08/18/2008
Obama Campaign Underscores Candidate's Support of Hate Crimes Bill
The Obama campaign today held a conference call with members of the press intended to point out the "stark contrast" between Senator Obama and Senator McCain with respect to hate crimes legislation, according to Matt Nosanchuk, Convener, Obama for America National LGBT Steering and Policy Committee.
Said Nosanchuk: "It's an issue that is a matter of life and death but it is important to note that in the vision of America that Obama puts forward..there is no place for hate crimes. Every American should be able to be safe and walk the streets and be full participating members of the community without fear that they will be attacked for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Since the voting records [of McCain and Obama] are so diametrically opposed we thought it would be well worth highlighting this contrast on a bill that's long overdue."
Nosanchuk went on to point out Obama's consistent support for federal hate crimes legislation and his work in the Illinois senate joining Jewish lawmakers to pass legislation with criminal enhancements for hate groups. When asked if there was specific language in that law that covered sexual orientation and/or gender identity Nosanchuk was ot certain but emphasized it was a broad bill covering civil rights and reiterated Obama's commitment as a candidate to the current Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill.
Also on the call were Representative John C. Conyers Jr. (D-MI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and sponsor of the hate crimes bill.
Conyers said he was hopeful that the bill could soon pass: "The judiciary committee passed the bill in April of last year and then we subsequently passed it in Congress. It ran into a little trouble in the Senate. But the whole idea was is that it was the president's veto that caused us to move it in a separate way. We've got the overwhelming support of hundreds of civil rights organizations, religious groups, civic groups, district attorneys and chiefs of police. most of the states attorneys general are already on the bill. We're hopeful that before this 110th Congress end we'll be able to get it on some legislation that is from our point of view veto proof."
Emphasized as well was the optimism that the threat of a veto would be done away with by the election of Obama and a Democratic congress. Bush's veto has been seen as the main obstacle to the bill's passage.
Finally, Damien Skipper, the brother of Ryan Keith Skipper, who was brutally murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in central Florida in 2007, expressed his support for Obama and the legislation.
Said Skipper: Most Americans would be shocked and appalled if they knew how often attacks like what happened to Ryan occur. Information is not always available in the media and I think that reporting these statistics with a federal hate crimes law would help very much."
John McCain has voted against federal hate crimes laws every time they have come up in the Senate except the last vote in 2007. At that time, he did not vote at all.
Posted 4:43 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, Crime, John McCain, News | Permalink
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Well that's good and it also happens to be an issue that most Americans would agree on.
Too bad Obama doesn't think we're holy enough to be allowed the civil right of marriage.
Posted by: Lawrence | Aug 18, 2008 4:56:50 PM
Well that's good and it also happens to be an issue that most Americans would agree on.
Too bad Obama doesn't think we're holy enough to be allowed the civil right of marriage.
Posted by: Lawrence | Aug 18, 2008 4:57:16 PM
Odd timing. I assume this is intended as a sop to the gays and a distraction from all the oppressive political churchiness going on, i.e. Saddleback and the plans for nightly holy rolling at the Denver convention.
Posted by: Sportin' Life | Aug 18, 2008 5:04:49 PM
WOW think "The Campaign" is trying to deflect Obama's poor performace on LGBT rights in Rick Warren's Church?
Trying to change the subject with his support of Hospital Rights and longer prison sentances!
What about Adoption? So looking forward to the feel good all american I'm a Christian Convention Next Week!
Wish he'd get some REAL balls.
Posted by: MCnNYC | Aug 18, 2008 5:17:31 PM
This core point of this post - illuminating the 'real' McCain that we don't seem to hear much about, brings to mind the Frank Rich article in the NYT from this weekend. It was called "The Candidate We Still Don’t Know," and if you haven't read it, check it out. I'd post the link, but I don't know if that's against the rules.
Posted by: Aaron | Aug 18, 2008 5:30:16 PM
Where's our viable atheist Presidential candidate? I am so tired of choosing between men who believe in fairy tales.
Posted by: Marco | Aug 18, 2008 5:36:38 PM
Everyone knows McCain is super Pro-gay rights! Why, when he is elected, gays will have everything they dreamed of, gay marriage, gay adoption, Cindy McCain look-a-like drag contests, and beautifully decorated gas chambers lovingly operated by Born Agains who will say a nice prayer before dropping in Fag-B-Gone.
Posted by: homer | Aug 18, 2008 5:40:30 PM
Eh- Obama and McCain are the same in my book when it comes to gay rights. Besides, the president doesn't even have much influence over gay rights. Personally, too, I am a gay man that opposes hate crimes legislation. Freedom of thought is far too important.
Posted by: Bruce | Aug 18, 2008 6:32:09 PM
Oh puhleeze! How many more people are going to say that Obama and McCain are the same. Remember last month when McCain said that he didn't support same-sex adoption? Or how about when asked about the rising HIV rates he said that he would continue to support abstinence only education? Or add to that when he continues to vote against hate crime legislation.
Obama would set a tone of immense support for LGBT rights. The two couldn't be any more different. Obama may not support same-sex marriage in name - he support civil unions - but as this country gets more used to the idea I'm sure we can expect him to express his full support.
Michelle Obama is a HUGE supporter of LGBT rights. When she was the Executive Director of Public Allies Chicago she always made her support of LGBT rights known - and if Barack sees her as a source of wisdom expect to see bold support for our rights.
Posted by: Kurt from Milwaukee | Aug 18, 2008 6:54:00 PM
Bruce - you don't really mean that do you? Either you're 12, or you're seriously misguided. Of course freedom of thought is essential - and nobody can ever control thought unless you let them. But action is a whole different thing. Someone can want you dead and think that till the cows come home, and that 100% free and legal. But if someone takes a gun to you because they think you're bad, that's 100% illegal. Hate crimes legislation prevents actions, not thoughts!!!
