Obama to Extend Benefits to Federal Workers' Partners

[jefferson_dem]

Source: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid90945.asp

Obama to Extend Benefits to Federal Workers' Partners
By Kerry Eleveld

An Obama administration official has confirmed to The Advocate that President Barack Obama will be signing a presidential memorandum Wednesday to provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

The signing is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. in the Oval Office, and the president is scheduled to make brief remarks.


Read more: Advocate

[bluestateguy]

1. Well, it's not a home run for Obama on gay rights

But it's a solid base hit.

[cliffordu]

3. Step by step, inch by inch....

[Dennis Donovan]

6. Three base hits and you're home...

Let's hope this is a rally!:thumbsup:

[zipplewrath]

14. This he can do by order

This he can do by an executive order, and not worry about what the next admin will do. But it is vastly more "reversible" than DADT would be. If they spend 8 years in the open, it would be hard to undo that. I'll admit it's nice to hear, but I'll be waiting for a few details.

[nichomachus]

16. More like hit by pitch

It's window dressing -- affects 0.0002% of gay people -- and straight people too, for that matter.

[thom1102]

34. amen n/t

[George II]

44. It's a good start and waaay more than anyone else did before.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[George II]

55. Indeed. I think some here won't be satisfied until the govt. pays ALL their premiums and.....

....drives them to the doctor's office in a limousine!

[SammyWinstonJack]

105. And my pony too?

:eyes:

[JerseygirlCT]

2. Good news nt

[Thrill]

4. My guess is he will use this time to tell everyone he suppports repealing DOMA as well

No way he misses this opportunity to do that

[lindisfarne]

10. Not necessarily. Obama has said he supports civil unions for all, not marriage. n/t

I haven't heard him say otherwise.

from whitehouse.gov on Civil Rights
President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He supports repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security, and also believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.

[t0dd]

12. Supporting the repeal of DOMA does not equate to supporting same-sex marriage

A campaign promise of his was to repeal DOMA.

[lindisfarne]

15. Well, maybe it will happen in year 2. He can't do it alone though. But public

opinion is shifting.

[thom1102]

22. No offense, but BLAH BLAH BLAH

And maybe if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. What is quickly becoming apparent is how the Obama Administration will only do the bare minimum necessary to keep the GLBT community writing the checks, and not rocking the boat.

[lindisfarne]

29. Well heck, if it's so easy, run for president and do everything overnight yourself.

[thom1102]

32. If I thought that people would vote for a gay guy I would consider it

instead I voted for a guy who said that they would be a "fierce advocate" on my behalf. Not seeing it, not even seeing any movement, or talk of strategy. Isn't fair to criticize under the circumstances?

[lindisfarne]

33. People didn't think Americans would vote for a black guy, so go for it. n /t

[George II]

56. They said that about a black guy 20 years ago. Voila!!

Obama hasn't even been president for 5 months (that milestone will be reached on Saturday) I suspect that some here, you included, would only have been satisfied if he weaved it into his inauguration address.

How do you define "fierce advocate", huh?

No talk of strategy? You have a hotline into his daily briefings and strategy sessions? HAH!

[thom1102]

99. The only thing that has come from the WH on gay issues is

a statement about "reviewing DADT." There have been years of studies and information on Gays in the military that have been exhaustively reviewed by all manner of politicians and generals, and the results are clear: in a time when our military resources are stretched thin, and public acceptance of gays is at its highest level ever, there is no reason to maintain this policy. Few would doubt the effectiveness of the Israeli army, and they have soldiers serving openly.

As for "fierce advocate," (his words btw) I define it as someone who regardless of the political implications does what is right, when they are in a position to do it, not when it is politically expedient. He is the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and as his predecessor demonstrated, there is a lot than can be accomplished with that office. You mention that I would only be satisfied if he "weaved it into his inaugural address," and actually, no, I would prefer that he not say a thing, but just quietly do the things that he promised to do. The fact is, for 6 months there hasn't been anything unprompted from this White House on the issue of GLBT issues, not words or actions.

