We are down to the wire folks with only seven days until election day. In that seven days we can expect McCain, Palin and the GOP to throw as much slime and diversion as they can muster to try to scare, terrorize and fool voters into voting for them.

We can’t let them get away with it. Not this time. Not this year. Not when so much is at stake.

I know that some of you are just ready for this election to be over. But, we are at a transformative moment in our country’s history where we can make a break from the failed politics of fear, hatred and division as practiced by Bush, Cheney, McCain and Palin.

Rather than offer solutions to deal with the financial, healthcare, energy and climate crises we are facing McCain, Palin and their supporters have tried to convince us that Sen. Obama is a closeted Muslim who is BFFs with terrorists, hates America and wants to teach six year olds about sex. None of that is true, of course, but that’s what you do when don’t have proposals to effectively deal with the challenges facing our country.

On the issue of LGBT civil rights, the differences between Obama and McCain could not be more stark.

As I pointed out in my posts, Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain, No Way. No How. No McCain/Palin. and The LGBT Case for Barack Obama:

Barack Obama:

• supports an inclusive ENDA
• supports the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act
• supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
• supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act
• opposes state constitutional amendments banning marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships

John McCain:

• opposes basic civil rights protections for LGBT Americans
• supports the ban on openly gay Americans serving in the military
• opposes gay adoption
• would appoint Supreme Court justices that would overturn Roe v Wade

In these seven last crucial days, please help get out the vote for Barack Obama.

I don’t remember counting down the days before an election the way I’m doing this year. Others are doing the same thing. Last Friday night outside DC’s Lincoln Theatre, as fans arrived for the Reel Affirmations film festival, I found an old friend who was a proud Hillary Clinton supporter selling Obama Pride t-shirts. The crisp autumn air has brought Democrats the smell of victory.

We’re a long way from last January. Back then, a prominent, progressive gay blogger asked me whom I supported for President. “Obama,” I replied. He was incredulous. “Do you really think a black man can get elected?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I said, “but I plan to vote for him.” “Most white people will never vote for him,” he assured me. One of many satisfactions from an Obama victory will be the disposal of smug dismissals like that one.

Of course, there are still naysayers. Some gay conservatives have taken to accusing Obama’s gay supporters of neglecting the California No on 8 campaign by donating instead to Obama, as if we cannot do both. I sure hope those critics have given No on 8 all the money they would otherwise have given John McCain.

Another conservative charge is that Obama will be to blame if Prop 8 wins, because polling suggests that the increased African American turnout for Obama will break disproportionately against marriage equality. These critics avoid mentioning the salient fact that the same poll shows Democrats breaking in favor of marriage equality, and Republicans against. Instead of exploiting ballot initiatives for cynical sniping, the Nobamacons should be educating their fellow conservatives about the concept of equal protection of the law.

Speaking of conservatives, it is satisfying to see so many of the most illustrious abandon the McCain ship. McCain’s operatives still seem not to have noticed that their over-the-top attacks fall flat because they are so at odds with the Barack Obama that people have been watching for two years. Last week, Sacramento County Republicans removed a call to “Waterboard Barack Obama” from their website after their own state party leaders were offended. Others inevitably get into the act, like blogger clifylq at LiveJournal.com, who stated in August that “Obama is a Gay Muslim.”

The lunar-orbit quality of such attacks was captured on Saturday Night Live when the McCain Rally Lady wandered onto the set declaring that Obama “is 50 percent Egyptian, he’s going to change the White House to a pyramid.” The desperate, tone-deaf hatefulness of the right-wing robocalls and ads perfectly illustrates the scorched-earth politics voters want to change.

Not long ago, many Democrats feared Obama’s preternatural calm would leave voters cold, and urged him to get hotter. But the financial crisis put Obama’s cool demeanor in a new light. Now it is seen as a key presidential trait, while McCain’s shoot-from-the-hip combustibility reminds voters that eight years of cowboy politics have not made them feel safer. Last week, conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks compared Obama’s self-assurance to that of figures like FDR and Ronald Reagan, who “rise with an unshakable serenity that is inexplicable to their critics and infuriating to their foes.” Obama’s smooth blend of thoughtfulness and elegance recalls a classic jazz orchestration with Duke Ellington at the keyboard.

Obama has set a new standard for grassroots organizing, his operations in red states promising to boost down-ballot Democrats and help build a governing majority. At the same time, his history of respectful outreach across party lines reflects his ambition for transformational wins instead of the usual petty Washington gamesmanship.

