Jay Carney Asked Why Obama Rejected Non-Discrimination Order: Video

The Washington Blade, NBC News and Metro Weekly piled on today to ask White House Press Secretary Jay Carney why President Obama decided not to sign an executive order prohibiting LGBT discrimination among federal contractors.

Carney's answer? Mr. Obama wants to focus on constructing and passing a comprehensive, nation-spanning Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Here's part of the nearly 8-minute exchange, via Think Progress:

Q: Can you make the distinction between ENDA and signing this executive order? In other words, if he does support ENDA, why not sign this executive order which relates to a smaller part of the population to get that policy started?

CARNEY: I think the DADT repeal is instructive hear in terms of the approach that we’re taking at this time…We’re deeply committed to working with partners in the LGBT community on a number of fronts to build the case for employment nondiscrimination policies. [...]

Q: Is this a political calculation?

CARNEY: Absolutely not, the president is committed to securing equal rights for LGBT Americans, and that is why he has long supported ENDA….The approach we’re taking at this time is try to build support for passage of this legislation, a comprehensive approach, to legislate on the issue of non-discrimination.

ThinkProgress also points out that in addition to incurring the ire of equality activists, the President upset some of his party colleagues. Jeff Merkley, the U.S. Congressman from Oregon, said yesterday that though he's happy to hear Obama supports ENDA, "an executive order would be a very constructive step forward and help build momentum to pass the bill."

"It’s disappointing that the White House is passing on an opportunity to make immediate gains for equal opportunity in America," said Merkley.

Watch Carney field reporters' questions, AFTER THE JUMP.

White House Asked if Obama is Ready to Endorse Marriage Equality in 'SOTU' Address: VIDEO

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was lobbed a few questions about Obama's 'evolving' position on marriage equality today.

One reporter sarcastically asked whether there are books that Obama reads to help him along on his position. It was followed by a question from Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson, who asked if there was any chance Obama would endorse marriage equality in his upcoming State of the Union address.

Said Carney: “I will not rule anything in or out. I’m just not going to talk about — beyond pointing at his words — his personal views on this. I think his administration’s policies on related issues are there for people to judge.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Obama White House Has No Comments On Kameny's Death

The Washington Blade caught Jay Carney, the White House press spokesman, in an unusually flat-footed moment when seeking the president's reaction to the death of LGBT civil rights leader Frank Kameny. “I’ll have to take that," said Carney. "I know that he passed away, but I don’t have a comment on that."

Really? How's about "I know that he passed away, and we all obviously feel for his friends and colleagues"?

Or: "I know that he passed away, and I know we're all grateful for the work he's done over the years on behalf of American citizens ..."

Nawp. Carny kicked the can down the road. Carney said he had no explanation for why the White House hadn't issued a statement on Kameny's death, and when asked whether President Obama would visit Mr. Kameny's body as it lies in state, Carney said, rather testily: "I'm not his scheduler."

Hey! The president's a busy guy! No hard feelings! But maybe just a little sentiment wouldn't hurt? A little bit of fellow-feeling?

The president's said nice things about Mr. Kameny before. As the Blade points out:

In 2009, Obama noted Kameny’s presence at the White House reception commemorating June as Pride month and called Kameny a "civil rights pioneer."

"Frank was fired from his job as an astronomer for the federal government simply because he was gay," Obama said. "And in 1965, he led a protest outside the White House, which was at the time both an act of conscience but also an act of extraordinary courage. And so we are proud of you, Frank, and we are grateful to you for your leadership."

WH Doesn't Anticipate Obama Will 'Evolve' on Same-Sex Marriage by This Week's Gay NY Fundraiser: VIDEO

President Obama is holding two fundraisers for gay donors this week in New York. Today, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked by the Washington Blade's Chris Johnson about Obama's 1996 support of same-sex marriage and his current position, which favors civil unions.

Johnson asked Carney whether Obama might be "selling his audience short by saying he supports them and wants his money for his reelection campaign but also saying at the same time he does not support their right to marry."

Answered Carney:

"I think you know that this president is very supportive of and strong on LGBT rights. And his record is significant with regard to that. He’s been very clear about his position on gay marriage, he’s been very clear about how that position is evolving. I don’t have any new announcements to make, but I think you know his record, and he’s proud of it."

In a follow-up question, Johnson asked if Obama, who has said in recent months that he is "evolving" on same-sex marriage, might evolve enough this week to come out and support it.

Answered Carney: "I don't anticipate that."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Writes Greg Sargent at The Washington Post:

This is going to irk gay advocates in a big way. Obama first declared that his position on gay marriage is evolving back in October, when he told gay advocates that he is wrestling with the issue, and that “attitudes evolve, including mine.”

Obama Will Not Be Issuing a List of Promises to LGBT People for the 2012 Election

Prompted by a question from the Washington Blade's Chris Johnson, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney indicated that Obama would not be issuing a list of promises to the LGBT community as he did during the 2008 election campaign.

Said Carney during a briefing yesterday: 

"I don’t anticipate reissuing a list.  I think his position on a number of issues has been clear and his accomplishments on a number of issues have been clear.  So as is true with a number of the goals he set forward during his campaign and in the first two-plus years of his administration, remains those that are unfinished.  As he’s been saying a lot lately we still have a lot of work to do and we’re not done yet.  And so I think that he will remain committed to a number of policy objectives that haven’t been achieved yet."

Carney continued that the President "remains committed" to the agenda of LGBT issues he has already set forward.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Watch: White House Press Sec'y Won't Speculate on Executive Order Barring Discrimination Against LGBT People

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked yesterday by the Washington Blade's Chris Johnson whether the President would be open to barring the federal government from doing business with companies that discriminate against LGBT people via executive order should the Employment Non-Discrimination Act not succeed legislatively.

Carney wouldn't say:

"I don’t want to speculate about what action he may or may not take. His position is known. And again, he does not shy away from obstacles when he approaches an issue that’s important to him. But I don’t have a — I’m not going to speculate about what measure he might take."

Carney was also asked whether he saw any legal impediment to the President taking such an action, and also about explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBT service members, something we touched on here back in February.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...