One of the gay couples invited to the White House Easter Egg Roll by the Obamas…
The little girl is clearly smiling at the destruction of straight marriage. Be afeared!
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April 13th, 2009
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Let’s see… Obama will have them in his home, but won’t let them get married? Obviously he’s some kind of hateful bigot…
J.
Jay, you are an asshole. I wouldn’t let you within 100 feet of my children.
Bad day,Jay?
Once I was a child with “two mommies”
Now i’m an adult with two wonderful women to support me, altho I only carry genetic material from one of them
Dear Jay,
Remember how “separate and equal” ended last time?
Either the legal definition of marriage is extended to everyone, or civil unions becomes the state equivalent for everyone – and marriages stay within religious practices only.
Then you can secede back into the 19th century, and we can all move on into the 21st.
I’m on record, repeatedly, as supporting gay marriage.
Obama is on record, repeatedly, as opposing gay marriage.
Why are these gay people so happily embracing the enemy?
Why are you folks so eager to excuse this bigot?
J.
Maybe because your position on gay marriage is irrelevant to the national discourse, and therefore costs you nothing?
Barack Obama: “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
There’s your opposition, folks. There’s someone in a position of tremendous power who is foursquare against same sex marriage.
Perhaps you ought to try to persuade him…
J.
President Obama, as bad as his position on the issue may be, clearly does not hate gay people. On the other hand, the right traffics in hatred of gays just like they have versus blacks and hispanics.
Apparently Jay Tea’s feelings were hurt and now he’s desperately looking for attention.
Perhaps his parents didn’t provide him the love that he craved and to this day he’s been seeking what he was denied.
Even negative attention clearly thrills Jay Tea.
Have you ever considered, Jay Tea, that your support of the right wing comes down to needing a daddy figure? Even an abusive daddy figure like Republican’s Bush and Cheney? (The same Cheney who couldn’t even stand up for his own lesbian daughter.)
Come to the light side, Jay Tea, the Dark Side has nothing to offer you but unhappiness.
“Why are these gay people so happily embracing the enemy?
Why are you folks so eager to excuse this bigot?”
talk about rhetorical questions. Here’s your answer:
“There’s your opposition, folks. There’s someone in a position of tremendous power who is foursquare against same sex marriage.
Perhaps you ought to try to persuade him … ”
you can’t taunt anyone here with that. We CAN work to persuade him and other dems who are on the fence.
That does suggest that we’re a captive constituency, but I would LOVE to hear in the future that “the GOP’s comeback only arrived AFTER embracing gay marriage.” Nothing could make me happier except the GOP’s comeback ALMOST arrived after embracing gay marriage.” Because Dems still would get it right on economic policy
I’m on record, repeatedly, as supporting gay marriage.
Jay Tea just votes Republican because Cheney made the trains run on time. (Except, of course, he didn’t: Iraq Invasion; massive, regressive, irresponsible, tax cuts; Katrina; Blackwater; torture; etc.)
JFK also said he was against forced integration in 1960 while speaking to Southern voters.
News, you’re as good a psychologist as you are an expert on war crimes. Or on anything else.
Keep making excuses for Obama. Your guy is a religious bigot when it comes to gay marriage. He wraps his opposition to gay marriage in his religion.
And you keep letting him get away with it. Worse, you embrace him despite his religious bigotry, while assailing others for saying precisely what he does.
How can you possibly stand your own hypocrisy?
J.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1890844,00.html
“More than 100 same-sex couples showed up at the event in 2006 with their children in an organized effort to show President Bush “that gay families exist in this country,” in the words of one organizer; critics accused them of “crashing” the event.”
Where Republicans complained that gay couples were “crashing” the Republican President Bush White House Egg Roll, Obama has taken a (small) step in the right direction and actually made a point of inviting gay couples to attend.
Where Obama invited gay couples to the religious event he was hosting, Republican Bush wouldn’t even acknowledge them.
And you keep letting him get away with it. Worse, you embrace him despite his religious bigotry, while assailing others for saying precisely what he does.
Jay tea, Obama supports civil unions, is opposed to DOMA, is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and has said that the states can decide for themselves what to do on the issue.
After Vermont voted to make gay marriage legal, Obama didn’t go on TV to say that American values were under assault or that there was “a storm coming” over the issue, and he’s never said that allowing gay marriage was going to destroy America.