Obama’s more supple and confident approach has considerable appeal after eight years of a president on a mission from God who only talks to people who agree with him. The greatest benefit of an Obama victory might be prying open the ideological echo chambers into which so many across the spectrum have retreated.

Last Saturday night I encountered a couple of young women holding signs saying, “Stop Bitchin’ and Start a Revolution.” I haven’t the slightest interest in starting a revolution, nor do I need tips for creating change from people who fervently reject any candidate with the remotest chance of actually getting elected. The pursuit of power may be a morally fraught business, but romanticizing disempowerment is no improvement.

Lose the drama. Give us Obama.

Copyright © 2008 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

Rick Rosendall can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net.

Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate and Log Cabin Republican’s BFF, recently said that if elected she would push for a Federal Marriage Amendment that would ban marriage between same-sex couples. That did not sit well with newlywed Ellen DeGeneres.

In this clip Ellen shares how she really feels about Palin and her plan to write discrimination against LGBT people and our families.

With little more than two weeks before election day, now is the time to pull out your little black book and contact everyone in it about Barack Obama.

This election is the most important in at least a generation and for LGBT Americans it is even more crucial. We have the chance to play deciding role in electing the most pro-LGBT president in history. And, the difference between Sen. Obama and John McCain could not be clearer.

Allowing McCain to be elected as president would four more years of the kind of anti-LGBT policies that we got from George Bush. Electing Sen. Obama has president opens up the definite chance for us to finally pass an inclusive ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and to finally develop a national AIDS strategy.

The Obama campaign’s Hometown Pride outreach program offers this suggestion to help you get started talking to friends and family:

Find five people back in your hometown to talk to about Barack and Joe. When you talk with these people, tell them why you personally support Barack. These are your friends and people who know you – tell your own story.

Think about people you’re still close to, like family members – but also think about people you might not have talked to in years, like old teachers, mentors and friends.

Here are a few quick talking points:

Barack Obama:

• supports an inclusive ENDA
• supports the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act
• supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
• supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act
• opposes state constitutional amendments banning marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships

John McCain:

• opposes basic civil rights protections for LGBT Americans
• supports the ban on openly gay Americans serving in the military
• opposes gay adoption
• would appoint Supreme Court justices that would overturn Roe v Wade

In short, a vote for John McCain is a vote for discrimination against LGBT people while a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for civil rights for LGBT people.

For more information, read:

Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain
No Way. No How. No McCain/Palin.
The LGBT Case for Barack Obama

On Facebook: Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain

There has never been a presidential nominee from either political party that is as supportive of LGBT civil rights as Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee. He has long fought for civil and equal rights for minorities including the LGBT community. And, in the presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has included LGBT Americans numerous times in his speeches.

After the jump is a list of Sen. Obama’s positions on LGBT issues.

Sen. Obama’s strong support for LGBT civil rights did not begin with his decision to run for the presidency. As an Illinois State Senator, Senator Obama’s advocacy on behalf of minorities included championing the equal rights of LGBT people when he became the chief co-sponsor of the Illinois Employment Non-Discrimination Bill which eventually became Illinois law.

Here are Sen Obama’s position on key LGBT issues:

Sen. Obama supports passage of an inclusive ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act

Sen. Obama wrote in A Call For Full Equality:

I will also place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I have supported fully inclusive protections since my days in the Illinois legislature, when I sponsored a bill to outlaw workplace discrimination that expressly included both sexual orientation and gender identity.

Sen. Obama supports repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Sen. Obama wrote in A Call For Full Equality:

I will also fight to repeal the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, a law that should never have been passed, and my Defense Department will work with top military leaders to implement that repeal.

Sen. Obama supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act

Sen. Obama wrote in an open letter to the LGBT community:

While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does.

Sen. Obama has committed to developing a national AIDS strategy

Sen. Obama told the Washington Blade:

If elected, during my first year in office, I will develop and implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. That strategy will reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Congress should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And, as President, I will continue to confront the stigma — too often tied to homophobia — that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Sen. Obama supports civil unions with equal federal benefits for same-sex couples

Sen. Obama wrote in A Call For Full Equality:

As President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples – whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.

Sen. Obama opposes anti-gay state constitutional amendments such as those pending in California, Florida and Arizona

Sen. Obama wrote in letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club:

As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.

