CNN debunks anti-Jennings campaign

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Nate Silver analyzes the Maine marriage campaign: We can win, but no complacency

Nate Silver worked his magic on the marriage question in Maine. As always, he's got a great analysis examining the factors that impact marriage ballot questions. Nate has already spent considerable time figuring this out. One key factor is "the degree of religiosity in a state." Turns out Maine is the third least religious state in the nation.

The full analysis is worth a read. But, here's Nate's conclusion:

There have also been three polls conducted on the gay marriage ban, although one is somewhat out of date:


On average, the 'No on 1' position -- which would preserve gay marriage -- appears to be about 3 points ahead. It trails slightly, however, in the only poll of likely voters, which is the one from Research 2000 / Daily Kos.

Time to play oddsmaker: I'd lay about 3 to 1 against the marriage ban passing. But it's liable to fairly close -- clearly a winnable campaign for conservatives and a losable one for liberals, especially if the sort of complacency sets in that we saw in California*.

It probably will be close. And, from what I can tell, there's nothing like complacency in Maine. Read More...

The White House responds to the Reid letter on DADT

As noted below, Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote to Obama today telling him to get involved in the effort to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. My sense is that the Majority Leader wouldn't be writing a letter to Obama if he thought Obama was involved or had any intention of engaging. Anyway, the White House responded:

The President appreciates the Majority Leader's letter and looks forward to working with him and other members of Congress as they move towards a legislative repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

This sounds like the same pablum the White House has been sending out on DADT for months, actually since the election. Before that, they were all gung-ho. But, could someone at the White House have feigned interest or enthusiasm? Read More...

Excellent background on all the lies from FOX and the religious right surrounding Kevin Jennings

Really an excellent summary of all the lies that have out of these folks. I mean, I'm reading it, and knowing how the religious right and FOX lie at the drop of a hat, I'm still stunned by how pervasive and bold it is. Read More...

I'm smelling more than a little homophobia surrounding Mike Allen and the Politico

I'm not one to attack mainstream media journalists for sport. And I've defended Politico's Mike Allen to my readers, just recently in fact, as a "real" journalist we could trust. But I have to say, I'm troubled that Allen didn't do his due diligence before falsely accusing an Obama administration official of a crime. And I have to wonder if he jumped to his conclusion because the administration official is gay.

Allen went on a right-wing TV show this morning and falsely accused Department of Education official Kevin Jennings of a crime. He said - falsely - that Jennings failed to report "an assault" on a young man, twenty years ago, which would be a crime under Massachusetts law at the time. In fact, Jennings was never informed of an assault on anyone. He spoke to a student, of the legal age of consent, who had sex with a man. Ta ta ta dum.

Yes, you guessed - they were g-a-y. And one was older than the other. Ergo, it must have been one of those gay pedophile predator types who always go after young boys, because those gays are such perverts - right?

I'm not surprised that FOX News and the far right hate groups are going after a gay appointee in the Obama administration. Anti-gay bigotry is ripe at FOX, in the religious right, and in the GOP base that now controls the Republican party. So none of this should surprise us. What does surprise me is when real journalists, real reporters, like Mike Allen, swallow the bait from the ilk of Sean Hannity and the Family Research Council, and report their sludge as fact, when it's an outright lie. It really makes you wonder why the media smells a story here. I doubt they'd be as interested if the two legal adults, and the Obama official, were straight.

And another thing. Would Mike Allen, and any other media outlet covering this story, prefer if the kid had killed himself? From the REST of the story, if you bother reading it, the kid didn't exactly sound long for this world. Can you imagine, in the 1980s mind you (which is when this happened), had Jennings outed the kid as gay, not just to his parents, but to the entire state (which would include his school), which is what Allen is proposing? Assuming the kid didn't kill himself, would his parents have kicked him out of their house (which happened, and still happens, to a lot of gay kids)? Gee, I'll bet the media covering this fake story didn't think of that one. No, they had a "sex" story involving a gay guy - three gay guys in fact - and well, how you can top that?

Finally, Where's Rick Warren? I thought the Obama administration had bought him off. After all, that is why he was invited to do the invocation at Obama's swearing in, right? So where is he? We also told the Obama administration during the campaign to cut off FOX News, and instead Barack Obama went and gave O'Reilly - one of the worst over there - an interview. How's that FOX News connection working for you now? And then there's the rest of the religious right. The Obama administration has even invited the top religious right hate groups to the White House for official meetings. Great. What did they get out of it?

