Gay Hilary Supporters Not For Obama?
Share: 
5 June 2008 | 26 Comments
If I had had my way John Edwards would be the Democratic nominee, but he’s not. Of the two left standing I’ve always liked Obama a bit more than Hilary. Hilary is not a liberal, and I am. I used to think she was a liberal, but having had her for my Senator for a while now, she’s just not liberal – not at all. There’s a reason why she’s getting support from the blue collar / rural wing of the Democratic party…
That said I don’t feel like I really know Obama all that well – and I’m a little uncertain of him. But the concept of voting for McCain is beyond me – especially for a gay person. Think of it this way – when you vote for President you’re also voting for things like agency heads who set the tone of government agencies, and you’re voting for the Supreme Court. 8 years of Bush have resulted in a Supreme Court that’s far more antagonistic towards gay rights than if Gore had gotten in…
Michelangelo Signorile and I would disagree on a lot, but on the idea of a gay person voting for McCain we’re in complete agreement. If you’re such a racist that you can’t bear to vote for a black man… Just stay home in November – don’t actually vote for someone who is going to do you harm (McCain)…
If you come across others who are thinking of voting for McCain – challenge them. Point out that they’re voting against themselves, or if they’re not gay, then they’re voting against you. Don’t be afraid to make it personal. One of us is getting killed every 8 days in the United States. We don’t need to coddle bigots – they’re hateful and it hurts us in very real ways.
I am very dissapointed that Hillary lost, but I will of course vote for Obama. I am having a hard time climbing on to his bandwagon however, primarily because of the arrogance of his supporters. The ones here in Charlottesville anyway. They are Hillary hating pricks who represent the only part of liberalism I don’t like…entitlement and arrogance.
I like the Clintons and I think they got a bum wrap this time around by the media, and the guy with no credentials at all got a free pass.
Your videos are fantastic btw. Keep filming!
I presently have no problem voting for Obama, but I would like to know why he has declined several interviews with gay and gay-friendly news sources. His people have given no credible reason that I know of. Can anyone shed light on this situation?
Obama strikes me as someone who has deep seated religious beliefs and may not be 100% comfortable with gay issues. It’s the part of him I don’t feel comfortable with. But at the same time I think he probably has a “hate the sin, love the sinner” approach and would treat people fairly in terms of housing, work, etc.
@metalnoir – So it doesn’t surprise me that he’s turned down interviews with the gay press, but he’s still SO much better than McCain… After watching the last two presidential elections where the Republicans used the gay marriage issue to get people to the polls – he may not want gay issues front and center. He may be avoiding questions on it so as to downplay the issue.
@m-filer – entitlement and arrogance isn’t something I’ve seen of Obama supporters, but I’m in a very different part of the country with a very different mindset.
Personally I would love to vote for Obama. I really wish that gay rights were the only factors at issue in this election. It would be nice if the rest of the world were our friend and the economy was booming. It would be WONDERFUL if government was truly democratic and votes mattered more than lobbies and politics.
If all that were the case, I’d definitely vote for a ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’, knowing that vague good intentions meant more than having political experience or the knowledge of how to use the DC ‘system’ to get this country back on its feet again.
But just as 2004 was the year gay marriage became a hotter voting issue than the war or the economy, this year I can’t let my desire to see gay rights proceed at the expense of keeping a job and a roof over my head.
While McCain is still on the side of the conservatives, he’s the most liberal-friendly Republican we’ve seen in a LONG time. Unless Obama starts shows some maturity and backing up his own words, I’ll keep McCain’s experience in mind. It really scares and disturbs me that I might have to vote republican for the first time EVER, but a man with a plan is better than a hollow dream-talker.
The gay rights movement is starting to get momentum on the local and state level, so I’ll sacrifice a few more years of nation-wide marriage rights to keep food on the table.
@dppx – Dude! WTF?
McCain has said rather bluntly that he knows nothing about the economy and his “experience” in foreign affairs leads him to the conclusion that we should be in Iraq for the next 100 years!
In other words, Obama (and his team) is more likely to get us out of our economic mess than McCain, and improve our foreign relations.
McCain is just going to be seen as four more years of the same old shit – nothing will change. All the flawed policies will be continued. The World will continue to hate us for Iraq, and he won’t know how to get the economy on track.
Let me put this bluntly. Democrats know have shown for a while now that they’re better at managing the economy than the Republicans who run up big deficits. And Democrats make friends with other countries which, in a global economy, helps us on the World stage.
