Step away from the computer, Andrew Sullivan – the hissy fit does not become you
Mon, Oct 12, 2009
I’ve been giving the business to John Aravosis for a while, in response to his ever more hysterical hissy fit over the perceived slowness of the Obama administration on gay rights. Aravosis has so thoroughly jumped his own shark, I don’t even read his blog anymore. Until now, Andrew Sullivan has been a bit more sane. However, it’s time for a rebuke. I certainly hope he will respond, but I’m not expecting it.
Let’s start with the fact that I’m a poster child for the damage that The Closet does to a human being. I’m openly bisexual, recently so, I have a stake in gay rights legislation, and no one wants to see gay civil rights advance more than me. Like Sullivan, I have criticisms of gay rights leadership, including the HRC, which seems hopelessly lost in past techniques and strategies. Like Sullivan, I feel the injustice against gays to my bones.
But Sullivan’s post this weekend going after HRC head Joe Solomonese just rolled my eyes, with this idiotic claim that rather nicely encompasses the full-on gay hissy fit in all its glory. Sullivan’s analogy reveals in one paragraph the petty and selfish nature of this ever escalating nonsense. Emphasis mine.
Essentially, Solmonese is asking for patience and silence until the last day of Barack Obama’s second term for any sort of movement on gay equality. Now I can understand how, say, Brian Bond, who is paid to defend the administration on these issues, might say that to mollify activists. I can understand Rahm Emanuel saying that behind closed doors. But what on earth is the head of the biggest gay lobby doing saying that? Can you imagine AIPAC’s head or La Raza’s head pre-emptively telling the administration that we won’t mind very much if you do nothing for us until the end of your second term? They would be forced to resign, pronto.
Gays are currently most upset about not being allowed to get married, not being allowed to serve openly in the armed forces, and not being protected from discrimination in the workplace. How is this comparable to what illegal immigrants are going through while they wait for immigration reform? Or what Israelis live through while they wait for a peace agreement with the Palestinians? How do you think Hispanics and Israelis feel when they hear gays claim their issues deserve attention before their own? What are these hissy fitters going to do if immigration reform comes before DADT on the legislative agenda?
I’m sure that Andrew Sullivan’s rather comfortable, probably Ikea appointed six-figure enabled condo in metro DC could use a little of that marriage chic, or perhaps he’d like to hang a signed portrait of that first openly gay dude in uniform on his wall, right next to the framed awards for his career’s journalistic triumphs, which he passes on his way out the door to the NBC provided limo taking him to Chris Matthews’ studio on Sunday, yes, that would all be very nice.
But I’m pretty fucking certain that Andrew isn’t worried about a bomb flying through his window, as Israelis are. Nor is Andrew worried that he might be deported, or his family might be deported, tomorrow. I agree with Andrew that gay leadership risks losing its influence if gay leadership stops advocating in favor of access. But I also believe that gay leadership risks losing its credibility when gay leadership makes a false equivalence between their wait for reform, and that of others.
I don’t hear Hispanic leaders beating the living shit out of President Obama, day after day, despite their families being at risk of deportation every day that passes without immigration reform. I don’t hear Israelis, or American Jews, beating the shit out of President Obama, day after day, despite Israel living on a knife edge 24/7/365 until a final status agreement is reached in the Middle East. The line waiting for change from this White House is long, with many urgent matters awaiting equally urgent attention.
But I do hear self appointed gay leaders beating the shit out of President Obama, day after day, because they can’t have that next incremental level of civil rights that they currently don’t enjoy. No, marriage is not a luxury, it’s a right. No, serving your country in uniform is not a luxury, it’s a right. But just as certain, no, you people are not Malcolm FUCKING X.
If Obama offers something real and new, I will be the first to cheer; if he offers nothing but words again, I will march with more fervor and determination tomorrow.
Good. Go and march. Advocate for your rights to the first African American president in history, who is there because of the blood of thousands who could not vote, who before that could not drink from the white water fountain, who before that could be hanged from a tree at the drop of a hat, who before that were enslaved by the same government that Barack Obama now heads, from whose bully pulpit he shouts louder about gay rights than any previous president of any country has ever done. Do your part. Help make it happen.
But enough with the hissy fit. You are doing yourselves no favors. This president will end DADT, end DOMA, and do much else to further your cause, far more than any of you can ever imagine, largely with those words you selfishly dismiss. Those words are humanizing gays to a country which has spent decades hearing nothing but hate from its leaders about gays. That is change, whether you want to believe it or not.
