A lesson about politics

Yeah, it's another gay post, but it's actually much more than that. It's about why I often tell people that as much as you should hit people as hard as you can every single time they deserve it, you also should keep open the possibility that they can change (thus my post about Bush attorney Ted Olson now supporting gay marriage before the courts).

My old friend Michael Iskowitz, who used to work for Senator Kennedy, and handled gay and other civil rights issues, taught me, showed me, how even the worst people - staffers for the worst anti-gay Senators - would sometimes help you out on your issues, if you just reached out to them. No one (well most people) is all bad, and it never hurts to reach out to your enemy.

I raise this because of a blog post I read today from Stampp Corbin. He not only is yet another person to pull out of the gay DNC Fundraiser next week over the anti-gay incest-invoking DOMA brief, but he's a top Obama gay supporter (he was the former co-chair of the Obama LGBT Leadership Council during the presidential campaign), and he was defending Obama not six days ago on CNN. You might have caught him debating Dan Savage last Friday night. Stampp was so aggressive, so defensive of Obama, I was practically yelling at the TV. I figured him for a sell out. I never, in a million years, thought that he would care, truly care, about this issue in his heart - that he'd understand why we're all so upset.

And now he's announced he's pulling out of the fundraiser, and wrote a beautiful blog post about it. Let me quote a little:

President Obama, your legal brief was clearly a mistake, a big mistake. After Prop 8, my partner and I feel we are playing a tragic game of Wipeout. Traveling through an obstacle course that we must master to get our rights; making it to the end in California, only to be told by voters that heat didn’t count. I expected obstacles to be placed in our path by our enemies; I just didn’t expect it from the President. I thought he was on our side; I still want to believe that.

Unfortunately, I will see everything that the Obama administration does for LGBT Americans through the lens of the DOMA brief. Meaning, I will be waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop, while praying President Obama delivers on his promises.

Next week, I am boycotting the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Democratic National Committee event honoring Vice President Biden to drive home my discontent. Many other prominent LGBT donors have also joined in the boycott. Is the announcement of benefits for LGBT federal employees to squash the boycott and the general uproar? Hmm…In politics, money talks. It is unlikely that Obama just put together this announcement in the last week to throw a bone to my community; it has been in the works for many weeks. I would have celebrated loudly had this been announced before the DOMA debacle, but now I will only give polite, muted applause. That pesky DOMA brief has ruined everything.

Mr. President, your DOMA mistake awakened a sleeping giant. He is mad as hell and is not going to take it anymore. You better get LGBT affirming legislation moving quickly or the coffers of the LGBT community will be slammed shut on the fingers of your administration and the DNC. You and the DNC may find themselves asking about our donations “if not now, when” as we have been asking about our rights for the last few months.

That’s simply the way I see it.

That's what you've done to us, President Obama. You've turned even your most ardent supporters into opponents. The Democratic Party had better take notice soon. Because you don't betray your friends and expect them to forget any time soon. Or ever.

UPDATE from Joe: I got the video of Stampp and Dan Savage the other night. John's right about Stampp's defense of Obama. Watch it and you'll see how huge this development is. And, you'll love Dan Savage even more.