll vote for him again.” — Tom Hanks: I’m voting for Obama again – POLITICO.com
The Ignorant Tight-Ass Club (the more things change…)
Bartlet: I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.
Dr. Jenna Jacobs: I don’t say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.
President Josiah Bartlet: Yes it does. Leviticus.
Dr. Jenna Jacobs: 18:22.
President Josiah Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here. I’m interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She’s a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here’s one that’s really important because we’ve got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.
transcript: westwingscreencaps
Watch:
Today’s Ignorant Tight-Ass Club: the Tea Party.
William Temple, Chairman of the Tea Party Founding Fathers
Ironically, dressed like this at a press conference in Washington, Temple said that “if the House Armed Services Committee and the Pentagon slow down on injecting open homosexuality and females into forward combat roles,” tea partiers might be able to put up with their new Republican House voting to ensure American government services are paid for with more borrowed cash.
Soooo… the Truth is that the Tea Party really isn’t all about the size of government and budgets and spending — they’re all about the social issues.
Alan Simpson on abortion rights and homophobia: am I dreaming?
I’m astounded. And speechless. I have a newfound respect for former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY):
SIMPSON: Who the hell is for abortion? I don’t know anybody running around with a sign that says, “Have an abortion! They’re wonderful!” They’re hideous, but they’re a deeply intimate and personal decision, and I don’t think men legislators should even vote on the issue.
Then you’ve got homosexuality, you’ve got Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We have homophobes on our party. That’s disgusting to me. We’re all human beings. We’re all God’s children. Now if they’re going to get off on that stuff—Santorum has said some cruel things—cruel, cruel things—about homosexuals. Ask him about it; see if he attributes the cruelness of his remarks years ago. Foul.
Now if that’s the kind of guys that are going to be on my ticket, you know, it makes you sort out hard what Reagan said, you know, “Stick with your folks.” But, I’m not sticking with people who are homophobic, anti-women, moral values—while you’re diddling your secretary while you’re giving a speech on moral values? Come on, get off of it.
Sadly, in today’s Republican / Tea party, Simpson would definitely not pass their purity test.
McCain will do “everything he can” to make repeal of DADT work (which would be WHAT, exactly?)
“I think I have to do everything I can to make sure that the impact on the morale, retention, recruitment and battle effectiveness of the military is minimized as much as possible. It is a law and I have to do whatever I can to help the men and women who are serving, particularly in combat, cope with this new situation. I will do everything I can to make it work.”
Mavericky? Hardly. What’s HE going to do to “make it work?” Everything he can? Which is… what? Seriously, WTF does John McCain have to do, personally, to make it work? He’s a maverick in his own mind — again!
The good news: this will make teabaggers completely lose their shit.
Daily Show: Let’s all stand on John McCain’s lawn!
Excerpt from signing speech this morning:
IN YOUR FACE, McConnell (and McCain)!
Last-ditch McConnell ‘don’t ask’ amendment blocked
A last-ditch effort by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to complicate the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was blocked Tuesday night after Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) objected, Senate aides said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Ok) is threatening to block the 9/11 responders health care bill, because of ‘costs.’ It’s okay that the wealthy get more tax cuts, though — we can just put that on the nation’s tab.
I just can’t wait for the new and improved teabag-filled 112th Congress next month, can you?
UPDATE:
Saying that the action will strengthen the nation and end a practice that forced some members of the military to lie about themselves, President Obama this hour signed legislation that repeals the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. military.
We are not a nation that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We’re a nation that says ‘out of many we are one.’ (via)
65-31
Andrew Sullivan talks about Obama’s long game:
“Like 2009′s removal of the HIV ban, which was as painstakingly slow but thereby much more entrenched, this process took time. Without the Pentagon study, it wouldn’t have passed. Without Obama keeping Lieberman inside the tent, it wouldn’t have passed. Without the critical relationship between Bob Gates and Obama, it wouldn’t have passed. It worked our last nerve; we faced at one point a true nightmare of nothing … for years. And then we pulled behind this president, making it his victory and the country’s victory, as well as ours.”
The President’s statement:
“By ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.” Read it all….
More than ever, thank God McCain lost in 2008!
Was there ever a time when John McCain actually stood for something besides winning an election? I would say, no.
Today during the DADT debate, McCain stepped up to the podium, threw a tantrum, stormed off to the cloakroom, then came back to finish his tantrum, made poopie in his pants, and basically stunk up the Senate floor.
Thankfully, like MOST of what he says, it just didn’t matter. Even Lieberman was amused:
Lieberman later said that he expects his friendship with his volatile colleague to recover. “I don’t think this will leave any scars,” he said. “I just think we leave this fight knowing that I was right and he was wrong. I mean, it’s as simple as that.”
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