January 11, 2008

Obama’s NH outpost refuses to comment on LGBT issues. Surprised? We’re not.

Gay City News reports on the overtly hostile Republican reaction to gay and lesbian voters in New Hampshire, the “quieter” Democratic outreach to LGBTs — and the Obama camp’s conspicuous silence on the entire matter:

The appearance of ACT UP members and other universal health care advocates at a John McCain rally in Salem, New Hampshire this past weekend — which by its conclusion had some Republican attendees ripping the signs from the hands of protesters and forcing them from the hall — was the exception rather than the norm at candidate gatherings across the state.

There was, in fact, little LGBT visibility at town hall meetings across New Hampshire, despite the fact that the advent of civil unions in the state on January 1 was among the biggest of recent local political stories.

Outreach to lesbian and gay voters and political efforts by them seemed to be taking place in quieter, more intimate settings. …

Members of the local LGBT community turned out, as did two New England gay political stars — Barney Frank, the Massachusetts congressman, and David Pierce, a state representative from Etna in northern New Hampshire, near Hanover.

Frank, as is his custom, emphasized that the fortunes of the LGBT community and of the Democratic Party are inextricably linked, dismissing Republican Mitt Romney as “synthetic” but warning that John McCain poses the greatest threat.

“We have an important role to play in this election,” he told the crowd. “We in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community need to work on changing the atmosphere of hate and fear that is sweeping this country. We need to improve the lives of all GLBT people and by working to elect Hillary Clinton for president, we can do it.”

He acknowledged, as well, the role that his sister, Ann Lewis, plays as a chief honcho in the Clinton political operation.

The leading Democratic candidates had small groups of staffers handling LGBT requests about their campaigns and calling on local gay businesses, such as bars and restaurants, and other organizations to drum up support. Candidate flyers, bumper stickers, buttons, and brochures were piled high in several such establishments.

Curiously, though, calls and visits to the official Obama for President headquarters in Manchester to get an official statement or to interview staff or volunteers proved unsuccessful. No one associated with the campaign wanted to go on the record, or even comment on background, about the Illinois senator’s posture on LGBT issues.

Despite a giddy mood that swept that campaign as it anticipated a second-straight win, which in the end did not materialize, it is not clear that LGBT enthusiasm for Obama’s candidacy grew measurably in New Hampshire after his dramatic win last week in Iowa. Voters who spoke to this reporter welcomed his voice in the race, but seemed uncertain how supportive of the community he would prove to be.

Clinton appeared all around to be a better-known quantity. …

— Patsy Lynch
New Hampshire Diary:
The Word on Queer Street Remained Hillary
Gay City News
January 10, 2008

“No one associated with the campaign wanted to go on the record, or even comment on background, about the Illinois senator’s posture on LGBT issues.” Well, we’ll be more than happy to comment on the Illinois senator’s posture on LGBT issues. Oops, wait — we’ve already commented on the Illinois senator’s posture on LGBT issues, repeatedly. His posture, in a single word, is: duplicitous.

Is it any wonder that LGBT Americans — particularly those previously lukewarm or even downright antagonistic toward the senator from New York — appear to be rallying around Hillary Clinton in increasing numbers? It’s no wonder to us; Kucinich, the most egalitarian of the bunch, doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell, while the other three relatively gay-friendly candidates (Richardson, Gravel, and Dodd) have dropped out of the race.

Funny thing, this growing gay support for Hillary: The Obama supporters have continually accused those of us burned and genuinely disheartened by the Donnie McClurkin affair as exhibiting “faux outrage” to mask the “fact” that we’re all Hillary supporters anyway. And now, thanks to Obama’s continued insistence on not making amends with the LGBT voting bloc — and the continued insistence of many of Obama’s supporters to dismiss our very real concerns as “faux” anything — has pushed untold numbers of LGBT voters squarely into the Clinton camp.

This, I know. A diehard Kucinich supporter — up to the day he threw his support behind Obama — I once said I’d rather jam sharp sticks through my skull than cast a vote for Hillary. As things stand today, I plan on voting for Hillary in the California primary. As my (much) better half often says, it’s not a vote for Hillary — it’s a vote against Obama.

For my radical change of mind, Obama and his supporters have no one to blame but themselves.

Posted by: Sapphocrat