As for your snarky comment on strategy, no I don't have a hotline into his daily briefings, but leaders of the GLBT community have sat down with Obama, and have come away unimpressed. The only thing this administration has to say is "later, we'll get to it later," which any parent will tell you means "hopefully they will forget about it and I won't have to deal with that." These strategy sessions have been widely comment on by some of these leaders, and for Joe Solomnese from the HRC, one of the most moderating voice in our community with regards to this administration, to come out as strongly as he did yesterday against the administration is further evidence of the frustration building in the GLBT community.

This announcement, which we are finding out more and more is nothing more that a toothless gesture, smacks of pure damage control. It is demeaning and insulting to think for an instant that something as trivial and meaningless as this "memorandum" will make those of us frustrated with how little has been accomplished in the name of the GLBT community by this administration, and is ridiculous on its face.

edit for grammar

[George II]

104. Yes, that's all that came out of the White House so far....in five months.

But are you sure they haven't been discussing this whole issue and planning the right approach to address the issue - an approach that will win over skeptical and undecided people (politicians included) instead of bulling into it and running the risk of either nothing being accomplished or achieving the wrong result?

That is the way the bush administration apporached things - shoot first and ask questions afterward. I prefer the Obama way - measured, thoughtful, sensible way of accomplishing things - even if it takes a little more time. Better to do it right the first time than have to backtrack later on.

Your post assumes that they are ignoring the entire issue, which is not correct.

PS - can you direct me to a report on who have sat down with Obama and come away unimpressed? How long was that meeting, and what was it's objective?

My thinking is that whatever has happened in lo these few short months is that the meeting was an introductory one to get ideas, not to resolve the issue at that sitting.

[George II]

45. What a crappy attitude....

[thom1102]

48. I have been blindly whistling down the optimist lane

for far too long. It really isn't a big deal to sit and wait 2 or 3 years when it isn't your rights that are being denied.

[George II]

54. Really?

".....when it isn't your rights that are being denied"

Wanna bet?

[TankLV]

80. Ya got THAT right - god forbid he should "rock the boat"...

You should have listened to NPR today - it retold exactly WHAT and HOW Clinton BOLDLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY supported the Gay Community - especially on his FIRST efforts to TOTALLY ELIMINATE DESCRIMINATION OF GAYS IN THE MILITARY!

Now CLINTON sure was the BEST FRIEND THE GAY COMMUNITY EVER HAD IN THE WHITE HOUSE, past OR PRESENT!!!

Not the like BULLSHIT the Clinton HATERS try to spew here...!!!

[subcomhd]

106. Your right

maybe he should just forget the whole thing.

[xchrom]

5. recommend -- i'll take what good news i can get.

[jefferson_dem]

9. ...

:hug:

Onward, xchrom. Keep fighting the good fight.

[HughMoran]

7. Just heard this on Olberman

It's a start...

[IndianaGreen]

8. This could be window dressing, like what Bill Clinton did years ago

This could be window dressing, like what Bill Clinton did years ago when he signed an unenforceable executive order forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation. It was nothing but a placebo!

It takes an Act of Congress to do this. Obama should push for repeal of DOMA and DADT, and fire that homophobic Mormon in the Justice Department that wrote the pro-DOMA brief.

IOW, this is Obama's version of Bibi "acccepting" the 2-state solution. Sounds good until you see the details.

[dflprincess]

11. I'm thinking that losing some fund raisers may have helped this along

Money talks.


Edited to add this link to a thread about fund raisers dropping out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5856446

[IndianaGreen]

13. You are right, money talks!

LGBT community should not give money to politicians and political parties and organizations that don't support full equality for all of us.

[David Zephyr]

82. Yep.

And Hillary did this already at the State Department. So, I'm so not impressed.

[orleans]

66. i was thinking the same fucking thing. call me cynical but...

i'm cynical--what can i say? (maybe i should say this to the admin. : oh, thanks for that bone)

[thom1102]

20. I agree

Not too impressed with Obama's "Fierce" advocacy on behalf of GLBT issues. Fighting FOR DOMA, and not doing anything about DADT when it could be easily done is not Fierce Advocacy. That coupled with his limpness on civil liberties issue is wilting my audacity of hope.

