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HRCs’ President Joe Solmonese delivered some news at the HRC Carolinas Gala on Saturday night.
I was there reporting for the Blend as he made these emphatic statements to the members of the LGBT community and allies from North and South Carolina in attendance at the Raleigh Convention Center about what was going to be accomplished this year (quoting from my video below):
1. “We are going to eliminate the tax that you pay on domestic partner benefits. We’re going to get rid of that this year at long last.”2. “We are going to extend domestic partnerships to federal employees.”
3. “We are going to get people living with HIV/AIDS treatment much earlier if they are on public assistance.”
4. “And finally, finally this year we are going to bring down the discriminatory policy known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’…once and for all.”
And Solmonese acknowledged that it doing these measures is essential because of the political dynamics of the 2010 elections, something many of us in the netroots sounded the alert on last week — the reason for the blogswarm.
I also get that there is a drumbeat coming from our community to put more pressure on, to make more demands of the President and members of Congress to get it done this year because who knows what’s going to happen at the mid-term elections and frankly they are right and our time is now.
My jaw just about hit the floor. Has hell frozen over? We’re right for once, and not the enemy? I appreciate the break in that ice. It shouldn’t be hard to be on the same page as this closing window of opportunity harms us all.
HRC is best positioned to lead at this crucial time — and mobilize action in the community, on the Hill and make it clear to this President not to delay and deny after the promises have been made.
The list of issues and organizations lined up at the President’s door knocking on it for action is long, and without assertive, concerted action on our community’s part (on all fronts), we’ll be waiting not one year, but who knows how long once the 2012 election cycle gears up. Our issues will shrivel away.
He cited as his reasons for confidence in DADT repeal this year: the President’s statement during the State of the Union address, the testimony of Chair of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen and Sec. Def. Gates, and the support by Colin Powell and Dick Cheney to move on DADT.
I’m not sure the significance of Solmonese’s remarks, given the ups and downs of the political machinations regarding DADT in just a matter of a couple of weeks really hit many in the audience, given those I chatted with at the end of the evening.
Also:
* Coverage of the 2010 HRC Carolinas dinner – commentary and PHB video of speeches by Clay Aiken and Meredith Baxter.
23 Comments
ENDA?Then again, when Joe Solomonese promises something, two weeks later he may renege. He has form there.
HRC President Joe Solmonese on ENDA, September 14, 2007.
Two weeks later, he was not opposing legislation that was notoriously not inclusive. And two weeks after that, actively supporting it.
I note that he’s not saying anything about HRC caring about ENDA now. Perhaps that’s for the best.
And you know what?I hope that by November, I’m eating crow, totally and completely wrong.
The one thing that’s sure in November: the mid-terms will be a debacle for the DNC. The only question is the scale.
No translation i.e. “trans”gender re”lations” problem hereSo Joe just may do as he says this time
Any Bets…That Trans won’t be dropped from ENDA again?
I agree with Zoe Leopards don’t change their spots. Nothing about the HRC do i trust anymore.. I hope they can do good things but they will do so with out me..
Necessary parsing
Compare to…
I’m just sayin’….
I am not so pessimistic about the HRC…I think he has done a wonderful job of putting in perspective all the things that have gone right in the past year given that it has been a very messy but eventful year. What I am pessimistic about is my belief that once again we are two steps back from the political perspective we should be considering now. The President and the current administration are no longer the key in 2010 if we are to continue to advance any real progress for this year through 2012.
Knowing that we are dealing with the likely lose of the DNC’s large majority in congress and even if they maintain a majority many of there will likely be more conservative blue dogs in congress to deal with after 2010, we should be looking at crossing the isle and crossing bridges we thought burned out long ago. Log Cabin Republicans, young conservatives, independents and even some non-fundamentalist tea-baggers are all available to lend real support for at least dadt and possibly some other civil rights issues. Especially given the prop 8 trial and the radicalization of both parties to a more extreme and oppressive conservatism by a fearful old gaurd on both sides of the isle.
We should be more focused on seeing and supporting the end of more old guard incumbents from both houses in congress. Even if the get replaced with younger and still conservative representatives they will still prove more easily swayed to at least fairness and equality than the old guard. Yet, if not we have removed the clout of the old guard to run so many key committees and hold so much power in the back doors and closets of congress. Call me crazy but if our focus doesn’t shift now to close ranks and hold congress accountable we will not only lose a great deal in 2010 but it will be more than we where prepared to tolerate and once again we will be “surprised”.
?
Has he ever admitted that he – and his organization – lied to trans people in 2007?
What does that have to do with 2009?Wrong way and wrong headed as it was, what does 2007 have to do with anything I said of this particular subject and this past year?
ENDA would never pass anywayHave you forgotten that “Dear Leader” and his fundies would never allow anything resembling pro-LGBT to become law? The best approach was to take some baby steps, get as many votes as possible for a failed bill and improve our chances to pass an inclusive one in the near future, which I think is reasonable.
Does Solmonese and HRC have any power?While I generally support the efforts of this group (although not with money anymore), It doesn’t appear HRC has any power with Congress. So Solmonese can say anything he wants, but if you haven’t, contact your federal elected representatives. Ask them to join the GLBT Congressional Caucas if they are not a member, etc.
God, I hope what he says is true!I’ve seen a lot of change in the last few years on how aware my friends, relatives, and acquaintances are of LGBT rights issues–I’ve heard so many more people say, “It’s ridiculous that you can’t just get married. It’s not fair that you have to pay taxes on health benefits for your partner. It’s outrageous that gays can be fired and there’s no law against it. DADT is stupid.” Congress, of course, moves more slowly than public opinion. But I would love it if we really saw some movement this year. The axe is clearly falling, however gradually, on DADT.