Sen. Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006

Sen. Obama would appoint fair-minded justices to the Supreme Court

Sen. Obama’s positions are a stark contrast to John McCain’s long record of opposition to LGBT civl rights. For anyone who cares about LGBT people, it has to be clear that a vote for John McCain is a vote for discrimination against LGBT people.

I recently had the chance to talk to Steve Hildebrand, the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Obama Campaign and the highest ranking gay staffer for the campaign.

Steve has spent more than twenty years organizing some of the most targeted and high profile political campaigns in the nation and is recognized as one of the best political strategists in the United States. Working extensively in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, Steve has managed races and ran two political parties. He served as Midwest Political Director for the DNC during the Clinton re-elect in 1996 and as Political Director at the DSCC in 97/98. In 99/2000, Steve ran the Iowa caucuses for Vice President Gore and ran the Women Vote! Program for EMILY’s List in 2000. He managed Senator Tim Johnson’s campaign in 2002 and Senator Tom Daschle’s campaign in 2004. In 2007, decided to serve as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

The full interview, with discussion ranging from LGBT voter outreach to Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments to a fully-inclusive ENDA, after the jump.

Waymon Hudson- Florida is a battleground state, and it has been reported, a top priority for the Obama Campaign. How does LGBT voter outreach play in to that? Are there specific LGBT “get out the vote” efforts?

Steve Hildebrand- There are many LGBT organizers in the state- but we always need more. Voters of all backgrounds have a tremendous amount at stake in election- whether it be in foreign policy, the economic crisis, or whether issues are gay-related- there is a lot a stake. People have to get involved and make sure their issues are answered.

WH- Florida is facing a dangerous “Marriage Protection” Amendment that would not only ban same-sex marriage, but also roll back domestic partnerships and benefits (much like what happened in Michigan). While the campaign has said Obama does not support this (and other state amendments like California and Arizona), will Obama and his top level surrogates be talking about this during campaign stops? It seems like Obama taking a strong stand on this would make the point to many in the community that he will be a strong supporter of the LGBT community once elected.

SH- Obama is very clear that there should not be any amendment that writes discrimination into the constitution. He has made the fact that he does not support these amendments very clear. That being said, he is running for national office. He feels it might not be appropriate for him to tell Floridians how to vote since he is not a Floridian. But that being said, there is no question where he stands on it.

WH- HIV/AIDS is a huge issue in Florida and around the country. What is Obama’s plan domestically to combat the rising rates of infection?

SH- Awareness and education are critical. Prevention is key- through education and regular testing. Barack is one of the few political figures to have taken an HIV/AIDS test in public, both in Africa and LA, which has a huge impact to encourage testing. We have to find the funds to fight HIV/AIDS- we have to make sure drugs are available to those that can’t afford them so they can live a strong, healthy, dignified life. And we have to educate that this is not just an LGBT disease; all communities are affected by HIV/AIDS.

WH- What important LGBT issue could he act on quickly if President, what would be most likely to pass?

SH- There are a lot of important issues, but if I advised Barack, I would say to seek passage of an Employment Non Discrimination Act. Jobs and employment security is vitally important to LGBT Americans and no one should be afraid to lose their job because for their sexual orientation. That is a vital piece of legislation that could affect huge numbers of LGBT Americans and a basic right no one should be without.

WH- Would he sign a non-inclusive ENDA or hold out for a fully-inclusive one? Would he actively lobby for a fully inclusive ENDA?

SH- Barack has made it clear that gender identity and expression are vital parts of any legislation passed, especially ENDA. He solidly supports a fully-inclusive ENDA.

WH- There have been reports of voter suppression (McCain and RNC emails confusing voters, new Florida voting laws) which could harm both Obama and the fight against Amendment 2 and other anti-LGBT legislation around the country. How is the campaign combating these tactics?

SH- Well first, shame any Republican who wants to suppress votes. Political games should never be played with the right to vote. Democrats need to find any way possible- through early voting, absentee ballots- to make sure the basic right to vote is upheld. That may not suit Republicans, but it is important to give more opportunities to vote- better voting hours, vote by mail options. It should be easier, not harder to vote. Every vote needs to be counted.

WH- Immigration Equality for LGBT couples is an important issue in Florida and around the country. What would Obama do to help keep bi-national LGBT couples, many who are forced to split or leave the country since there is no national recognition of same-sex relationships, together?

SH- Barack does not feel like he gets to decide what a family should look like. Families should stay together. There are complications with immigration issues, but there are ways to work that out legislatively, to help work towards the opportunity for couples to stay together. Barack has been speaking with the Human Rights Campaign and other groups to talk about how that issue can be solved quickly.