McCain’s “experience” leads him to the wrong conclusions… I’d rather have someone who’s gut reactions are better – advisers can help with the experience bit…
@dppx – One more thing… You honestly think you’ll be out of a job if Obama gets in? Think again… With Obama comes optimism and change – that does wonders for the economy…
And sorry, but our human rights are important. I’d rather lose my job than have McCain for President. I can always find another job…
metal –
he gave an interview to the Advocate. He didn’t do one with the Philly Blade because it was a Clinton paper and he wants to be everyone’s president, not just a liberal/gay president.
he is far more liberal than hillary (who is, despite what raw says, very liberal, even in new york) and will do a lot to advance equality and justice.
McCain will further destroy this country and our rights. Any democrat/progressive/gay person who contemplates not voting or voting for McCain hates themself, is racist, or has diminished brain capacity.
i add the caveat that i was, and will always be a hillary supporter, but i see the promise that obama holds for this country and support him fully.
I have run into a couple of them. Last night I saw a gay guy on the Daily Show saying he was (his words) gay as the day is long and he’d be voting for McCain.
It atrikes me a childish; saying you’ll support the Republican instead because you’re butthurt Hillary didn’t get the nom. It’s like transferring schools and fighting your home football team because you don’t like the new quarterback.
McCain tries to say he’s a moderate. He’s certainly not on gay issues at all. He’s completely a third Bush term. McCain is so far to the right on it he even opposes gay adoption.
Democrats who supported Hillary who say they’ll vote for him are being immature and childish. It’s completely moronic to pick John McCain instead of Barack Obama. They’re just mad they’re candidate didn’t make it. As an Obamatard as they’re called, if Hillz got it I would support her fully and even donate her campaign, not pick her polar opposite because I want to be a five year old girl about it.
I don’t think it’ll cause too much of a problem though. In 2000 thousands of McCain voters in the primaries said they’d vote for Gore instead because Bush screwed over McCain in the South Carolina Primary. They didn’t. It was an empty threat and they all turned out for Bush instead. The same thing will happen with Hillary’s voters. They’ll release in October that Obama is basically a younger black version of Hillary on every issue and figure it out.
I absolutely hate Obama. He is a dissonet person. What surprises me is how many people support him without even knowing what he stands for just coz A-) He’s black. B-) He talks about “change”, just like a fucking hippy, all dreams and no action. Also he associates himself with religious extremists and gospel singer-gay-bashers! Do his supporters know that? There’s too many stupid people in this country. If I can’t vote for Hillary I rather vote Republican, at least that I’ll know what I’m getting and won’t be a deception.
For the record – Hilary is not a liberal. She consistently votes against the Palestinians, says one-dimensional things about Iran, voted FOR the war in Iraq, and is not in favor of gay marriage.
@chiaroscuro – By saying you don’t like Obama ’cause he’s black, I’m hoping you’re just trying to be amusing…
Advancement of human rights and personal freedoms is important, but not the sole territory or responsibility of the president. Even McCain’s camp has admitted that backlash from the 2004 election has made gay rights a low target on their horizon. This just isn’t the year when the gay agenda should decide the president.
After all, 2004 WAS a year to do so. The gay agenda lost, and less than 4 years later we are on the verge of three states performing or recognizing same sex marriage.
By the time that Senator Obama begins to learn his job, he will have to focus on re-election. He will not have the chance to make any advancements on gay rights, nor is it a high priority of his to do so.
We need someone experienced with the duties of public office. Senator Obama’s resume is simply too slim. He has no diplomatic experience, no experience as a member of the armed services, no apparent understanding of economics, and only his limited term in the Senate.
Clearly, Senator Obama has no background that has prepared him to deal with multifarious problems this nation and the world face. He reminds me of the insufferably ineffective Governor Carter who won the election in 1976 because his forebear bore the stigma of the infamous Nixon administration. Both Carter and Obama are good men, but their best voice is not in the role of president.
Concern about Senator Obama’s lack of experience and his failure to define his aims is not racism. But it amazes me how often any question or criticism of him is labeled as such.
@Blaise – McCain’s so called “experience” leads him to the wrong conclusions. I’d rather have a smart person in the White House who has decent gut impressions than someone who after years of experience still chooses the wrong thing.
McCain admits he doesn’t know what to do with the economy, and he wants us to stay in Iraq for 100 years.
Your right that gay rights shouldn’t be the only issue. So vote on issues like climate change, or balancing the needs of businesses against the needs of individuals, or the ability to restore our image around the globe, or the economy, or healthcare, and so on…
It’s not about “experience” it’s about intelligence and the ability to judge a situation and come to the right conclusion…
@rawtop: He didn’t say he wouldn’t vote for Obama just because he is black, he said that being black isn’t a good enough reason to vote for the man. And I agree. I need more than just to appear non-racist.