Those words are part of the effort to bring about that which you claim to want NOW, that which will not come about if this White House jumps when you say so. Getting that change does not happen with one wave of Barack Obama’s finger, and in fact, if it could, such an attempt could destroy the likelihood of it happening at all. You’re a smart fellow, Andrew, you should know this.
I’m quite happy to wait in line behind so many others who need this president to help them. Get in line, Andrew.
Tags: andrew sullivan, gay rights, hrc, john aravosis
October 12th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Shalom Tim,
Israel and immigration reform are going to be hard slogs demanding the President’s full and detailed attention.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, on the other hand can be dealt with by presidential fiat in the same way that President Harry Truman dealt with integrating the military, President Gerald Ford dealt with the criminality of President Richard Nixon and President Jimmy Carter dealt with Vietnam War Era draft dodgers.
Sign the paper and move on to more pressing demands.
B’shalom,
Jeff
October 12th, 2009 at 10:58 am
jeff, you’re playing into the hissy fit narrative.
if DADT can be removed by fiat by this president, then it can be reimposed by fiat by another. that is why it needs to be legislative for DADT to be gone forever. this needs to be done right, not fast.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Now they want to push another BLANKET AMNESTY upon us. The Democrats have promised those already here a path to citizenship, that defies all logic. It means access to our health care reform instantly, totalization of social security with those from South of the border. It means sharing your retirement with the majority of foreign nationals who been sponging of Americans for decades. It means more welfare for the old, the indigent who will follow on, through chain migration. It means your living standards falling to that of third world existence. If Amnesty passes do you think for one minute that those without hope in other countries are—NOT–going to pour through our porous border? I’m getting old, but I fear for my son’s future, my family. I have my pensions, but where do you stand? Will you get a pension upon retirement? Our infrastructure has suffered, because we send our young people to fight foreign wars for special interests. For years those who supposedly embody us in Washington, have seriously neglected our road, rail, utilities and communications network. The special interests are the multi-national companies, who have no loyalty to America, the people or the US Constitution. Then there are the majority of our politicians, who have slowly succumbed to business handouts? The only thing they have any loyalty to, is filling their own bank accounts with campaign contributions and undisclosed lucrative gifts. DID AMERICA COME ALL THIS WAY TO SINK BELOW A LAYER OF GREED AND UNBELIEVABLE CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON, SINCE THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
We should replace the pit of Vipers led by Sen. Harry Reid and joined by Liberal Democrat leaders last week–KILLED–by a vote of 61 to 38 shot down Senator Vitters amendment of that would have withdrawn federal funds to–SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES. It is more taxpayer money being stolen to support illegal families, gang members and other heinous criminals who broached our laws. The IRS is actually extracting the money you earn, to take it in April, to support Anchor families included with the 20 million to thirty million people that should be ejected from our nation. Homeland security run by Napolitano is in deep collusion with sleaze that is catered to in Washington. Perhaps–just perhaps if we used public funding for election Campaigns for the politicians, it would assist in removing the corruption in DC, severing the lobbyists. Speaker of the House is another problem, who runs her vineyards with illegal foreign workers in CALIFORNIA. But that is just scratching the surface of both parties as they are perpetually involved in running the country for the globalists.
Sen.David Vitter offered an amendment to sever Federal funds to SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES, but as always they failed to observe the “Rule of Law.” The vote went along party lines except for three Republicans who voted with the Democrats to table the amendment. One Democrat voted against the motion – Landrieu (LA). Even though we can throw the conspirators out, when they come up for re-election it will have little effect? Even though they lose their seats, they will be reimbursed by their corporate friends with nice civilian desk jobs, with bloated pay checks.
Only if we stand together and demand E-Verify program, our uniformed police right to question and detain people of unauthorized immigration status 287 G? Hopefully next year Americans will see through the greed, in the Senate and house and start by–REMOVING–Sen. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Both have millions of illegal aliens living off taxpayers in California and Nevada. GO and investigate their immigration grading and every lawmaker at NUMBERSUSA website. Vote them out? WE MUST HAVE E-VERIFY AS A MANDATED LAW, SEN. HARRY REID SOLD US OUT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AT 202-224-3121 and give them an ULTIMATUM. Businesses that hire the millions of illegal aliens are bleeding us dry, because we pay for the health care and education and for hundreds of thousands in the prisons. Your tax dollars are paying for warm cells and California has the largest proportion of any state. MAKE ENTERING AMERICA A CLASS ONE FELONY, LIKE OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. EVEN MEXICO YOU ARE DRAGGED INTO ONE OF THOSE REPUGNANT PRISONS.