In other words, he’s just the kind of opponent of gay marriage that I can live with: He isn’t in favor of it, but he doesn’t think it’s the end of the world if it happens, he doesn’t use inflammatory rhetoric when discussing it and he isn’t doing anything, as president, to actively oppose it.
Of course, this has all been explained to you before.
Keep making excuses for Obama.
Who’s making excuses for Obama?
Jay Tea, I see what you’re saying, but you don’t really have the moral authority to make these claims.
Anyone who feels compelled to add… “Barack Obama: “I’m a Christian” to a post automatically gets discounted. Why is that only “Christians” have to make sure that they notify me that they are “Christians” at every turn?
I’m a devil worshipping, liberal, dirty effing hippy. Do I count too?
JT, at this point, I’d consider being made to eat in the kitchen better than being chained to a stake in the backyard. Comparison: Teddy Roosevelt didn’t invite W.E.B. DuBois to dinner at the White House, but he _did_ invite Booker T. Washington. Woodrow Wilson screened “Birth of a Nation” at the White House. I think if you asked DuBois which POTUS he supported, he’d have had no problem picking Roosevelt.
They don’t seem to make Republicans like Teddy any more.
Barack Obama: “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
Did you miss that part in italics, Jay? We don’t give Obama a hard time about this because apparently, to judge by his actions, he’s serious about that.
In contrast to you, who claim to be for gay marriage but loudly support a party that is hell bent on legislating certain religious ideas on this issue.
There are people who are bigots in thought, and those that are bigots in deed. The latter scare me more, and you, sir, are the latter.
You want us to believe that you really care about how much the “bigot” Obama is setting back the cause of gay marriage, and that you’re not just grabbing onto any convenient stick to whack Obama with? You might get away with that on some other forum where they don’t know you quite so well.
JT, you’re absolutely right: The president is dead wrong on this issue.
I’m not making the comparison, I’m just pointing it out: In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was publicly not in favor of ending slavery in the south.
I should add my voice to the others who’ve pointed out that his opposition is tolerable, though, as it has manifested as about as weak an opposition as one could manage.
JT, you seem to think that Obama’s mild LGBT baggage was enough to overcome the fact that his opponent was John McCain.
John McCain.
Obama is open to reason, and I believe he will come around to my views. McCain and “open to reason” do not belong on the same page.
And yet, you wonder why the LGBT community voted overwhelmingly for Obama. That is a serious absence of analytical ability, if you ask me.
Jay, this is trolling of a less sophisticated manner than I’m used to from you. I don’t know whether to lament your lack of imagination or applaud your evolution into full-fledged wingnut.
I’m on record, repeatedly, as supporting gay marriage.
My god! Jay Tea is contrasting himself against President Obama and putting himself up as a candidate in the 2012 Presidential election!
You are a moron. You frequently spread lies and disinformation.
You vocally supported Bush, an open enemy to gay marriage who, fortunately, blew his political capital before he was capable of passing any ridiculous constitutional amendments to restrict rights.
Suddenly, as President Obama is in office, gay marriage is a top priority for Jay Tea. Never mind that Obama is ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and pushing forward many other gay rights issues. Also President Obama has openly said that if states legalize gay marriage he will do nothing to stop it.
But when push comes to shove I’m sure you’ll vote for the most pro-gay rights candidate in 2012 and not some mouth-breathing, holier-than-thou moron from Alaska. Right Jay Tea?
Phew. It was the site that had the problem. I thought I’d finally pissed Oliver too much.
Gay marriage is NOT a top priority for me. I support it, but it’s fairly well down my list of important issues. But it is the topic at hand.
As I recall, Obama and McCain’s positions on gay marriage were pretty much equal. So on this issue alone, it was a wash. McCain has a history of being pretty good on gay issues — I’ve heard that he’s had several openly gay people as staffers.
The hypocrisy I’m pointing out here is that the standard slam on people who cite their opposition to gay marriage based on their religious beliefs is that they are narrow-minded religious bigots. I think that there’s a smidgen of truth there, and have argued with those people by pointing out that we don’t base laws strictly on religious grounds — there has to be a secular justification as well.
Another analogy often made is that banning gay marriage is very similar to the laws that banned interracial marriage. Again, I agree with this to a certain extent. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but there’s a core of truth there. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve long (but infrequently) argued in favor of gay marriage.
