Quote:
Originally Posted by Derwood
But unlike Bush, Obama is influential and charismatic. Don't you think that him coming out strongly in favor of gay rights would set an example that many who might be on the fence might follow?
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It's possible, but it's a huge gamble. President Obama and his team have to deal with the economy first and foremost right now, and they are asking for a lot of faith from the American people considering how unpopular the bailouts have been. If he goes too liberal (in this case, supporting a perfectly legitimate cause of civil rights for homosexuals), he's going to scare away a lot of the center that ventured left to elect him. As much as it pains me, there are still a lot of moderate people in this country that are petrified of anything even remotely different, and considering how hard the right has pushed to attack homosexuals even going so far as to win California, Obama would be in for a huge and bitter war. That outright war with the evangelical right would endanger his economic plans.
If the economy looks better next year, I fully expect Obama to move on to education, health care, and civil rights more aggressively, but for now everything has to be about some measure of stability so that people can get back to work. As important as allowing gay marriage and repealing of DA/DT are, 10-15% of the country out of work and massive economic instability has to take priority.
If I were president, I'd be fighting the war at full steam on every front
especially civil rights, but I probably wouldn't be elected president because I'm too far left (among numerous other factors).
If this is going to change, it has to change from the ground up not the top down. Trickle-down societal progression stands as much a chance at success as trickle-down economics. This has to happen at a grassroots level, with campaigns to spread awareness and debunk lies.