The first point just became that much more important to me, since my wife is losing her job at the end of this week. I’m signing her up on my health plan for the first time. I’m happy that my company offers us this option, but as we’re already losing half our income, it’s going to sting that much more that this benefit is taxed. I’ll be angry and disappointed if we get health reform that doesn’t correct this inequality.
Nice Fake, SolmoneseSolmonese is doing exactly what Obama’s doing – trying to distract us with DADT so we won’t notice that they’re pulling ENDA out from under us. My guess is that they’re trying to ditch ENDA itself. Stripping out trans protections may be a step in that process: with trans protections removed, support will drop, and then of course the bill won’t pass. Remember, almost no LGBT organizations supported an exclusive ENDA the last time it was suggested.
On one point, I agree with Barney Frank. Support for ENDA is weakest in the Senate. That’s where we should focus. The dems in the Senate need to know that LGBTs won’t support them unless they work for an inclusive ENDA – in addition to repealing DADT and DOMA. An inclusive ENDA is non-negotiable.
I’ve been boycotting the dems until all three measures pass. Now, I’m officially boycotting the HRC as well – until or unless they really, really surprise me by convincing me that they’ll do what needs doing to pass an inclusive ENDA.
Solmonese’s omission of ENDA is glaring. There are other LGBT groups to support. Groups like Lambda Legal and NCLR get results.
Whether you trust HRC or not,just be sure to step up and still do your part. Nothing will happen unless we all participate by calling, writing, and speaking with our legislators in person, and then getting our friends and neighbors to do the same.
We need to stop making HRC the issueThe issue is what are we doing to get our legislation passed. If you don’t trust HRC, don’t work with them, but be sure you’re doing the work yourself or through another organization. It isn’t enough to be pissed off at HRC and leave it at that.
Once again….
…the FIRST to pressure is not legislators but the White House.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
TELEPHONE: 202-456-1414
As charter DADT opponent and Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin said last summer and AMERICAblog is saying this morning, repeal will NOT happen without the President’s hands-on leadership and arm-twisting just like the 1964 and 1965 Civil Rights Acts would never have passed without President Kennedy’s high profile support [he devoted a live TV address to the subject] and arm-twisting [his Dept. of Justice virtually wrote the bills] before he died and President Johnson’s thereafter.
If President Obama had kept Candidate Obama’s original, detailed step-by-step promise from the primary campaign trail in 2007 in which he pledged to start the repeal process the day he took office, including ORDERING Gates et al., to immediately create an “action plan for the implementation of full repeal” we wouldn’t be stuck in Neutral a year later with that having just started and Gates playing run-out-the-clock-with-yet-another-study-until-repeal-is-impossible-post-midterms games.
http://leonardmatlovich.com/ba…
THAT’s the message too many legislators heard, “Delay, delay, delay,” not Gates smilefucking us with his “personal support” … and the majority of those who opposed repeal BEFORE his February 2nd testimony STILL oppose it directly or by sitting on the fence only Obama [and the DNC] can knock them off of.
And, yes, regardless of what any gays think of HRC, Obama and the DNC knows that there is no group with greater influence on the largest number of gay donors to political campaigns than HRC. Now Obama Inc. has to decide which is the greater gamble: losing millions of lavendar dollars they need to help save seats in midterms or losing some seats to homophobia by ACTUALLY making repeal happen.
Don’t foget that Joe’s HRC endorsed Lieberman AFTERthe Democratic primary chose Lamont, so of course, I believe him now…
“What does that have to do with 2009?”I see no need to offer any further evidence of why our agenda is dead in the water.
What does that have to do with 2009?
Everything.
If you believe that someone who was proven to be a corporatist, transphobic liar in 2007 has changed – or is even capable of changing – then you’ll believe anything.
And if you don’t think its relevant that someone who was proven to be a corporatist, transphobic liar in 2007 is incapable of even acknowledging the lie…
see previous sentence.
So…Lying to the faces of the trans community – knowing full well that some people in that community would be gullible and/or desperate enough to fork over money to his organization because of the lie – is justified?
I guess we’re all Palindrones now.
I don’t believe Joe….but I haven’t almost since he started at HRCI believe Pelosi when she promised House Dems no controvercial votes for gays ot Immigration until after the election.
So I’m not holding my breath, since the useless dems will probably get beat like a red haired stepchild.
Why would it be dropped?They’ve had enough time to do it right.
ENDA precedence over Title VII to fix that pesky Schroer loophole.
Religious exemption for bigotry.
Employer notification of a medical issue.
All codified into law. Of course, I could be wrong since we don’t really know the result of the delays and language “fine tunings” and won’t until it’s too late. I truly hope that I am just being paranoid. I mean, I should be able to trust them this time…right?
ENDA is a threatNot only to bigotry, but to Joe’s continued self-employment. After almost 30 wonderful years of fundraising and throwing parties for more fundraising (why, that’s practically a career!), why would HRC want to lessen it’s own relevance?
Don’t forget, the DADT effort…is not trans inclusive either. Until we truly feel that human difference is good and additive to a well-functioning, just society, we will be saddled with these feeble assimilationist attempts to get legislation supporting the rights of the assimilated straight-acting Glb population.
Until HRC truly shows that they are working to improve HUMAN rights, I cannot support them. They’re basically erasing those who are different, viewing us as inhuman. This is not an organization that will ever gain anything for human rights as long as they continue this path.