[George II]

47. Sure, start bashing it before it's even formally announced....

....I'm sure you have an advanced copy of his announcement, huh????

Typical DU reaction to good news.

[IndianaGreen]

79. Obama is giving us something that is less than tokenism

It is not worth the paper it is written on. Yes, I've read the crap: no health or retirement benefits. No tax benefits. Might as well send us a Dear John letter.

[lindisfarne]

17. Does this include employees of the federal govt who are members of the military?

;p

[caseymoz]

19. The military fights that.

Believe me, that is going to be a struggle. The military hasn't even adjusted to having women in its ranks yet.

[caseymoz]

18. k&r: give the guy credit.

He finally did something for the G&L's.

[thom1102]

21. Frankly, too little and in response to heat over his...

DOMA Lawsuit defense, rather than desire to do the right thing for what is effectively an underclass in this country.

[glinda]

26. Would never see this with a Republican and I think things will change but not

as soon as some would wish. I think patience is the key here and to try not to be angry.

[thom1102]

28. I wouldn't have expected it from a Republican...

I would never have believed a Republican if they painted themselves as a "fierce advocate for gays and lesbians" the way that Obama has. I supported him and believed in him, and now I feel duped.

[glinda]

100. That is too bad but understandable. I feel the same on the Environment but I am trying to be

patient. Most of my tapped down frustration comes out of the desire for total fast and sweeping change which I think will not come until there are enough progressives in Government.

[lindisfarne]

30. I doubt it - Clinton announced the changes in the state dept. before the DOMA

announcement.

[thom1102]

36. Fine, but ...

Clinton isn't in a position to shape domestic policy like the president is, and all that tells me is that maybe I should have supported Hillary Clinton, since she took the biggest steps she could in her own little universe. Obama needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into this little step. GLBT groups have been grumbling for months now that Obama hasn't done enough to help promote GLBT issues.

[lindisfarne]

37. Hmmm I guess Obama doesn't have any other politically tricky things on his plate. n/t

[thom1102]

39. He claims he can multitask,,,

He tells us that he can handle all the things on his plate, and that he doesn't need to limit his agenda; that it's a matter of priorities. Well, I guess doing what's right for GLBT people isn't a priority.

[lindisfarne]

41. Well - I think changing federal policy on domestic partner benefits is a huge step.

When did you think that would get done?

I can multi-task, but there are limits.

Do you think it would be productive to have the health care debate tied up with the DOMA public debate? I would expect that to mean *neither* got done. Now, you could argue that he should have chosen the DOMA debate first. I don't agree. But it's a matter of personal opinion.

[thom1102]

42. Probably at the same time...

they legalize gay marriage on the federal level, or when they eliminate DOMA, which would allow people who are married in states that allow SSM to have those marriages recognized on the federal level.

[George II]

49. You know that for sure? Or it is just negative speculation?

[Bette Noir]

50. So, it worked. He felt the heat, and did something good.

The thing to do now is praise him for doing good, and make him take the next step. Or did you never train a dog?

[caseymoz]

78. The DOMA is the Justice Department.

Bush politicized the DoJ. Alberto Gonzales, the fired attorneys and all of that, remember? The DOMA case is an example of an unpoliticized DoJ. The President should have no control over the DoJ other than appoint people. He did not have further control until GWB, which terribly compromised it.

Don't worry. The DoJ people were grasping at straws with those arguments. They have to do it.

As for this, yes, I thought it might have been timed to defray the disgust over that suit, even if Obama couldn't properly do anything.

[closeupready]

23. That's good.

:)

[Omaha Steve]

24. K&R!

[libnnc]

25. This directly impacts me.

Holey moley :wow: :bounce:

*gulp*

[jefferson_dem]

27. You put a big smile on my face, libnnc.

I hope you and yours get the benefits and support you deserve.

[Ms. Toad]

51. Might impact me, too - my spouse is on hold for an interview

for a job with the Federal entity she worked with 20 years ago.

