Does White House See Gays as "Left Fringe?"

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Updated 4:40 p.m. ET

Despite not yet having fulfilled his campaign promises to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays from serving openly in the military or the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, President Obama spoke to a largely supportive audience at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, the gay civil rights advocacy group, on Saturday night.

But at a march for equality the next day organized by a younger generation critical of the HRC and other established gay rights organizations, gay activists signaled that their patience with the president has grown thin.

Not long after the march ended, NBC News' John Harwood reported that the White House is not terribly bothered about the criticism coming from gay rights groups. Citing an Obama administration adviser, Harwood said because the president is "doing well with 90 percent or more of Democrats," the White House "views this opposition as really part of the Internet left fringe."

Harwood added that the White House believes that its opposition from the left, including bloggers, "need to take off the pajamas, get dressed, and realize that governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult."

The report inflamed bloggers and once again spotlighted the tension between the march organizers, who railed against "incrementalism" in the equal rights movement, and the establishment HRC, where the president was hailed Saturday as the best friend gays have ever had in the White House.

"So the gay community, and its concerns about President Obama's inaction, and backtracking, on DADT and DOMA, are now, according to President Obama's White House, part of a larger 'fringe' that acts like small children who play in their pajamas and need to grow up…" wrote gay activist John Aravosis on Americablog. "I wonder how the Human Rights Campaign is going to explain how the White House just knifed our community less than 24 hours after he went to their dinner and claimed he was our friend."

On Monday afternoon, the White House disavowed the report, saying the administration does not see gay critics are part of an "Internet left fringe."

"That sentiment does not reflect White House thinking at all, we've held easily a dozen calls with the progressive online community because we believe the online communities can often keep the focus on how policy will affect the American people rather than just the political back-and-forth," White House senior communications adviser Dan Pfeiffer said in an emailed statement to The Plum Line.

One of critics' complaints about the president's speech Saturday was that while he reiterated his opposition to repealing "don't ask, don't tell," he did not provide a timeline for repealing it. The White House has said repeatedly that it is working with the military and Congress to roll back the policy, but there has been little evidence that the process was moving forward.

On the front, gay activists got some potentially good news Sunday: As the Wall Street Journal reports, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that it had become possible "to get a buy-in from the military" to end the policy.

Speakers at the march Sunday included Cleve Jones, Matthew Shepard's mother Judy, the NAACP's Julian Bond, Lady Gaga and Lt. Dan Choi. (Click here to watch the speeches.)

"A free and equal people do not tolerate prioritization of their rights," said Jones, one of the march organizers. "They do not accept compromises. They do not accept delays. And when we see leaders, and those who represent us, saying 'you must wait again,' we say no! no! no longer will we wait!"

Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful and gay House Democrat, has been dismissive of the organizers' efforts, saying they provided little more than "emotional satisfaction." He has noted that the powerful National Rifle Association spends its time and money pressuring politicians, not holding marchers. The only thing the march is going to put pressure on, Frank predicted, "is the grass."

What's your opinion?

• Pop Question

Should President Obama repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military?
 Yes
 No
 Unsure

[velma179]

This whole article is so bogus.

Harwood quotes "an Obama administration adviser".


That could be the guy who cuts the intern-who-waters-the-plants hair!

Sheesh


I am getting soooooo tired of what qualifies for "news" these days and heart broken at what DOES NOT qualify as journalism.

[hungry1968-16]

by summarex October 12, 2009 4:48 PM EDT
timing20002000:

Civil rights is about race religion ethnicity, handicap and possiblke a few other things. But NOT homosexuality. STOP FREELOADING!!







Who are you to decide who CAN and CANNOT be discriminated against?

You sound more like David Duke than you do an American citizen!!

[hungry1968-16]

by endurorob_5 October 12, 2009 2:50 PM EDT

Gays already have the same civil rights as everyone else in this country.






Partially true. Gays can't get legally married in 44 states, because they are being discriminated against, in violation of the 14th amendment.

[endurorob_5]

timing20002000 October 12, 2009 2:42 PM EDT
Pres. Obama will get civil rights for gays. I believe he has a lot on his place right now, but he is going to keep him promise. I definitely would not rely on the GOP to do anything about civil rights for gays



Gays already have the same civil rights as everyone else in this country.

[DezertRatz]

Democrats will sacrifice values for votes. Plain and simple.

[stuart-johns2]

The Obama administrtion is NOT saying that gays are "left fringe".

The right fringe are lunatics. Gays are not lunatics.

The right fringe is anti-American. Gays are not.

The right fringe are war-mongers. Gays are not pro war.

The right fringe love guns. Gays do not sleep with their guns.

The right fringe ignores the needs of the weak and less fortunate. Gays don't.

The right fringe is racist. Gays are not.

The right fringe threatens insurrection. Gay's don't.

The right fringe hates our Constitution (Bush said it was just a piece of paper, remember?) Gays think gay rights = human rights and they are right.

Have I made enough of a distinction? So if the right is pretending to equate themselves with the so-called, "fringe", the only "fringe" is the republican mental midget extremists.

[endurorob_5]

Read the story. It said the White House views this opposition as part of the internet left fringe.

[Marc_1986]

Citing an Obama administration adviser, Harwood said because the president is "doing well with 90 percent or more of Democrats," the White House "views this opposition as really part of the Internet left fringe."

stuart-johns2
The Obama administrtion is NOT saying that gays are "left fringe".

Really stuart? Sounds like that's just what Obama's administration said...

[gepat-2009]

Hey, gay people, maybe you can identify with the tea party people when Obama's bunch identified them as a "mob" from the Right fringe. Now you are a mob from the Left fringe. Yep, we were a little ticked off too.

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money-01]

by gepat-2009 October 12, 2009 2:09 PM EDT
Yep, we were a little ticked off too.
=============================================

Instead of being ticked of too, you should have been ticked off in the first place.

[mav547166]

The democrat party is by definition a coalition of fringe elements. The President is looking for 2012, and he would turn Republican if thats what it took to get elected again. Its all about the power.

[stuart-johns2]

Is that a prison number after your name? I mean you have obviously been out of touch with society for some time.

[inketolstoy]

Looks like mav upset stuart enough to get him to spill his latte on his pj's. The truth hurts, don't it stuart? Don't worry, most good party members in both dems and repubs would to what ever it takes to get elected. That is why the ten percent of the country that can't make up their mind before election day get to pick our next president. Politics today is about extremist groups painting their opposition as being more extreme to snare the votes of the clueless.

[us_1776]

A person's sexuality and sexual-orientation is a part of their nature. There is absolutely no conscious choice involved whatsoever. I have watched several kids in my community grow up that were gay and lesbian. These kids never made any conscious choice regarding their sexuality. It was just part of their nature that they were born with.

It's time for the United States to come out of the dark ages and recognize the rights of EVERY person, no matter what their race, creed, or sexual orientation to marry the person of their choice and have that marriage recognized at every level of government; to serve in any occupation; to have the same rights as accredited to any other person under the constitution.

[watchdogtexas]

Homosexuals serve in the military now, they can be good soldiers. Clinton was a coward and took the easy way out. As long as they do not want special treatment, marriage rights etc. who cares, but thats what is next.

[timing20002000]

Novamba - I KNOW THAT CIVIL RIGHTS IS A PRIORITY, BUT SO IS HEALTH CARE REFORM AND SO IS THE ECONOMY. I, in no way meant to demean the priority, I am just stating a fact for all of us. My apologies if I came off offensive to anyone, that was surely not my intent.