11/03/2009
Mixner: Obama 'No Help' with Anti-Gay Ballot Initiatives
And we won't forget it should initiatives in Maine and Washingtonnot go our way:
"So you fully understand the consequences of this administrations
actions in the last week, just look at the statistics for Maine voters.
In the latest Public Policy Poll yesterday which show us falling
behind, they said that 54% of the voters say they supported Obama. Over
9% of the voters described themselves as 'non-white'. In that poll 28%
of the Obama supporters say they were voting against marriage equality.
More importantly, 56% of 'non-white' voters said they planned on voting
against marriage equality.
"You have to be totally operating on blind faith if you believe that President Obama and his team cannot make a difference. Tragically if we lose closely, that defeat almost can be laid at the steps of the White House for their refusal to stand by our side in the battle for freedom. The Holder remark basically gave those Obama supporters and non-white voters permission to vote against our freedom. The Attorney General let them know that Obama didn't care one way or another so why should those voters change their votes? He gave their votes respectability which was devastating for our side.
"The failure of our national organizations to obtain a clear cut endorsement for the LGBT community is something that needs to be discussed. This one isn't rocket science. What happened?"
More from Mixner here...
And everyone, get out and VOTE today. If you know anyone in Maine or Washington, urge them to get out and vote.
Note: Political director Corey Johnson and I will be live-blogging election results this evening here on the site. Please join us.
Posted 8:33 AM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, David Mixner, Gay Marriage, Maine, News | Permalink
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Anyone who thinks Obama (and a lot of other Dems) is our friend is sorely mistaken. Spit out that kool-aid people!
Posted by: andy | Nov 3, 2009 8:43:44 AM
The same was true for Prop 8 last year, but to a much greater degree given CA was such a strong Obama state. Problem was, people were still to far up him at the time to call him on it.
Posted by: David | Nov 3, 2009 9:15:47 AM
I have to agree with Andy and David; yes, this administration is not another 4 years of Bush, but it's equally as bad in their own right.
For as much as I detest the conservative movement, I am very much inclined to not respond when the Democrats come crying they need grass roots support again to keep from losing power.
It's truly a shame. The conservatives thrive for absolute power, the democrats don't know how to handle it. Now I see where the larger set of balls are in this country.
And no matter what, I am considered a 2nd class citizen.
Posted by: Rad | Nov 3, 2009 9:25:46 AM
The one thing Obama is good at is his rhetoric. He talks pretty. He wouldn't even donate that to the Maine cause. He is a fierce advocate of nothing.
Obama lost my vote back in June and so far he has done nothing to convince me to give it back to him. No I am not voting for the other side. But if enough people like me stop supporting and voting for him. The other side doesn't need to gain votes, just watch him lose votes.
What irritates me more than what the Administration is doing is what many gay some gay groups are doing. Still trying to curry favor with the administration they give him cover and make his excuses for him. Selling out their own kind.
Posted by: kujhawker | Nov 3, 2009 9:31:48 AM
The statistics in the article are incomplete and could therefore be misleading to the average reader. Mixner isn't specific on which population the "9% of the voters [who] described themselves as 'non-white'" comes from. If it's 9% of all Maine voters, then the 15% (.15=.28*.54) of the Maine population who support Obama and do not support marriage equality could be a completely seperate group of people from that 5% (.05=.09*.56) of the total Maine population who are non-white and don't support marriage equality. Unless Mixner tells us the percentage of non-white voters who support Obama, no conclusions can logically be drawn about the correlation between Obama support, ethnicity, and a stance on marriage equality.
#StatsFail #PollSmoking #Misrepresentation
Posted by: Kuhnsy | Nov 3, 2009 9:34:01 AM
The arrogance of our So call "Civil Rights" leaders these days are pathetic.
This man (Mixner)would have sucked Bill Clinton's dick in spite of all he's done to this community with D.A.D.T, D.O.M.A, etc and still at The National Equality March on the mall he still spoke wonderfully about Bill 16 yrs later in a youtube video interview.
