In the american voter pysche---There is a difference between

a single policy voter ( e.g will not vote if he/she is pro or anti gay, depending on your party of choice)

single fundamental policy voter( e.g will not vote if he/she is not pro secruity first or on the flip he/she is constitutional rights over secruity candidate )

/ and... 'shoot the otherside is evil I'm only for my party regardless voter'.

To each his own...

"    I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all - a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It's wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans. Equality is a moral imperative. That's why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBTAmericans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation.

   In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.

   Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system. The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.

   We also need a president who's willing to confront the stigma - too often tied to homophobia - that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones - and that's what I've done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention.

   I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign - from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached. Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBTAmericans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary. Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/th e_daily_dish/2008/02/obamas-open-let.htm l

Indeed. He supports a full repeal of DADT and DOMA ("I support the full and unqualified repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples"), and is in favor of federally recognized civil unions. The one thing he's not for is federal support of gay marriage, but then nobody on our side except Kucinich and Gravel went that far.

Obama's actually great on gay issues; I can only assume that people think he isn't because of leftover primary memes, and because people continue to think he endorses every view of everyone he engages with (like McClurkin).

Be nice, or else....!  ;)

True, it's a real bummer . . . but the parking lots are crunchy . . .

sorry about the poor writing . . .

nah, your head would have popped  off.

Even if you put it right on ice the hospital wouldn't take your parts.

But seriously, the busses people keep getting thrown under must be a custom design.

Do the front windows open?  Are there platforms along the side for pushing people from?

I say-- just don't ride weird busses.

Of course Obama will be better on gay rights than McCain.  A bear claw would be better than McCain on gay rights (and I'm not talking about Sully's hand, either).

If Nunn is on the 'list', however, some of us do have reason to wonder what the heck is going on.  I think that's all this is, except for the "I'll vote for him even if it undermines my own interests" meme.  I don't buy that, wouldn't for ANY candidate.

But honestly, I think this is much navel gazing about nothing.  I do wish the diarist hadn't put in the part about electrodes.  Folks at Folsom kinda like that.  ;-)

How about comparing Obama to his electoral opponent, a certain Senator McCain?

If you don't recall, the Clintons imposed DADT and DOMA themselves.  They're first class panderers to be sure, and Obama's disinclination to do a lot of special interest events when he could be doing general public events that all people, including gays, are more than welcome to come to, should give you more hope for a normalized culture than anything else.

I was very pleased with Hillary Clinton's concession speech because she made a point of taking Obama's tack on including discussion of gays in a general setting, which she usually didn't do.  It was a classy move and good for unity.

Obama and McCain are not on the same level when it comes to gays.  Obama wants every American to have the same rights.  McCain wants to become President and will dance to the Republcian party's anti-gay tune to do it.

As the diarist points out, there are some pressing matters facing the nation, and the GE is not going to be a slam dunk.

Demanding that Obama participate in a pride weekend to match the pandering that went on during the primaries is a tad disingenuous. If you'd like input into his campaign, start with his LGBT policy group, and effect any change you'd like to see from the inside.

Legislation like DOMA would not have materialized had not there been considerable support for it. Only true leadership from the bully pulpit can make inroads into this kind of prejudiced mindset, but knee-capping the effort to re-take the WH by imposing outlandish conditions on your support isn't the best way to go about it.

Boston Globe

McCain drops the torture ball
By Derrick. Z. Jackson
February 16, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN this week had a choice between his principles and propping up a failed president. He chose the latter The Senate joined the House in passing an intelligence bill that would ban the CIA from using waterboarding as an interrogation tactic. The CIA would have to abide by the Army Field Manual, which also prohibits beatings, electric or temperature shocks, forced nudity, mock executions, and the use of dogs.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articl es/2008/02/16/mccain_drops_the_torture_b all/

I've always been amazed that most liberal dems mention DADT as one of Bill Clinton's failures. He was the first Democratic candidate to ever bring up gay civil rights, and the first President to ever tackle it, period--IN HIS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE!

Sam Nunn and Colin Powell tried to embarrass the President and deep-six gay rights at the same time. The compromise we came away with was better than no loaf at all, and dramatically reduced hate crimes in the military, not to mention court martials based on orientation.

But it's worth remembering that Sam Nunn didn't even want that compromise. And definitely worth remembering the next time you hear someone trying to create some fairy tale about "Bill Clinton the bigot"...

You're concerned about Obama because other people are speculating that he might be on the VP list?

Seems like that's unfair to our guy, no?

I mean, people are speculating that he's take Hagel, too... and we all know that this would never happen.

Pundits are paid to speculate on off-the-wall BS.

Yep, and eventually one tires of always being under those wheels, and one does the "Hulk' and throws the bus back to the yard.

Aren't gay imaginations fun?

I can never tell if you're talking about your man McCain or not.