WH- Would Obama put LGBT people in high level administration positions?

SH- Barack would run his administration the way he has lived his life and run his campaign. Diversity is important to him, and to Michelle- it is critically important to him that he hears different voices and different opinions. Barack has always sought out different opinions in his life and would continue to do so once in office. There would definitely be strong LGBT voices in his administration.

WH- Is there anything else you’d like to tell LGBT voters?

SH- This election is in a dead heat- people’s involvement is vital. There is a lot at stake. We need a strong advocate in the White House, an advocate like Obama- certainly not someone like McCain and Palin. As a gay American, I want a strong advocate for my issues, for the things that are important to me and my rights. I get that with Obama, but not with McCain/Palin.

People need to participate. If you are not registered to vote, do it, register. If people you know aren’t registered, walk them through it. Time is running out to make sure your voice is heard. Get out, volunteer, give what you can, but most importantly get out and vote.

For information on how to register to vote, get an absentee ballot, or check your voter information, go to VoteForChange.com.

For more information on the Obama Campaign, visit BarackObama.com.

First published in Bay Windows, October 9, 2008

All the talk of mavericks during the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate started me humming the theme from The Magnificent Seven. There they are, a ragtag bunch of rugged loners in a wild country. Will they learn to work together in time to save the beleaguered townsfolk from the marauding villains? Hey, wait a minute — they ARE the marauding villains.

Maybe I just have movies on my mind, since Washington’s gay film fest starts next week; but the McCain campaign increasingly feels like a movie in which the director is desperately trying to make us suspend our disbelief and buy the Republican nominee as the guy to fix the wreckage wrought by the Republican incumbent over the past several years.

Barney Frank is having none of it. The congressman from Massachusetts pounds a simple point he has made for years regarding the gay dimension in politics: that the far better record of Democrats on gay rights points to a partisan conclusion.

Defending their endorsement of John McCain, Log Cabin Republicans tout his opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment; but he also endorses anti-gay state initiatives that Barack Obama opposes. They point to Democratic politicians’ opposition to marriage equality (displayed by Joe Biden last week) to discredit gay Democrats, but Obama supports civil unions legislation while McCain does not. Sarah Palin’s talk of tolerance mirrors the ex-gay movement’s love-the-sinner rhetoric, and her suggestion that private contracts are sufficient for gay couples is contradicted by the experience of family law attorneys working to protect LGBT families, who have found that wills and powers of attorney are a poor substitute for marriage.

Frank wrote in 2004, “Only if an attempt to make gay bashing a national political platform clearly fails will Republicans who dissent from that view begin to get the political strength to free their party from its shackles.” The Palin choice suggests that the GOP’s shift in emphasis this year does not reflect an ideological change.

On Real Time with Bill Maher in 2006, Frank noted conservative dissent against the Supreme Court’s 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling overturning sodomy laws: “The Republicans do think it should be a crime, and I think there’s a right to privacy, but the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn’t then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves.”

Long one of the smartest and wittiest people in Congress, Frank is now one of the most powerful. As Financial Services Committee chair, he has been instrumental in addressing the financial crisis. On Sep. 29, after a vote on the $700 billion financial recovery bill fell a dozen votes short and Republicans blamed partisan remarks by Speaker Pelosi, Frank was withering: “Because somebody hurt their feelings, they decide to punish the country…. Give me those twelve people’s names, and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them, and tell them what wonderful people they are, and maybe they’ll now think about the country.”

Frank is one of the sharpest debaters the House has ever had, and his toughness is essential. A favorite Republican tactic during the current Congress is introducing motions to recommit in order to derail bills that are about to pass. Responding to one such motion in April 2007, Frank said, “Members on the other side had every opportunity at the committee and in this open rule fully to debate this and to offer amendments. They chose not to. They chose instead to legislate by ambush.”

Frank was addressing a similar motion in November 2007 during debate on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act when he grew emotional while describing the impact of homophobia on 15-year-olds and concluded, “Please don’t turn your back on them.” The House erupted in cheers.

Frank has no shortage of detractors (a right-of-center gay Washingtonian recently created a Facebook group called “Capital Punishment for Barney Frank”), but that is a sign of his success. As I watched him respond to Bill O’Reilly’s charges of cowardice and unmanliness last week by rebuking the Fox News demagogue for his ranting and bullying, I thought how lucky we are that Frank, as The Almanac of American Politics wrote in 2006, “is one of the intellectual and political leaders of the Democratic Party in the House – political theorist and pit bull all at the same time.” He’s one of us, he’s right where he should be, and he’s at the top of his game.

