There is a lead over at AMERICAblog Gay with the headline:

Did the White House really just threaten to cut off the entire gay community?

Now here’s the thing.  The story talks about how Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual and Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina are PISSED at the LGBT community for actions they have taken on trying to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  You know, actions like bringing it up in the President’s face.  They are pissed that the LGBT community are not just sitting back and being quiet, towing the company line, so according to John Aravosis of AMERICAblog, the LGBT community may be cut off.

This is not a far-flung idea.  After all, it was Emanuel that killed the 70%+ approval rating public option from healthcare legislation, even though we had the votes to pass it.  People are saying Emanuel is a behind-the-scenes king of compromising that waters down legislation to where it becomes meaningless.  You know what?  They are right.

The LGBT community was thrown under the bus under President Clinton.  President Obama promised to be our “fierce advocate”, but we know how that has turned out.  So fine.  Let Emanuel throw a temper tantrum.  We can get what we want out of the Congress, and leave the dillydalliers at the White House in the dust.

Remember during the 2008 election, when Senator Barack Obama said that he would be a “fierce advocate” for the GLBT community?  Fast forward a few months, when President Obama’s administration defended DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, and equated gay marriage to pedophilia and incest.

Remember the 1992 election, when Governor Clinton became one of the first national leaders to champion gay rights?  And then remember the following years when DOMA and DADT came about?  Senator Clinton caught hell for that in 2008, when rocker Melissa Etheridge said that Clinton’s husband threw the gay community “under the bus” given the first chance.

Flash forward to today in Washington, DC.  There was a big buildup to a massive protest, headlined by “gay advocate” comedian Kathy Griffin.  She was headlining at an HRC gala a few nights ago, and was to be part of a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal affair with the HRC (Human Rights Campaign). Griffin made it to lobby the Senate.  Then she indeed headline at a rally today, along with HRC’s leader Joe Solmonese and Lt. Dan Choi.  When Lt. Choi got up to speak, he apparently offered an act of civil disobedience.  He asked Griffin and Solomnese if they would go to the White House with him and Captain Jim Pietrangelo in support, which apparently they said they would.

Well that was it for Griffin and Solomnese.  A photo-op is all they wanted.  They didn’t dare step anywhere near Choi or Pietrangelo, especially when Choi and Pietrangelo handcuffed themselves to the White House fence.  Griffin and Solomnese were nowhere to be seen.

Griffin did tweet after the rally.  This is what she (@kathygriffin) wrote:

It was my honor 2 share th podium w Lt Dan Choi today. I understand he’s been arrested in front of the White House. I dig that dude! Balls!

Yes, he does.  We, as a community – a community of gays, lesbians, democrats, liberals, and progressives – WE need to have balls like Lt. Choi and Captain Pietrangelo.  Why?  Because our “fierce advocates”, from President Obama, to Kathy Griffin, to HRC President Joe Solomnese aren’t.  They proved today that they could care less about what is right, and only about what is doing what is convenient for them.

What if Rosa Parks decided, “Well, I don’t want to rock the boat. I’ll move to the back of the bus”?

What if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I have hopes for my children, but I’m not willing to make waves over it.”?

What if Susan B. Anthony decided, “Yes, women should be equal to men, but I shouldn’t speak up.”

These people were different.  They were the leaders that we need today.  We don’t need people like Griffin or Solomnese, who are using the GLBT community as props.  Props for ratings.  Props for fame.  Props for money.  Props for donations.  We need people who stand up and do the right thing, like Lt. Dan Choi and Captain Jim Pietrangelo.  They know what needs to be done, what we need to do to get the progressive movement MOVING!

I previously took the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Give” pledge because Democrats decided to stop moving forward on GLBT issues, and when the Obama White House decided to defend DOMA.  Now, the HRC has shown that it wants to do what’s convenient, not what’s right, and abandoning GLBT soldiers, so that organization can go and rot, too.  But you and me.  We are the ones that can use Choi, and Parks, and Anthony, and King as our guides, and do what is right – not what’s convenient.  We are nobody’s props.  We are humans, and we all deserve civil rights.