So here is Barack Obama, whom Oliver is touting as a friend to gays in this article, specifically citing his religious beliefs to justify his opposition to gay marriage. Yes, he’s supporting civil unions and other legal sanctions for gay unions, but he’s withholding the “marriage” title based on Christian doctrine.
And he is the product of an interracial marriage.
So why should he be exempt from criticism based on those criteria? Why shouldn’t he be called a hypocrite and a religious bigot?
By the way, Obama’s big change in the Easter Egg Roll was to specifically invite gay families to attend. Under Bush, it was just opened to anyone, on a first-come, first-served basis, and gay families routinely attended. In other words, under Bush it was “no big deal;” Obama chose to make a big thing out of it.
J.
So why should he be exempt from criticism based on those criteria? Why shouldn’t he be called a hypocrite and a religious bigot?
He’s not! Oliver has openly criticized Obama on this! He was also criticized over his selection of the hilariously named ‘Saddleback’ pastor being selected for the inauguration. But somehow you think you’re coming in to this thread with some incredible insight even though liberals have been vocal about this for months. Then you try to compare Obama to McCain as if they’re equivalents on gay-rights even though McCain vocally supported Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and DOMA.
It’s one of the reasons why I’ve long (but infrequently) argued in favor of gay marriage.
My god you have a tin ear. You speak as though you’re a senator and people care what you “long argued in favor”. No one does.
I’ll take good over perfect any day re: Obama and gay marriage.
I’ll take good over drastically fucking terrible re: Obama vs. Palin/McCain any day as well. Looks like reality-based adult Americans agreed with me on that one as well.
But I’d expect no less from a Republican who values ideological purity above all else.
Jaim, if it makes your tiny brain feel better to call me a Republican, go ahead. I decided against belonging to any party years and years ago. I think that the Republicans are closer to being correct on most of the issues I care most about, and vote accordingly, but I’m not on their rolls.
I cited my long-standing support for gay marriage because the most common dismissals are “you’re just making this up” or “you’re just saying you are for it to score points.” I’ve been consistent on this, and it’s with a touch of ironic pride that I am considerably more “progressive” on this issue than President Obama, who wraps his bigotry in religious sophistry.
In all seriousness… I think the push for marriage now is a tactical mistake. Get civil unions up and rolling in a large number of states, show that they don’t lead to Teh Apocalypse, and THEN go for marriage. Civil unions are the proof of concept; once they succeed, then the “marriage” isn’t a revolutionary thing, but just a change of terminology.
It’s not the idealistic solution, but it seems the most pragmatic.
J.
‘Keep making excuses for Obama. Your guy is a religious bigot when it comes to gay marriage. He wraps his opposition to gay marriage in his religion.’
So your acceptance of gay marriage excuses all of your other hate inspired posts?
Get real.
I’ll lay odds that President Obama WILL sanction gay marriage before the end of his second term, but NO GOP President WILL EVER do so, because the regressive, increasingly insignificant, ignorant and hate filled base support for the Republican party are ‘compassionate’ Christian conservatives who STILL believe Obama is a Muslim, that all the problems in the US are caused by immigrants, that Dumbya is a Saint, and that ‘Libruls’ are evil.
Catering to this ever marginalized, lunatic minority has left the Right wing clinging to such desperate measures as ‘tea parties,’ and the rants of Michelle Bachmann and Limbaugh.
Try mentioning to this deranged mob that Jesus had 2 fathers, and the result will be a mass psychosis before their heads explode.
It’s the Right that has fought for years to combine religious fanaticism with politics, and the results are plain for all to see the last 8 years; a shattered economy, two failed wars, the US reputation in shreds and the country even more polarized since the Civil War.
Obama may be on the wrong side of this issue right now, but he has never called for an ammendment to ban gay marriage, nor will he; you can’t say that for the majority of the Right.
‘Jaim, if it makes your tiny brain feel better to call me a Republican, go ahead. I decided against belonging to any party years and years ago. I think that the Republicans are closer to being correct on most of the issues I care most about, and vote accordingly, but I’m not on their rolls.’
If it makes you feel better to claim you’re not a Republican, after you ADMIT they represent your values and that you vote for them, go right ahead.
Just don’t forget to let us know when Elvis gets here.
Why would they destroy America? They’re just a normal family – man, wife and child. The guy on the right is Bob Sanders. I worked with him in the coal mines back in the late 80’s.
Kidding, kidding.