Also, a wonderful sound bite said that McCain wanted to stay in Iraq for the next 100 years. If you had heard the entire speech, and received its context, you would know thats not what he favors. While supporting an Iraqi campaign (as he should, Saddam was a tyrant) he disagreed with the manner in which it was performed since Day 1.
I am gay, and a republican. I do not have dimmenished brain function, and I don’t hate myself or other gay people. I just know that you can’t change an entire country over night. McCain, as a very moderate Republican (believe me, alot of us Republicans would much rather someone else a bit more right of center) is a good stepping stone to a pro-gay nation.
I also think that Obama has very little in the way of experience. He’s a pop-culture reference at best. A bucket full of hope and change leaves you standing with an empty bucket.
@stopngobeau – I’ll say this bluntly… I’m not saying you have diminished brain function. I’m saying Gay Republicans are not proud gay people – they inherently think they’re somehow less than straight people. Yes, there is more to a gay person than being gay, but basic human dignity comes first, then everything else. The Republican party does not give you dignity. You’ll always be asked to sit in the back of the bus (so to speak).
I’m guessing you’re not from NYC. New York is a wonderful place for a simple reason – you can be gay here and have a career. Once you’ve tasted dignity and liberty you find they’re not optional and there’s no excuse for not having them.
Stop hating who you are and be proud of yourself and your community. And not just that gay people can now be as good as straight people – get married and have kids. Value the drag queens, value the party boys, value the effeminate queens – all those parts of the gay community Republicans think of as ‘deviants’…
Now… My credentials for saying those things… I was once a member of The Young Conservatives of Texas (in college), and technically I’m still a member of Jerry Falwell’s church. These issues are close to me. I’ve dealt with them personally – don’t even try to say I don’t understand where you’re coming from…
The bottom line is that the Republican Party is no place for a self-respecting gay person.
That said… No one is saying that you should vote for Obama because he’s black. But I will say that if you think the color of his skin is even a factor – you need to examine why you think that.
Obama is just a good politician. When I first saw him give his acceptance speech for the Senate I knew he’d go places because he combines an interesting mix of liberal and conservative. He’s very religious, and also very compassionate and practical. That’s a good combination for a US politician these days.
Iraq… I know it’s a complicated situation. I know on one hand the Iraqi people need us, but on the other hand our being there is a huge problem. How about we withdraw and just give them (and the UN) the billions of dollars a year we would be spending if we stayed?
Bottom line is we never belonged there. The fact that Saddam wasn’t a nice guy is not a reason to have 10s of thousands of innocent Iraqis die. He could have been “contained” and Iraq would be a better place today and more Iraqis would be alive today.
Iraq did not attack us – there never was a basis for that war and anyone who didn’t see that at the time was just being emotional. Manhattanites were attacked in 911, we had every reason to be emotional about it, and we understood that at the time… It’s disgusting to us what’s been done in the name of 911.
I don’t think it really matters how much you _like_ a candidate. Chances are that if elected, s/he will be too busy to hang out with you anyway. With the celebrity culture we’ve all been force-fed, it’s hard to get past the fascination of personality and focus on tiresome policy. On the few substantive differences between Obama and Clinton, I tended to agree more with Clinton (her views on achieving universal healthcare are far more realistic). I also wish Edwards had stayed in a little longer. But Obama will be a perfectly fine president. And McCain would be a nightmare.
@rawtop: I have to apologize. You didn’t make the diminished brain capacity argument. I just reread through all the comments and can atrribute them to whoever “c” is.
I suppose I’m not a proud gay person. I think you should be proud of things you earn. I didn’t earn being gay, I was born that way. I don’t have a problem with it, but I also don’t think its a good thing. Not a bad thing, either. Its just a thing. A label. Same with being an American. Proud to be an American? I didn’t attain anything. I just am. Proud that American has the best damn democracy in the world (even though it is slipping away very quickly by Republicans and Democrats alike)? Yes. I’ll claim that. American worked hard to be an independent nation. I’m proud of American as I am proud of myself. But not for being gay, or white, or a graduate, or whatever.
I don’t let being gay determine who I am. Its only one item on a huge list that defines what I am. When it comes to political parties, I vote with the people that I relate with politically. While I disagree on what most Republicans think regarding gay folks and their rights to marriage and child adoption, I agree with them on most things. Therefore, I vote with them. I have voted for lots of Democrats though in my few years. But only because I had negative opinions of the character and ethics of the Republican in the race.
I’m not from NYC, and have never visited. It is on my list though. I basically get to travel wherever work sends me. My vacations are to wherever the blue waters beckon me.
