By Eric Rader
President Obama announced last week that he is officially a candidate for reelection, a move that now allows him to raise money for the expensive race ahead. While no Republican has yet announced his or her candidacy, several people on that side of the aisle are exploring a run for the White House. Regardless of who decides to enter the Republican race for president, the current chief executive will likely face a tougher opponent in 2012 than he did in 2008.
As President Obama starts raising money for his 2012 effort, many people wonder whether he can win a second term. Unlike four years ago, the president is no longer a fresh face, and as the incumbent, cannot claim the mantle of change. Republicans are coming off a historic midterm election in which they won control of the U.S. House, made significant inroads in the Senate, and secured a majority of the nation's governorships. Conservatives are dominant in many states, including Michigan, and they will certainly use that power to help elect a Republican president next year. However, while the 2010 election was a major victory for Republicans, the voters did not necessarily endorse their policies. An important factor in the GOP victories last year was the decision by many Democratic voters to stay home, either because President Obama was not on the ballot, or because they were disillusioned with presidential concessions to Republicans on some issues.
One major component of the Democratic coalition is LGBT voters. One recent example helps to explain why LGBT voters tend to vote for Democrats. In late 2010, the vast majority of Republicans in the House and Senate voted against a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, while Democrats largely supported ending this regressive policy. In their floor remarks on this issue, some GOP members of Congress made strongly homophobic comments in opposing the repeal. Now that repeal has been signed into law by President Obama, many Republicans are seeking to undermine its implementation.
Some LGBT voters may wonder why we should support President Obama for a second term, especially because he has not always been 100 percent in agreement with our community on some of our most salient issues. It is important to consider several factors when evaluating the record of the president as he campaigns for reelection. First, he has done more for LGBT equality than any president in American history. President Obama signed the repeal of DADT in December, the most significant legal advance for gay civil rights ever achieved at the federal level. Additionally, among a number of other pro-equality actions, he signed an order to allow same-sex partners to visit their loved ones in hospitals, ended the ban on HIV-positive foreigners entering the United States, included gender identity in federal equal employment language, extended some domestic partner benefits to LGBT federal employees, and signed a gay-inclusive hate crimes law. Recently, the president announced that his administration would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. During his first two years in office, he has also appointed gays and lesbians to significant positions within his administration, appeared in an ad on behalf of the "It Gets Better" campaign against bullying, and warmly welcomed our community to the White House for LGBT pride events.
Unfortunately, President Obama has not yet changed his official opposition to legalizing gay marriage, though he does support civil unions for same-sex couples. In interviews, the president has suggested that his view on this issue is "evolving." During the course of the upcoming campaign, LGBT voters who support the president have a responsibility to work with him to continue this evolution in his thinking.
While President Obama has not been perfect on issues of LGBT equality, we should consider the alternatives. All of the Republicans seeking to replace the president would take the country a large step backward on gay rights. The potential Republican candidates have all spoken out against various efforts to guarantee LGBT equality, and are actively seeking the political support of the religious right. The difference between the president and his opponents on social issues could not be clearer. Just last week, President Obama again showed his dedication to progressive values when he stopped the Republicans from shutting down the government over their archaic opposition to federal funding for family planning programs.
Though progress has been slower than many of us would like, LGBT equality has moved forward in the last two years. While some LGBT voters stayed home from the polls in 2010, none of us can afford to stay away next year – the stakes are just too high.
"New Beginning" Initiative, with information on LGBT progress under President Obama:
http://tinyurl.com/3zzv2l5
President Obama's 2009 speech at the Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner:
http://tinyurl.com/3hz4uj7
President Obama's 2010 LGBT Pride Month proclamation:
http://tinyurl.com/3yqlu6y