But now here's Obama whom I will say HE DID NOT SUPPORT! He did only in the end because his homegirl Hillary lost out whom I'll remind you girls does not support same sex marriage either. He only held his nose like alot of the kids...BUT NOT ALL and voted for but did not REALLY support Obama.
Now comes the arrogance of the him he expects Obama do everything for us. Well I beg to differ that is OUR JOB to get out and fight for these issues. You all know DAMN WELL if this was Hillary as President you would NOT be carrying on as if GAYS ARE THE ONLY ISSUE TO HER.
WE'RE NOT!..READ THE NEWS!
But why explain this. You know how some of you girls feel he's(Obama) beneath you as it is.
And I'm just waiting for MichaelBedwetter@MauryPovichMandwichisasandwich.com to come with her hatred of Obama and love of Clinton ass.
This is our fight and it's up us to convince and show heterosexuals that we gays are entitled to everything they are entitled to including marriage.
But it doesn't matter Obama has done nothing for this community
You know we have the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd law and some of you are screaming Obama doesn't get any credit.
We got the Ryan White AIDS initiative and still screaming Obama doesn't get any credit.
Now the HIV travel ban is going be lifted and still screaming Obama doesn't get any credit.
I guess now you're crediting your yourselves for this right?
Too bad Big Bill did'nt do this for us!
Keep hating Barry and keeping criticizing African Americans and in 2012 when a WHITE GOP person wins the Presidency.
JUST YOU WAIT AND GET READY!
If you think it's a problem now!
IT WILL BE WORSE AND THESE WHITE FOLKS ON THE RIGHT WILL TURN THIS COMMUNITY INSIDE OUT.
But hey at least you won't be able to say Obama did it!
Posted by: Chris | Nov 3, 2009 9:36:54 AM
Not news here- Obama will never advocate for
gay folks; he is indifferent at best and complicit most of the time in his deafening
silence. Gay people who thought he would be any different than the status quo were sorely
mistaken. Americans need a group to discriminate against. Gay people afford them that opportunity on a daily basis and by using their mythological book-they can be sanctimonious as well as smug and superior all at the same time and sit back and watch what many pseudo progressives believed to be
their savior- do nothing. Conservatives are loving it and once again-we make no substantive gains.
Posted by: Nick | Nov 3, 2009 9:38:58 AM
Mixner speaks,minions quake. I'm somehow reminded of the calls for hell-fire & ostracism upon the errant people who didn't boycott the DNC-Gay fundraiser last June. Btw, what ever befell the folks who crossed that boycott...nothing?
Posted by: hadassah weinreb | Nov 3, 2009 9:39:18 AM
@ RAD
"The conservatives thrive for absolute power, the democrats don't know how to handle it. Now I see where the larger set of balls are in this country."
Well said, friend. You nailed the crux of the problem. The last time the Democrats called me for a donation, my exact words were "when more Democrats start talking like Alan Grayson, call me."
Posted by: MikeMick | Nov 3, 2009 9:52:34 AM
And another thing where Mixner said:In the latest Public Policy Poll yesterday which show us falling behind, they said that 54% of the voters say they supported Obama. Over 9% of the voters described themselves as 'non-white'. In that poll 28% of the Obama supporters say they were voting against marriage equality. More importantly, 56% of 'non-white' voters said they planned on voting against marriage equality.
UMMM Mixy Boo have you ever thought that the non-white percentage is more hispanic than black in Maine?
Some of you already mentioning Prop 8 just reving up for the battle.
Is Obama suppose to slap the shit out of minorities blacks in particular and tell them to get in line and do what the gays say?
But in the meantime the gays are calling Blacks niggers in response to faggot(The Larry Johnson debacle). But don't lash out at any other group with nasty epithets i.e The 2 hispanics who attacked the queens man. And he was beat nearly to death!
Really pathetic......
It's obvious that some gays have issues with the African American Community and that has nothing to do with you being gay but more so with white -vs- black and it's sad.
You don't owe African Americans anything and they don't owe the gay community anything.