I’m from the south, and am actually out at work, out with my family and friends, and have no issues. I’m sure there are some poeple out there who might have a problem with me becuase I’m gay, but I don’t know them.
I don’t have a problem with Obama’s skin. I have a problem with Obama. Here’s a Republican telling you that I think he’s mixed up with some crazy religious people. While I don’t think he will do anything negative towards homosexuals, I definately don’t think he’ll help things either. With that said, McCain doesn’t really care one way or another…
I do enjoy reading your blog, and can separate my political side from the part of me who decides who I like and who I don’t when it comes to a person’s ethics, morality, etc. Even though we differ on these views, I’m sure we could have great discussions. Feel free to message me anytime using this name on the various sites that you and I might have in common.
Short and simple…no chance in hell that McCain or any other republican for that matter, would ever get a vote from me!
@stopngobeau – Interesting you would think you have to earn “pride”. I understand what your trying to say, but I think you’re misunderstanding the term “pride” as applied to minority communities…
Pride is Rosa Parks sitting in the front of the bus. It’s having a sense of self worth that demands equality. It’s not being ashamed of who you are. Not sitting in the back of the bus.
Minorities are thought of as inferior. Pride is realizing you’re not inferior. Pride is realizing that the standard you should be judged by is your own, not that of the majority community.
You can be out as a gay person and not “proud”. An out but not proud gay person would feel grateful for being accepted. They’ll put up with the little ways people don’t quite accept them. A proud gay person will call people on their intolerance (perhaps gently) and not just sit back and accept being treated as second class citizens.
It’s important for gay people to be both out and proud…
Now, as far as Obama. The religious aspect is why I didn’t quite (and still don’t) completely trust him. I think we’re on the same page there. But at the same time there are so many other issues where his priorities, his gut reactions, are FAR more in line with mine than with McCain.
Think about the Supreme Court. Think about global warming. Think about the economy. Think about foreign relations. Obama will do a far better job than McCain in all those areas. He can’t help but do a better job. Thanks to McCain’s “experience” we know really well how he’ll do…
If gay rights were the only problem with McCain I might see your point. But it’s not… And I think there’s a reason for that…
You can’t be forward thinking, you can’t think outside of the box when you’re a bigot. It’s about the ability to see the truth clearly. When you can see the value in someone who’s different, whether that person is gay or muslim, it changes you. You see things don’t have to be the way they are.
Obama isn’t perfect, but he’s so much closer to that than McCain it’s not funny.
While gay people don’t have to be single issue voters, we can see how our issue is tied in with others. How people who value us are more innovative and how that innovation solves problems that have nothing to do with gay issues… It’s all interconnected.
I did support Hillary and I like others think Obama and his crew are a bit arrogant.
For his claims of being an outsider – well, that’s just crap by the way he ran his campaign. He’s as in the trenches on this shit as any DC politico has ever been.
As for ‘change’ – i am SO sick of that term. Quantify it if you can Barack. Because, in reality – you can’t. No one can. No one running for office can.
For g-d’s sake, W was for change, and he got it. He still gets it. It’s not good change (speaking for myself only), but what the hell does ‘change’ mean??
Reality is, whatever change Obama wants, still has to be passed by a (so far) ineffective democratic run congress.
They are all fucking lame at this point.
@BikeGuy – I think “change” is a relative term. George W was “change”. He was a change from the successful Clinton years when the economy was booming and we were (for the most part) at peace with the World. Thing is, why would you want change in a scenario like that?
So the question who is more “change” – Obama or McCain? And is that change good or not? From where I’m standing Obama is represents far more change than McCain, and change is a good thing at the moment.
As far as the arrogance you perceive of the Obama camp. Do you not see arrogance in the McCain camp? Did you not did it in Hilary’s camp? To say you’re the best for the nation, you have to be somewhat arrogant.
For me, it really comes down to policy. Personality is only important in getting an idea whether the person is so arrogant that they’d be inconsiderate of the needs of groups without power – whether those groups are the other political party, the poor, muslims, or the LGBT community.