Okay, I have to admit that at times, I can be a control freak.  But it is only because when I see something is misguided and not firing on all cylinders, I want to make it right for all those concerned.  It’s this reason that I want to go to the White House and be put in charge of our healthcare planning.  Here is what I would do:

First thing that happens is to empower every single person that is visible, and even those that aren’t considered in visible positions, to go out and make a push for healthcare.  I don’t care if you run the White House briefing room, or if you are a staff person.  You should push for healthcare.

And what about the push itself?  It would have to be a concert of the same message coming out of every single person’s mouth.  I want to hear the same thing coming from Obama’s mouth that I hear coming from Sebelius’, Rahm’s, and Clinton’s.  A powerful message that says that healthcare is a right, and that the plan that puts people before insurance companies is what is on the table – and it is non-negotiable.

Next, I would develop a set of vocabulary, and I would lead with the all powerful word LIE.  I want the word “lie” to be in every single person’s speech at least a dozen times.  Like, “You know when the Republicans are trying to scare you, all they are doing is lying.  That’s it.  All a lie.”  That word is POWERFUL.  It calls out the bastards for what they’re doing, and it makes the public do the Scooby Do “Rwah?” and pay attention.

How about attacking the right-wing polls and calling them out for what they’re doing?  You know like, “When polled, Americans overwhelmingly want a public option.  But these politically-slanted polls that trick the public with mis-directing questions and then get picked up by the health insurance companies as “evidence” – that’s a bunch of bullcrap.  And they know it.”

Put Obama and other high profile officials at retirement communities.  Tell the seniors that we protected them with Medicare back in 1965, and we will continue to protect them and their GOVERNMENT SPONSORED Medicare program now and in the future.  Then say, “We give every senior healthcare now.  Isn’t it our moral obligation to help your kids and your grandkids, too?”.

Last, I would make a set of phrases and ultimatums.  You know, like GWB did.  “You’re either with us, or you’re with the profit-driven insurance companies.”  That would be a good one to start with.  Then I would go after the Republicans saying, “We tried, we compromised, and it did no good.  Now you can see for yourself that it’s only the Democratic Party that’s working for your families healthcare.”

Yeah, that’s a pretty infuriating headline, but I have a point.  Come with me on this.

In the late 1980s/early 1990s, it came out that the Reagan/Bush White House was involved in the Iran-Contra affair, to the highest levels.  When Bill Clinton took the White House in 1992, what was the decision on Iran-Contra?  Clinton said we were to look ahead instead of looking back.  In other words, the former Presidents probably did something wrong, but let’s focus on going forward and forget about it.

Cut to 2009.  After eight years of Bush/Cheney, and the lies and laws that they broke, a fresh face comes to Washington.  People have been infuriated for years at the laws broken.  People tortured and held without charge.  Americans had their phone, email, instant messaging, and web browsing spied on illegally.  All of this crap.  And what does Obama do?  Declares that we need to look forward and forget about it.  Sure, Holder has started making sounds about investigating, but without a unified message from the White House, will it ever happen?

That’s why people think Democrats are wimps.  You can look forward, but you HAVE to examine the past.  Why?  Because if you don’t learn from the past, you are doomed to repeat it.  Bush/Cheney repeated the crimes of Reagan/Bush.  And Obama/Biden are repeating the “we see nothing!” ignorance of Clinton/Gore.

Democrats, GROW A SPINE!

Okay – I am a political geek, and have loved watching Democratic conventions since I was a youngster.  This one just blew my mind.

As the custom, the roll call took place, and when the votes got close enough, the home state was yielded to.  Illinois took the floor, and looked like they were about to put Obama over the top – when Illinois yielded the floor to New York!

You should have heard me – and probably every single other viewer – at that point.  WOW does not even start to describe it.

And when New York turned it over to their Senator, Hillary Clinton, to finish the contest, I have to say it brought a tear to my eye.  I wasn’t the only one – CSPAN cut to many in the crowd, eyes swelling with tears of pride, overcome with emotion.

Hillary, I did not always like what you did during the campaign, but continued to like you and your husband.  But what you did there filled me with pride.  You go, Hillary!