Never cared much one way or the other about gay marriage. Which ever side pisses me off the least will get my support. I really couldn’t care less.
‘As I recall, Obama and McCain’s positions on gay marriage were pretty much equal. So on this issue alone, it was a wash. McCain has a history of being pretty good on gay issues — I’ve heard that he’s had several openly gay people as staffers.’
Wrong again; what a surprise.
McCain is ON RECORD in support of a Constitutional ammendment to BAN gay marriage; Obama has said UNEQUIVOCALLY that he WILL NOT INTEREFERE WITH INDIVUDUAL STATES’ RIGHT TO ALLOW IT.
Where is the similarity>
‘Under Bush, it was just opened to anyone, on a first-come, first-served basis, and gay families routinely attended. In other words, under Bush it was “no big deal;” Obama chose to make a big thing out of it’
Another load of crap; gay families did not ‘routinely’ attend that event during Bush’s tenure, because the WH made it clear they were not welcome.
Can you not say anything that isn’t littered with lies?
I’m going to agree with Jay Tea (Armageddon, begin now!) in that I support gay marriage, but it isn’t a top priority for me. All I mean by that is I wouldn’t trade, say, universal health care for gay marriage. I’m sure Jay Tea has a different set of issues he wouldn’t trade if he had to pick one, but the idea’s the same.
There is one important distinction between Obama’s position and many in the religious wing of the Republican party, though. Obama does not support gay marriage, but does support civil unions. Religious conservatives support passing laws explicitly banning both practices.
When I refer to them being bigots, this is what I mean. We can rightly criticize someone for not supporting something we feel is right, but it’s a far cry from putting effort into obstruction and demonization. I’ve never heard Obama claim that gay marriage will lead to the destruction of straight marriage, or that it opens the door to bestiality (and, by the way, we don’t miss you Santorum, so have a nice political afterlife!)
Obama shouldn’t be given a free pass for his views, but it’s not correct to say that he’s in the same playground as many in the Republican party who’ve worked to drum up gay marriage fear.
I’ll lay odds that President Obama WILL sanction gay marriage before the end of his second term, but NO GOP President WILL EVER do so, because the regressive, increasingly insignificant, ignorant and hate filled base support for the Republican party are ‘compassionate’ Christian conservatives who STILL believe Obama is a Muslim, that all the problems in the US are caused by immigrants, that Dumbya is a Saint, and that ‘Libruls’ are evil.
There is exactly one thing in that whole blather that is worth responding to, the part I bolded:
Quite possible, and I hope Obama does. But there’s also the old “Only Nixon could go to China” principle. It might take a Republican to provide the political cover to get it through.
Funk, go back to school and learn to read. I said their positions on certain issues are closer to mine. I said nothing about values, nothing about them “representing” me. They don’t, and won’t.
Everyone has their core issues. Mine tend to be tend to be small government, national security, and economic freedom. Socially, I consider myself moderate to progressive. Yes, the Republicans were hefty spenders of late. But that left me with a choice: the party that says they favor small government, or the party that cheerfully endorses big government. I could vote for the Republicans and hope they were telling the truth, or the Democrats and hope they were lying.
Alternately, I could vote for the Democrats under the theory that “at least they’re honest scoundrels, where the Republicans lie about it.”
Vermont’s legislature just passed gay marriage, and I’m quite happy about that. New Hampshire passed civil unions two years ago, and my only irritation was that it was the top legislative priority after the election — after not a single candidate ran on that issue. This time, it’s the same thing — the push to pass a gay marriage law came right after the election, when not a single candidate ran on that issue. I find myself irritated at the double pulling of the old “bait and switch” technique.
Here’s hoping Obama does come around, and endorses gay marriage. I don’t think he will, and I don’t think he can, politically — at least not in his first term. But I hope he does.
J.
As I recall, Obama and McCain’s positions on gay marriage were pretty much equal. So on this issue alone, it was a wash. McCain has a history of being pretty good on gay issues — I’ve heard that he’s had several openly gay people as staffers.
As I recall, the difference between you and most commenters here is that most won’t state something completely false. Anyone who gives half a damn about gay rights wouldn’t have supported McCain over Obama, and to state the two are equivalent is willful ignorance. Unless, perhaps you think gay rights include being excluded from the military, discriminated in the workplace, not allowed partner benefits, hospital visits, or death benefits, which would explain your support of McCain (of course, this is through his voting record rather than his most recent rhetoric).
