Fast forward to yesterday and these remarks, first Ted Kennedy:
"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion," the Massachusetts senator said Monday in endorsing Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. "With Barack Obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
And then Obama:
"The dream has never died ... it lives on in those Americans, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight, who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was president of the United States of America," Obama said.
I was unswayed by Bill Clinton saying our name in the 90s, but Obama and Kennedy's mention of the "G" word leaves me encouraged. Why?
They said it at a mainstream audience in a key if not pivotal endorsement that will receive wide publicity. It seems more a barometer of true belief than a pandering gesture said to a gay enclave to be forgotten once the enclave is out of sight. This doesn't exempt holding Obama (and his party) to taking productive action on those beliefs. But I feel it is an encouraging sign that the Senator from Illinois means what he says.
4 comments:
This is just one of the reasons I get charged every time I hear Obama speak.
Are you fired up?
Ok. I don't doubt Obama's sincerity in his words. I think he would make a fantastic nominee. Holding him to his word on issues is important just as it was with Clinton. But I don't think it is fair to discount the feelings that the entire community felt back in the early 90's when Clinton touted a message of hope and inclusiveness. Clinton would have been viewed with loads of integrity if he followed through with his exact words to get our votes back in the day. He would have been considered one of the great GLBT heroes of our time.
While lots of people find fault that he didn't follow through and then we get DOMA etc., I, for one, don't fault him for trying to make strides. The end result was that we didn't and haven't gotten what we want and deserve, but the dialog is out there.
I look back on the 90's as a great time to come out and the feeling of visibility & inclusiveness was due in part to the Clinton adminstration. To look back with distain would be like saying our lives weren't that great back then and perhaps a waste. In my opinion, they were neither.
Obama is touting a similar message of youth and change that I felt back in the 90's. I sense it will win the nomination and the presidency.
If Bill Clinton made you feel good back in the 90s I don't mean to diminish that. I'm just hoping (and thinking) that Obama is more sincere.
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