Of course Obama is not the same as McCain. While both have to pander to Christians - and both privately hate them, as do most elected officials - because at the end of the day they're stupid, self righteous and backward, and they're not going to be happy till they bring upon the apocalypse - Obama has been much more clear about protecting civil rights for all Americans, not to mention bringing back our soldiers and helping get our economy back on its feet again. Plus he's younger by a generation - its like talking to your dad about something vs talking to your grandpa. Its a whole new conversation.
They're both politicians, of course, so they're both going do to what they can to take office, but they're not the same animal, and plus, at least at the end of the day Obama is at least a clear break from the past.
Posted by: echovic | Aug 18, 2008 7:01:43 PM
"Eh- Obama and McCain are the same in my book when it comes to gay rights"
Oh yes that's right - exactly the same. You continue to keep your head up your ass - we'll fight the battle for you.
Posted by: Giovanni | Aug 18, 2008 7:04:21 PM
Well nice that he supports hate crime legislation.
Too bad he as this outdated notion that seperate but equal is a a good thing. I wonder how far he would have gotten without Brown v. Board of Education. If seperate but equal is not good enough for you Obmama, why in HELL should I accept it?
So no matter how much Obama supports LGBT issues till he gets his head out of his ass and condems this stupid seperate but equall bullshit, he can't count on my vote.
Posted by: kujhawker | Aug 18, 2008 7:14:11 PM
The reason why there continue to be hate crimes against gay and bi men is simple: liberalism. Liberalism has sculpted our culture to be female bi-friendly and male gay/bi-hostile. It's the bisexual double standard. This gender-based homophobia - as manifested in hate crimes - is being practised at the cultural level, and is being promoted by liberal media organizations, including a certain music channel, as well as liberal magazines operating out of New York and LA. We're not the "hot bi babes" or "hot lesbians", don't forget, and therefore we are insignificant.
Face it - the elephant in the room is that liberal media organizations and liberalism in general are contributing to hate crimes against gay and bi men.
Posted by: jason | Aug 18, 2008 7:34:49 PM
DEMAND AN END TO THE INSIDIOUS LIBERAL BISEXUAL DOUBLE STANDARD!
Posted by: 24play | Aug 18, 2008 7:37:17 PM
I don't think I've ever, EVER read anything so ridiculous, close minded or stupid as I have until I come on this site.
Despite a mountain of evidence of Obama's support for LGBT issues, some of you seem to remain willfully ignorant.
You continue to whine about marriage, when, for the first time in America's history, we have a Democratic nominee who is in favor of every other issue we have fought for.
McCain? Doesn't believe in civil unions or gay adoption.
Either you're for Obama or you're against yourself and progessing the LGBT movement.
It's that simple.
Posted by: Sean H | Aug 18, 2008 9:17:09 PM
The partisan hacks who support the Democrats and Obama are gluttons for punishment. The problem is they’re determined that we all share their punishment with them.
These clueless wonders actually want to elect Obama, a dogmatic christer who, like McCain and Bush, is a pigheaded opponent of same sex marriage. They’d happily sell us to Obama, a hustler in the same mold as Clinton.
Obama owes his allegiance to bigots, not to us. It’s a done deal. The Barna Group, a christer polling outfit, claims that Obama’s already captured the bigot christist vote, 43% to 34%. He did it at meetings like the one in Orange County yesterday and at his own down home style Southern revival meetings led by ex gay preacher piglet Donnie McClurkin and sows like Mary Mary. Obama incessantly repeats his christer belief that we’re second class citizens who don’t deserve the right to be married. He just won’t shut up about it and now we know why.
Neither party can be counted on. The Republicans wrote DOMA and the Democrats backed it all the way. The Democrats wrote DADT and the Republicans gleefully supported it. Just as they supported Quisling Barney when he gutted ENDA as a favor to the Chamber of Commerce and tossed it in the garbage. The Republicans were thrilled when Kennedy, Reid and Pelosi tossed the rest of our agenda out the window. The Democrats ditched the urgently needed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill and refused to repeal DADT and DOMA.
The Republicans were just along for the ride while the Democrats tossed us under the bus. They called the shots in Congress for the last two years, not the Republicans. There are no excuses for their bigoted trashing of our agenda.
And now they want us to be idiots and elect a hustler like Obama. Instead of wasting out time with them or the Republicans we should work to build indendent, massive GLBT groups to campaign for full equality and lend our efforts to building the antiwar movement.
Whoever wins in November will treat our equality agenda with equal parts of expediency and cult driven hostility. We’ll have to get strong enough to compel them to accept equality.
Posted by: Bill Perdue | Aug 18, 2008 10:57:42 PM
Liberal Democrat Party males are only for gay rights so long as it means there are hot bi babes or hot lesbians available for threesomes. As far as gay and bi men are concerned, it's a case of "yuk". This is the foundation of Democratic Party attitudes to gay rights. You can see it in every aspect of our culture.
As I said earlier, the bisexual double standard is the defining hypocrisy of liberalism. As such, no Democrat will get my vote.
Posted by: jason | Aug 19, 2008 12:35:18 AM
I bet that Democratic convention is going to be one hot lesbian threesome funfest! When the Liberals aren't causing hate crimes and saying bi men are yucky, they're frolicking with smokin' babes.
P.S. Last I checked, trolls who aren't from the U.S. don't get to vote Republican or Democrat in our elections.
Posted by: Ernie | Aug 19, 2008 11:50:50 AM