Of course, the more cynical point of view would be that you don’t care at all about gay rights, but have merely identified a position where the patrons of this site differ from the position of Obama and are using it as a tool to accuse us of being hypocrites. Of course, this requires the lie that McCain and Obama are equivalent, which might explain the comment above..
There’s your opposition, folks. There’s someone in a position of tremendous power who is foursquare against same sex marriage.
That is not to say that he would veto a bill allowing it.
Alternately, I could vote for the Democrats under the theory that “at least they’re honest scoundrels, where the Republicans lie about it.”
That’s pretty much why I don’t vote Republican, right there, even when they say something that, if done, I’d agree with.
I have a lot of Christian friends that support the GOP because of religion, when they get essentially none of their core legislation passed, even when the GOP has a clear majority in all branches of government. At that point, it doesn’t matter what your values are in regards to that issue; neither party is going to give you what you want.
So voting for the party that tells you they will, but won’t, is not the best decision. Better to go to the next item on your list and see who’s actually going to do something about it, not just talk about it.
Like with Campaign Finance Reform, which is something I care about, but know that neither party will allow to happen in any meaningful way. I basically tune out candidates when they talk about it, ’cause why bother getting fired up about talk that won’t amount to anything?
But there’s also the old “Only Nixon could go to China” principle. It might take a Republican to provide the political cover to get it through.
The longest of long shots.
16 years of galloping Atwaterism has clearly defined the GOP as the party of family values, religion, and traditional marriage. Before a Republican president could be in a position to act on gay marriage, he (or she) would have to win election without the rabidly anti-gay Republican base AND with the support of tolerant moderates.
Get cracking on that, will ya?
McCain is ON RECORD in support of a Constitutional ammendment to BAN gay marriage; Obama has said UNEQUIVOCALLY that he WILL NOT INTEREFERE WITH INDIVUDUAL STATES’ RIGHT TO ALLOW IT.
Wow, did a little digging and this is true. Jay Tea is so wrong about this, he’s almost committing libel!
16 years of galloping Atwaterism has clearly defined the GOP as the party of family values, religion, and traditional marriage.
Oddly enough, it seems, very few actually practice these principles.
‘Funk, go back to school and learn to read. I said their positions on certain issues are closer to mine. I said nothing about values, nothing about them “representing” me. They don’t, and won’t.’
So what the fuck do you vote for them for?
‘Yes, the Republicans were hefty spenders of late. But that left me with a choice: the party that says they favor small government, or the party that cheerfully endorses big government. I could vote for the Republicans and hope they were telling the truth, or the Democrats and hope they were lying.’
So you vote for Bush TWICE, even after recognizing that he LIED your nation into a manufactured war that bankrupted your nation financially and morally, and you consider that the LESSER of two evils.
Perhaps you should go back to school and learn to think.
‘But there’s also the old “Only Nixon could go to China” principle. It might take a Republican to provide the political cover to get it through.’
Really? In what fantasy universe do you see a Republican daring to face the wrath of their Christian Conservative base on ANY controversial issue; gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research?
You want to hold up Nixon as a representative of GOP values, because he started the ball rolling towards Americas’
subservience to China?
Nixon? Really?
Aim higher.
‘McCain is ON RECORD in support of a Constitutional ammendment to BAN gay marriage; Obama has said UNEQUIVOCALLY that he WILL NOT INTEREFERE WITH INDIVUDUAL STATES’ RIGHT TO ALLOW IT.
Wow, did a little digging and this is true. Jay Tea is so wrong about this, he’s almost committing libel!
What else is new?
‘McCain has a history of being pretty good on gay issues — I’ve heard that he’s had several openly gay people as staffers.’
Yeah? I heard Obama is a Muslim that was born in Kenya and is a Socialist who wants to make Islam the premiere religion in the US.
Funny thing is, we probably both heard that shit at a McCain/Palin rally.
First and foremost, Obama may be an idiot – but he’s right about marriage being designed with a man for a woman and vice versa. Could women have babies with other women? Or men have babies with other men? It’s society that’s destroying America with its warped up fantasies of homosexuality!Not to mention polluting a child’s innocent mind with this load of BS! People can make good parents, sure!But that has nothing to do with the laws of nature and God’s design! If we were meant to be homosexuals, the entire species would be wiped out! And don’t get me started on that evolutionary crap!