Ugh, too many fags acting like they had pussies. “innocent Iraqis” my ass! Islam is not a peaceful religion, never was! Do your fucking research! Mohammed was engaged in as much as 80 battles to spread Islam, could it be said that is part of a peaceful religion? If those people choose to believe some bullshit they are entitled to, but don’t defend their stupidity! Specially women! How can they believe such shit that allows men to mistreat them! Anyways, back to Obama….the liberal media took sides years ago (remember when he started to appear on covers back in 2005?) so it is obvious some people simply wanted to jump on the wagon of “a young black guy is running, let’s support him”, and someone says “But he is this guy? What does he believe in? What are his plans to make changes happen?”…and you retards answer “I don’t care, he’s different…he’s…black. I’ll vote for him”. The media took sides with him and has covered his ass several times when he has bluntly told lies, like when he said his grandfather was part of the army that liberated the concentration camps…and it turned out it was the Russian armies, not the squat he talked about. The media always covered his ass when his preacher friends said something stupid, and even when he said he was abandoning that church coz he didn’t want them to have to watch what they said because their ties with him (not because their racist, sexist comments) the media supported him….. This is a real anti-christ kinda shit. Now he says he wants to make friends with people like the Iranian president as if dealing with someone like that (a comic book type villian) was possible, and protect Israel (wouldn’t surprise me he wants to take control of Jerusalem later and rebuild the temple…very antichrist kinds shit). Seriously, how many of you actually know about politics and read about Obama’s plans?
@Chiaroscuro – You honestly think there are no innocent Iraqis? There are people who think all fags should be killed too…
Hate speech is a dangerous thing – it’s a two edged sword that can get you as well as the person you hate.
We need to find common ground with people and work from there.
There are A LOT of innocent Iraqis. Mothers, children, professors, people who just want to be left alone so they can have a better life.
@rawtop: As I believe pride is a feeling you have towards an accomplishment, yes, I belive pride is something to be earned. I have pride in the work I do.
I just have to disagree with everything else you say. You state things that you believe are absolute and true, and I just have to disagree with it. I suppose that is the inheriant difference between our two political parties.
The very post here is “Gay Hillary Supportes Not for Obama?” which insinuates that all gay people who were for Hillary should vote for Obama. I take from it that being gay has a big deal to do with it, yet you say that its not a gay issue?
I still stand behind my position that being gay is just an item on the list, and even though I am concerned about human rights (not just gay rights) I also am concerned with personal freedoms, increased taxes, a health care and educational system that has already been ruined by goverment control (not to speak of the increase we are heading towards) and position on the world stage. I’m not implying that Republican’s have all the answers, but I like them better than what Obama wants to give us.
While I think that the Republicans are heading in the wrong direction (too far right) I think that the Democrats are in a worse state (too far left). I wish to stay with my party and try to influence it in the correct direction rather than jumping sides or starting a new party.
@stopngobeau – For a member of an oppressed class not to fully appreciate the difference between the Democratic and Republican parties is beyond me. It affects us on a daily basis. I still say gay Republicans haven’t fully accepted themselves and don’t see themselves as equal to their straight counterparts.
As far as “human rights (not just gay rights), increased taxes, a health care and educational system that has already been ruined by goverment control, and position on the world stage” – I’d say the Democrats trounce the Republicans on every one of those issues. The exception might be taxes where the Democrats believe in balanced budgets and the Republicans believe in having future generations pay today’s taxes.
There are real concerns about Obama, and neither he nor his spokespeople have addressed them fully. It is all well enough to stress that Liberals have to support him over McCain, but that leaves the people who aren’t Liberals with too few answers about Obama. It serves no purpose to attack people who question Obama except to make them think something is being hidden. If you are having trouble convincing gay people to vote for Obama your hurdles are high. He isn’t going to win the Presidency on the gay vote. If you can’t convince the gays, how are you going to convince all the others who are unsure? Don’t attack them. For the people who are sure in their support of Obama, listen to those who are unsure. Make sure you are understanding what they are saying, because they may genuinely be trying to find out about all the candidates. It should be obvious that although Obama inspires many people, he didn’t even win over at least half the Democrats.
Also it’s past time to drop flagrantly accusing people of being racists. If you can’t see that people have genuine questions about Obama without thinking they are racists, the problem is yours and you have lost credibility.
@Brendan – If they’re not voting for Obama, then they’re voting for McCain, the Republican Party, and everything that comes with it. I understand not feeling 100% comfortable with Obama (hell, that describes me). But I just don’t understand a gay person being comfortable with McCain and the Republican machine that comes along with him.
It’s a good thing we’ve got a lot of months left before the election. Maybe people will understand things better after a while.
I’m going to close comments on this thread after this comment. I think everything that could be said has pretty much been said.
This is a sex blog, not a political blog. Sex is political which I why I brought up the issue. So I’ll end on asking you to think about what will happen to your sexual rights under each of the candidates… Obama has the religious factor which is an issue, but McCain is even further out there to the right.
New York has had Republican mayors for a while now (even if the latest one is a former Democrat who’s renounced the Republican Party). Anyone who lives here will tell you the sex in NYC isn’t like it used to be 10, 15, 20 years ago.
Politics make a difference – even in your sex life…