I can't express how much I really wanted to be an Obama supporter

For a white person, I hang out with, work with, and otherwise interact with a large number of African Americans. I have never worked in a school that wasn't either integrated or overwhelmingly African American. It would be so great for the students I teach to see Obama in the White House. Knowing how I would feel to see Barney Frank as President, I have some idea what they would likely feel to see Obama as President. It breaks my heart that he moved to my last choice.

As appealing as the symbolism would be, I just can't support him in the primaries now. I am not posting this to rehash the merits, though to be honest I know it is impossible to seperate them; but I wanted to provide some backstory. Maybe, I am more disappointed in him than I would be in a candidate I wouldn't normally be invested in. But, I also wasn't looking to be disappointed. I really wanted to see a role model for my students in the White House but for me, it won't be Obama.

I hope this helps some of you understand that I wasn't out to get Obama.

but that's all you can expect when the establishment manufactures "rockstar" politicians.

I am an Illinoisan, and we have enormous pride in him. I can't tell you how much the African-American young people lit up with pride when I was tabling for his Senate run, and when we spoke about him in the classroom.

I also have a Lesbian daughter. I just don't know. I do know none of them are perfect. I know I haven't chosen one yet. But I don't think I can consider him any more for the primary.

I will continue to vote to keep him in the Senate as long as he wants to be a Senator from Illinois. I hope he learns from this. I hope he sees how he wronged the GLBT community. But so many politicians do it, and they remain obtuse about it. So many Democrats talk about lost elections after the fact, and say the gay community "cost us" votes. Bullshit. The repukes who use gays and abortions to spread bigotry are the ones who cost us votes, by using those issues to get the bigots to the polls. This time they are going to use immigration. Whoo hoo! Now lets all hate brown people! Ain't this fun?

I'm just as sorry you can't see your way clear.

I am going to concentrate on Jim Neal's Senate Primary.

I think, in the mood this country is in today, with all the racism they will not accept him. If he had waited for a while, til we had a democrat in office to clean the clocks of all the people installed by this administration the climate would be more friendly. I think he let people push him. From his campaign I don't think he is running as hard as he could anyway. It is a shame.

yeah, that's a friggin' travesty. Telling Christian people that there are Christian women who have abortions, yeah, another travesty. Telling them that their leaders who spread hate aren't really Christian, yet another travesty.

I don't understand why you don't get talking about Christianity to misguided Christians without alienating them. You apparently go into a church on a regular basis and I would bet many of them think you're going to hell. Who should be thrown out of your church, you or them?

a church that has a lesbian assistant pastor. I know for many, the notion that a church could be full of people who belive gays are real people who are deserving of real rights is anethema but it is true. The problem isn't that Obama has been in churches, the problem is his giving a platform to a bigot and then lying about it.

Do you support throwing anybody out of any Church who disagrees on abortion, homosexuality, divorce, or any other supposed tenet of Christianity?

Hillary has two people who voted for a gay marriage ban heading up her SC campaign. Day afer day after week after month. They actually put gay discrimination into the SC Constitution. And that's just fine with you.

I don't know what your problem is with Obama - but it's not this stupid McClurkin thing.

it is also the lying about the stupid McClurkin thing. He, and his campaign, lied repeatedly both before and after the fact. Over and over again we were told that McClurkin was not going to have a big role, that he was only singing. That was a direct, purposeful lie. He then went on MTV the next day and repeated that lie.

As to Hillary's bigots. First, they aren't running his campaign anymore than Katherine Harris ran Bush's prior to the recount. They are supporting her, not her supporting them.

As to your other question, no they aren't thrown out, but people who disagreed with the decision left voluntarily.

Oh I see. That's not the way churches operate.

McClurkin isn't running Obama's campaign, he isn't involved in it at all. He sang at an event, and I guess dared to talk at it too. That's it. Yes, Hillary's bigots are running her campaign in SC, they are the face of her campaign on a daily basis. If that doesn't bother you, there's no reason for McClurkin to bother you. Hillary's people know how to stir up shit and they do it on a regular basis. People should be thrilled that a Democrat is going into all these places that no Democrat dared to go, and confronting homophobia, divisveness, abortion, all the haters. It's the most courageous thing I've seen a Democrat do in decades. This is how you tear down walls.

McClurkin spouted hatred on Obama's dime. Then Obama lied about it. It doesn't get simpler than that. Hillary didn't do this. John didn't do this. Bill didn't do this. Joe didn't do this. Chris didn't do this. Dennis didn't do this. Mike didn't do this. Barack and only Barack, did this. And he, and only he, can fix this if he chooses to.

There is simply no comparison between that and a misguided singer. There just isn't. Laws are what matters. Or at least that's what you told me when Howard Dean was signing the laws.

You're making excuses for people who stood on the floor of the SC State House and opposed gay marriage. And you wonder why I doubt the thought you've truly given to McClurkin.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070324/26502_South_Carolina_Bans_Gay_'Marriage'.htm

I live in NC and our gay paper covers both states, I have never heard of this ratificiation. It did have to be approved for the ballot. In the Senate the vote was 42 to 1 to 3 in the Senate and 96 to 3 to 25 in the House. Thus 4 members of either house voted against the bill. If Obama has been endorsed by 5 state Senators, and I suspect he has, then he had to have been endorsed by someone who voted for that bill. I don't expect, though I would love to be able to expect, our candidates to eschew endorsements by homophobes like they would from racists. But I do expect them to refrain from giving them platforms to spread their homophobia. If Clinton lets her bigots spread bigotry on her dime then you will hear just as loud of complaints from me about her as you are about Obama.

on edit forgot link warning Palmento Family Council but their numbers are correct

http://www.realmarriage.info/ballot.htm

Tell me. You keep saying this like a mantra.

I will do my best to get him to be our nominee, and I am sure he will be the example you are looking for once he wins the presidency.

Black America deserves him. America in general deserves him. The World deserves an America lead by such a wonderful, capable man.

President Obama- Change We Can All Believe In.

He threw me to the curb on this one.

No other candidate for the Democratic nomination has done the same, though JE gets close with his "uncomfortable" comments.

I never thought I was a one-issue voter but Barack's handling of the McClurkin issue really, really, really troubles me.

Maybe I should just go pray about it.

Thanks.

I looked and you hadn't defended him, so I am sorry.

For those who make light of the hurt that Obama's staff and campaign hurled right into the GLBT community, when you do so, you hurt your candidate.

Obama is not a homophobe. He made a calculated bad choice in South Carolina that backfired on him and his staff's lies did not make it better.

That said, I believe that Barack Obama, should he win the nomination of our party, will make a historically great president for GLBT Americans.

And I know that dsc has anguished over this and he is not "out to get Obama".

I know he isn't a homophobe but I do worry he won't speak out as much as he would need to to pass ENDA or Hate Crimes.

It just has to stop.