Copyright © 2008 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

Rick Rosendall can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net.

A couple of days ago I wrote that gays won’t let their friends vote McCain and with less than four weeks before election day that message has taken on an increased urgency. This post the second is a series that I am writing urging LGBT people to talk to our family, friends and co-workers about why a vote for John McCain is a vote for discrimination against LGBT Americans.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have unleash a wave of negative attacks in speeches and ads against Barack Obama and our fight to change our country for the better. They have, as a New York Times editorial stated, moved “into the dark territory of race-baiting and xenophobia.”

What makes you think that if elected they will not turn that same mean-spiritedness and willingness to engage in divisive politics against us?

As LGBT people we have the responsibility to ourselves and to our friends and family to make clear to them just how much a McCain/Palin administration would hurt us and our families. We have to make them understand that McCain is in no way a “maverick” especially when it comes to LGBT civil rights and that Palin, despite the “folksy charm” that appeals to some, is even worse on LGBT issues. Palin has close ties to an anti-gay church that believes that LGBT people can be cured of our sexual orientation and gender identity through prayer and Palin believes that being gay is a choice.

McCain is already on record has strongly supporting the proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in Arizona, California and Florida that would ban marriage for same-sex couples. In California, passage of Prop. 8 would nullify the marriages of more than 11,000 couples.

Speaking at the HRC National Dinner in Washington, DC on October 4th, Terry Bean, co-founder of HRC and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, said:

It is time that we demanded that our family, our friends, the people closet to us consider our equality as they cast their votes. It is unacceptable that the people who say the love us vote for those that would demean us and consistently block our path to justice.

Some of that is our own fault. We cannot keep them for voting for our enemies. It is, at least for them, still a free country. But they most be told that doing so is an act of betrayal and will harm our relationships

That is where you come in.

By speaking to our families, friends and co-workers about how harmful a McCain presidency would be for us, we can give the people who love us an opportunity to support us.

This video gives examples of how young people are standing up for what they believe and speaking to friends and family about why it is so to elect Barack Obama as our next president. The video is not LGBT-specific, but if these kids have the courage to have “the talk” with their families, why can’t we?

Join Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain on Facebook.

Just as friends don’t let friends drive drunk, we should declare right here, right now that as LGBT people we won’t let our friends vote McCain. At least not without a fight.

If you think I am overstating the importance of this, watch this video by the Human Rights Campaign on McCain’s long record of opposition to LGBT equality.

I understand that voting is a personal thing, but it is critical that we let our friends, family and co-workers know how much a McCain/Palin administration would hurt us and our families.

This post is the first in a series to provide you with talking points, resources and ideas on how to talk to your family and friends about why they should not be fooled by the “maverick” label because John McCain is no friend to the LGBT community. Join Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain on Facebook.

McCain has opposed every single pro-LGBT piece of legislation that has come his way in his 26 years in Congress. Even worse, McCain is on record as saying “I don’t believe in gay adoptions.”, he opposes LGBT Americans serving openly and honorably in the military and he supports the anti-marriage constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot in Arizona, California and Florida.

In 2006 McCain appeared in this ad promoting the draconian anti-marriage amendment that was then on the ballot in Arizona.

We must make clear to those who love us that a vote for John McCain is a vote for discrimination against us. Here are some talking points on where McCain stands on LGBT issues.

The Case Against John McCain

McCain opposes non-discrimination legislation that would protect LGBT people from being fired from their jobs simply for who they are.

McCain opposes federal hate crimes legislation that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal law and provide resources to local law enforcement agencies to better investigate hate crimes.

McCain opposes the legal recognition of same-sex relationships including marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

McCain opposes the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act which denies the federal rights and responsibilities of marriage from being extended to same-sex couples.

McCain opposes adoption by LGBT people even if it means that kids who need families will remain in orphanages.

McCain supports the ban on openly gay soldiers serving in the military.

McCain would appoint Supreme Court justices that would take anti-LGBT stances like John Roberts and Samuel Alito.

McCain has chosen Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate and she may be even more anti-LGBT than McCain is.

When it comes to LGBT civil rights, we cannot afford to have John McCain and Sarah Palin in the White House.

Join Gays Won’t Let Friends Vote McCain on Facebook.

Cross-posted at Bloggernista