The fact is uncomplicated that E-Verify WORKS! And it is up, running and operational, so that illegal foreign workers other than a few using counterfeit documents will be discovered and eliminated from the workplace. Th Special interest lobbyists want it dropped, because it has grown in popularity and more sincere Pro-American companies are using it? Another simple fact is that its—SUCCEEDING! It is now hurting the elusive Council of Foreign Relations agenda to destabilize American workers and substitute even more cut-rate even a government agency, but a Quasi agency that is a kind of sinister think tank. For years they have been formatting their power to undo the poorly built border fence, wreck inspections at airports, so millions more can pour into American and steal jobs. Nor does matter to the illicit ACLU, a communist inspired group or business consortium’s, who owe no loyalty to US workers? It is a case of drowning America in low wage recruits, who are not just working in the fields, but janitors, fast food, factories, warehouses and higher paying jobs then citizens and legal employees realize?. AMERICAN WORKERS MUST MAKE A STAND. Anybody who legally displays the E-Verify sign should get the customers dollars, those who don’t comply should be absolutely BOYCOTTED. I go to El Pollo Loco, but not to McDonalds-because I haven’t seen the E-Verify sign yet? Same I only try to buy AMERICAN? But that is even becoming more indefinable, because many parts of products are imported in from cheap labor countries, killing our own manufacturing base. WE ARE SELF-INFLICTING OUR OWN WOUNDS?
The same with not training our own workers and instead imported significantly more labor from other lands by the millions each year. Thus we cheat our own industries. We can beat this, by electing politicians who sign a–CONTRACT– stating American workers come first? Not those just affirming an oath of office, since to many it’s meaningless. These contracts can be published and shown to the public and the national media. We are cutting our own throats in so many ways, because many bona-fide US Americans don’t bother to vote the political corruption–OUT OF OFFICE. Most of the lawmakers are out for gain, not truly there to protect the American poor, not protecting our vulnerable senior’s, not even really protecting our military, if they even come home? With the health care reform as a major issue, then research you’re local, state of federal lawmaker and locate their screened interests in pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, insurance, billing companies or anything that exudes money? They are just coveting their own interests? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE THE ULTIMATE POWER, TO STOP THIS TRAVESTY OF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS. Even our police departments are under attack by pro illegal immigrant politicians and open border crazies, which includes an old timer like Sheriff Joe Ariapo. He was following federal law called 287 G, to apprehend criminal aliens. But their all Criminals. They entered a sovereign nation without permission. Joe will thankfully carry on under state law and nothing will deter him? IT SHOULD BE MADE A FIRST CLASS FELONY AS IT IS IN DEVELOPED NATIONS.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Shalom Tim,
Except no one has ever considered re-segregating the military, digging up President Richard Nixon so that we can try him for crimes against the state, nor sending reascending the amnesty for Vietnam War Era draft dodgers.
While you’re technically correct that the next president could do all of the above, no president would; it’s just to much political hassle to go back.
B’shalom,
Jeff
October 12th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I think Jeff has got a point, some things are sufficiently sticky to roll back that it might be difficult to do so. As for Brittanicus, you do realize that Tim isn’t really writing about immigration in this post? I’m sort of tempted to take issue with you on several points you’re writing about, but…Tim’s writing about gays. Stop derailing and find someone else’s post to rant about immigration–I’ll bet Tim’s written about it somewhere.
Similarly Tim, I’m not sure how relevant the Israeli or immigrant issues you raise our to gay rights. I don’t think it’s an activist’s job to say, weigh his issues against those of other activists. Especially with the way that politics works in our country, it’s sort of biased towards extremism, that is, if I kind of care about ten different issues, I probably won’t make as much a difference as if I really care about a few issues (particularly if I’ve got a party that cares about those same issues). I think it’s the activist’s job to care about their issue and push that issue.
So while I totally understand why you, as a democrat and a strong supporter of Barack Obama (with a job history of working for campaigns and thus giving your unambiguous support behind a candidate) I don’t think we can very well expect that from Sullivan. Sullivan’s a conservative, and so doesn’t necessarily have a loyalty to Obama on these other issues you talk about–he might well disagree with you on them, and so isn’t likely to want to sacrifice what he cares about in favor of those things.
That said, I agree that Sullivan’s rebuke to Solomonese was a little extreme, and that it probably doesn’t take into account the political considerations that Solomenese has to make in order to get what he wants done and I certainly feel that “battered wife syndrome” is pushing it a bit too far.