African Americans has not done anything no worse than hispanics, asians, and other caucasians when it comes to Gay issues.
The Gay Community just chooses to put them in the forefront due to their personal dislikes. It's not about how many people of a group voted against something it's the fact that PEOPLE voted against something.
THAT'S THE ISSUE!
You will never have inclusion by singling out. You will only get retaliation and it will fester more, and more.
Alot to learn folks! Can't have it both ways!
Posted by: Chris | Nov 3, 2009 10:01:41 AM
Why didn't the white gay activists ask former president Bill Clinton, who now says he's IN FAVOR of same-sex marriage (too bad he didn't say that while he was pres.), to campaign for marriage equality in Maine?
Having Clinton campaign in Maine would have been almost as good.
Obama signed the hate crimes bill, the HIV travel ban is being lifted, etc., but he gets NO credit from white gay activists. smh
Posted by: elg | Nov 3, 2009 10:02:51 AM
This slob and his followers really need to get over the fact that Hillary Clinton isn't president. She's over it, Bill's over it, it's time.
And good job with the transparently-veiled racism, already blaming the non-whites for a potential loss. Has this clown ever been to Maine? Non-whites make up a whopping 2% of the ENTIRE state's population.
Posted by: another matt | Nov 3, 2009 10:19:18 AM
Folks, don't forget. Barack Obama does not support same-sex marriage. Did anyone really expect his support in Maine?
Posted by: Roscoe | Nov 3, 2009 10:34:00 AM
Mixner NEVER supported Hillary for the nomination as this article from February 2008 documents:
"A critical mass of John Edwards' LGBT steering committee is going public with support for Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. Hillary Clinton. Twenty-two members of the Edwards campaign's 59-person gay and lesbian committee will now be working for Obama victories Tuesday and throughout the rest of the primary season.
The new Obama converts include ... longtime gay activist David Mixner ... Mixner, a peace activist during the war in Vietnam, came out early for Edwards after the former senator from North Carolina made an unequivocal case for ending the Iraq war in a speech at the historic Riverside Church in Harlem in January last year.
Mixner said Obama's clear and consistent opposition to the war is also driving his decision on this go-around.
"Moving from one candidate to another is never an easy process," he said, "but the times demand that we all participate fully and completely to bring about change. Originally, my support went to Sen. Edwards because of the war in Iraq. For the very same reason, I am supporting Sen. Obama. This is not even a close call for me." - February 4, 2008.
Posted by: Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com | Nov 3, 2009 10:34:07 AM
Obama barely advocated for the hate crimes bill; he said he would sign it, big deal.
Even George Bush kept the Ryan White Act going (signed it 12/19/06), so a Democrat doing that is hardly a big deal.
Obama, on the big-ticket issues, has been a total non-advocate. His administration is still fighting the repeal of DADT, as evidenced by the fact he refuses to exercise his authority to stop loss troops and study the issue to death; he has issued statements calling for domestic partnerships and opposing full marriage equality; his AG refused to comment on the current fights for marriage equality; and his DOJ continues to protect DOMA under his authority.
Spare me the litany of what he's done, because in light of what he hasn't, he's no friend to us.
Posted by: DR | Nov 3, 2009 10:35:13 AM
I love how the white-gays have already gotten their message --> BLAME NON-WHITES TO THE BITTER END, even though non-whites make up about 2% - 5% of the population, they are the ones to blame.
why don't you blame the gays that don't go and vote? i am sure there are more gays in maine than non-whites.
I wonder if this is how the civil rights in the 60s were won, by abusing the whites, and other races when their agenda failed, or blaming the president as opposed to changing minds.
Posted by: johnosahon | Nov 3, 2009 10:43:26 AM
And DR that's why I hope a WHITE MALE from the GOP wins in 2012 or take over he congress in 2010.
Because ain't nothing like having your own fuck you raw and that is just what a white conservative christian will do!
DUMB FUCK you!
Posted by: Chris | Nov 3, 2009 10:51:25 AM
Darlings, Barack Obama will not help us to keep rights that he doesn't think we should have. He is opposed to same sex marriage, and will certainly not fight to keep laws on the books that he fundamentally disagrees with.