I'm all for President Obama reaching out in a bipartisan kind of way to Republicans, to FOX News, even to the religious right hate groups. But at some point, the Obama administration needs to show some benefit from this "bipartisanship" song and dance they keep trying to sell us. Because at this point, everyone they've reached out to, and caved to, seems back to take yet another swipe at the president. Read More...

Nevada's new domestic partnership law takes effect today

Via Nevada Progressive comes the news that Nevada began issuing domestic partnership certificates today. It became law only after overriding the veto of Governor Jim Gibbons (R):

History and Herstory are being made today in Nevada. Finally, FINALLY, LGBT families won't be at so much of a disadvantage any longer. The state moves just a little closer toward full equality.

The post linked to an article in today's Las Vegas Sun about the law's impact on real people:

They’ve been together for more than nine years. Most of their time revolves around the kids: dropping off, picking up, going to games and recitals, meeting with teachers, reminding about chores and nursing colds. In the evenings, their family has dinner together and yet they still find time for just the two of them, to laugh and tease and flirt and say, “I love you.”

And today, Carline Banegas and Jodie Dearborn will be one of nearly 700 couples receiving Nevada’s first domestic partnership certificates.

In the eyes of the law, their family will be almost normal.

Both Governor Gibbons and Nevada's GOP Senator, John Ensign, are opponents of LGBT equality. Both of them have been involved in highly publicized and notorious affairs. They're not exactly paragons of virtue.

This is progress in a southwestern state and keeps us moving in the right direction. But, as the Sun article notes:

Nevada’s domestic partnership law is an almost-but-not-quite kind of equality for gays and lesbians. It confers most legal benefits of marriage but not all.

But not all. Yet. Read More...

Media Matters exposes use of anti-gay slurs by right-wing media in attacks on Kevin Jennings

The right wing loves nothing better than gay-bashing. It brings them right back to their roots. And, they've unleashed a fury of hate-filled anti-gay rhetoric against Kevin Jennings, who works in the Obama administration. Rush, Hannity, Malkin -- all of them have joined in. They want another scalp and they'll stop at nothing to get one from Jennings. But, this time, they're crossing a line even for themselves. From Media Matters:

The latest target in the Glenn Beck-driven conservative media witch hunt for Obama administration "czars" is Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools director Kevin Jennings. In their attacks on Jennings, numerous conservative media figures have resorted to thinly veiled xenophobic appeals to paint Jennings, who is gay, as a "radical" "gay activist" with an "agenda" of "promoting homosexuality in schools," and have misrepresented or distorted Jennings' previous comments about religion and tolerance.

Media Matters documents what's being said. It's like they're having a contest to see who can use the word "homosexual" in the most offensive manner.

We're keeping an eye on this one. Read More...

Reid to Obama: We need your leadership to repeal DADT

The White House keeps saying that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" must be repealed by Congress, as if the Obama administration has no role in that process. Today, invoking Dan Choi and Victor Fehrehbach, the Senate Majority Leader told Obama that he has to get involved to make the repeal happen:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ramped up the pressure on the White House and the military to repeal its "don't ask, don't tell" policy with a direct appeal to President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week.

In letters to Gates and Obama dated Sept. 24th and obtained by HuffPost, the Nevada Democrat asks each to "bring to Congress your recommendations on DADT" -- the policy that allows gay or lesbian Americans to serve in the military as long as they don't mention that they are gay or lesbian.

The policy, which is not applied consistently, has nevertheless cost the military valuable soldiers, sailors, pilots and translators.
Reid called for the policy to be repealed earlier this year and former president Bill Clinton, who instituted it, has called it one of his chief regrets.

A legislative fix could be difficult; it is not at all clear that the Senate could find 60 votes to overcome a likely filibuster. Reid, therefore, is calling in Obama.

"As Congress considers future legislative action, we believe it would be helpful to hear your views on the policy," he writes. "Your leadership in this matter is greatly appreciated and needed at this time."

Obama's leadership has been needed since January 20th. He could have used executive authority to stop Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but didn't and won't.

Can't wait to see how Robert Gibbs responds to questions about this letter. His responses on DADT do vary. Read More...