Joe's Corner
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Fighting the good fight
12.21.10 at 12:09 PMEditorial
The New London Day
December 21, 2010
Last week's repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" was a long-overdue triumph for advocates who fought to overturn the discriminatory, 17-year policy of banning gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the military.
Saturday's 65-31 Senate vote also was a big win for President Barack Obama, who had made repeal of the controversial policy a campaign pledge and who had been under fire from his liberal base for failing to deliver on this and other issues.
And closer to home, it was a victory for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a driving force in the repeal movement who, like Mr. Obama, has been enduring alienation of affections from his constituents. Without his efforts the measure wouldn't have come to a vote, much less been passed, and we applaud Sen. Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, for championing this just cause.
Though it initially intended to protect gays and les... Read More »Obama's Victory Lap
12.21.10 at 12:07 PM
By Eugene Robinson
The Washington Post
December 21, 2010
President Obama must be tempted to respond to his progressive critics with a quote from the old-school rapper Kool Moe Dee: "How ya like me now?"
Repeal of the military's bigoted and anachronistic "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military - a campaign promise that seemed to be slipping out of reach - doesn't fully mend the relationship between Obama and the Democratic Party's liberal wing. But it's a pretty terrific start.
Progressives needed a clear, unambiguous victory to ease the sting of those extended tax cuts for the rich. They got one Saturday with the Senate's historic vote to end "don't ask, don't tell" - and Obama won vindication for the slow, patient, step-by-step approach that drove gay and lesbian activists crazy but ultimately produced a stunning result.
Administration officials believed from the beginning that getting the discriminatory po... Read More »Thank You, Joe Lieberman
12.21.10 at 12:05 PMBy Chris Weigant
The Huffington Post
December 20, 2010
Both houses of Congress have now passed the bill which repeals the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT), which did not allow gay Americans to openly serve their country in military uniform. President Obama has scheduled a signing ceremony for the repeal bill this Wednesday. While this is a significant achievement on the civil rights/gay rights front, it is also a significant political achievement. And one man stands out as the driving political force behind the successful effort to repeal this discriminatory federal policy. Which is why, today, I'd like to publicly thank Senator Joe Lieberman.
As the old saying goes: "success has many fathers, and failure is an orphan." This political success is no different, really. Senator Lieberman didn't singlehandedly repeal DADT. He had a lot of help, and a few other Democrats showed both some real leadership and some real political savvy in the last few weeks... Read More »
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