Posted by: Roscoe | Nov 3, 2009 11:23:30 AM
Obama is NOT for us.
You are either for equality or you're not.
There is no "well I'm sort of for equality on somethings but not on others and on others I'm only for something that resembles equality, but isn't really."
Obama has done nothing to rescind DADT or DOMA. He has expressly said that he is against same-sex marriage.
That means he is against YOU.
You can try to rationalize it anyway you want, but ultimately Obama personally believes that you should not marry the person whom you love.
That is not equality. That is not a person that supports equality. That is not a fierce advocate.
That is a dirty scoundrel of a politician. That is the same old shit. That is politics as usual.
Unfortunately, you actually believed him when he said "hope and change" but didn't bother to pay attention to the fact that he simply does not support equality for LGBT and queer people.
You are either for equality or against it.
We should hold Obama and the Democratic party accountable. In 2012 I will against refuse to cast my vote for Obama. In 2010 I will only support candidates that are truly in favor of equality.
Posted by: Eric | Nov 3, 2009 12:00:57 PM
Very well said Eric.
Obama is just another overly paid,elite politican who gets overpraised(Nobel)while HIS administration under HIS "leadership" continues to keep millions of gays in second class citizenship paying taxes daily for 2 wars,10% unemployment,etc.etc. The man is just such a disappointment on so many levels.
Posted by: SFshawn | Nov 3, 2009 12:47:04 PM
Why can't people actually do their homework before they spout off? According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 estimates (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/23000.html), Maine has a black population of 1%. Meanwhile, all "White persons not Hispanic" equals 95.3%. That means the ENTIRE minority population of the state is less than 5%, including black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American (by comparison, the U.S. Census estimates that 57.7% of California residents are minorities).
Under Mixner's math, 9% of the 54% of Maine voters who supported Obama are "non-white," - again, less than 5% of the state's total. For Mixner to focus on the 56% of that small piece of demographic pie (essentially, less than 3% of Maine's population falls into the "non-white," anti-gay slice, according to the poll) and somehow suggest that fraction will be the key to deciding marriage equality in the state is utter bullshit.
I'm as frustrated as everyone else about the lack of national support in Maine (and Washington, where I live), but basing an attack on misleading math benefits no one.
Posted by: BDN | Nov 3, 2009 1:03:11 PM
Oh pah-lease. Obama is not single-handedly responsible for passing Hate Crimes, lifting the HIV travel ban or signing Ryan White. All three had been initiated years ago--and passed by Congress and, in some cases, even George Bush. Wake up.
I'll give Obama credit when he does something that takes guts--not when he's coasting on the hard work of others and not when he's spouting pretty words.
Posted by: Trog | Nov 3, 2009 2:36:37 PM
"More importantly, 56% of 'non-white' voters said they planned on voting against marriage equality."
So is David Mixner and white gay men in general going to blame "non-whites" (and specifically blacks) if marriage equality in Maine is repealed?
At least 95% of the people in Maine are WHITE, for Christ's sake.
Posted by: elg | Nov 3, 2009 3:38:34 PM
Thank you, BDN.
Marriage Equality? Who the hell would want to marry most of these dishonest homo harpies anyway?
And who's black in Maine? Stephen King, and who else? ....didn't know he was "passing", didya'?
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Nov 3, 2009 4:03:52 PM
I'm so done with Arm Chair warriors. Instead of having the National Equality March in DC, maybe you should have had the march in Maine. Lord knows all the Mainers were befuddled why the DC march was happening.
Having been an old hand in politics, are you sure that a President Obama support of it wouldn't have backfired. Did you check with the campaign to see if this would be helpful or hurtful. Do you know how the 2008 ID's fared during the ID and messaging calls. Check your facts and own the responsibility that you were not a good steward of resources when you and Cleve also had an opportunity to change the course in Maine.
Also why didn't you and Cleve show up in Maine, if you cared so much.
Posted by: Bill | Nov 3, 2009 5:47:23 PM