That would be pretty amazing - to have a choice of family insurance plans! (She has been insured by my employers for 4-5 years - at a pretty hefty cost.)

[Zhade]

117. Shame it's an empty gesture -- NO INSURANCE OR RETIREMENT BENEFITS.

: (

[IndianaGreen]

31. UPDATE: MSNBC is now reporting that this is going to be a Memo, not an Executive Order

How about a Post It note, instead?

[jefferson_dem]

38. WaPo: Obama will sign an executive order

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/06/16/obama_intends_to_extend_federa.html?hpid=topnews

So I guess they are disputing Chuckles Todd. Either way, it's a positive step. Sorry if that upsets you.

[ruggerson]

52. It is a good step

but at the same time it completely undermines his argument re: DADT. Dontcha think?

[jefferson_dem]

63. Yes.

Absolutely.

I have no delusions. This move at this time is a crude political response to pressures the administration was feeling from the community of equal rights advocates. It does not excuse inactionon DADT and in sure as hell does not erase the damage done by the deplorable DOMA memo.

Still, I'm happy that these couples will get the benefits they deserve. That's what this is about.

Good move...Mr. President... But we THE PEOPLE ARE NOT YET satisfied. This is only a step in the long journey.

[humbled_opinion]

35. I wonder if it includes

Military members partners? It sure would be nice to see if this extends to them somehow but with Don't ask Don't tell still in the way I guess it can't.

[mysuzuki2]

40. What about benefits for O'Reily's duck?

[Zambero]

It's a no-quack zone

But the duck will get unlimited falafel for life. Bill-O gets to keep the loufah!

[George II]

43. That's great news, but I'm sure it's not enough for many here. Oh well.....

[Rockholm]

57. How many times are you going to chime in on this post?

Obviously you are against it. Make you point and then shut the fuck up.

[George II]

59. As many times as I want...got it? When you become the owner of this site you can tell me what to do

[Rockholm]

108. Meh.

[George II]

109. Is that an ethnic slur?

[Rockholm]

120. Why, yes it is.

[Gman]

The only thing Obama is doing is taking away reasons to whine and complain

which some people here just can't stand. If they couldn't whine and complain and bitch and moan then their day is not complete. Like McCain would have done this 3 months ago or something.

[HEyHEY]

60. Yeah, I hate when people bitch about being oppressed. n/t

[George II]

61. Not to worry, they'll come up with new things to whine and complain about.

[HEyHEY]

62. Like being poor and not affording health care? fucking whiners

[Ms. Toad]

53. Good thought - but it sounds as if the reality will be far less

From the article:

>>The White House press office declined to detail which benefits would be included, but people familiar with the legal obstacles posed by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, said health benefits are not likely to be a part of the package. The Lieberman-Baldwin Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, a bi-cameral bill that was introduced last month, will still need to be passed by Congress in order for full benefits to be extended to domestic partners of federal workers. <<

I have to admit that even as I was celebrating (upthread) I had to wonder if he could legally do it. I know the public universities in Ohio are semi-openly defying Ohio's marriage discrimination amendment by offering partner benefits.

Edited due to klutzy fingers

[HEyHEY]

58. Trying to mitigate the harm he's done to homosexual voters, is he?

Send him a letter telling him to get bent.

[Technowitch]

64. Benefits will not include health insurance or retirement benefits

In other words, this 'Executive Memo' covers only appointees and employees of the Executive branch itself (like embassy employees, for instance). These family members will not gain any benefits or rights blocked by DOMA.

So no health insurance. No retirement benefits. No disability. No right to marry/partner/union with a foreigner of the same sex while abroad and be able to bring this new spouse home.

(Source: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0609/Obama_to_extend_benefits_to_samesex_partners.html)

[HEyHEY]

67. pfff... what a joke

[Generator]

101. Please ! It makes it look like Obama is being an advocate

for Gays when he's (really)not. Which is all that matters to him and the beltway and to most of DU. It's something easy he can do when he won't tackle anything difficult or controversial. Mr. STATUS QUO.

As usual he throws a bone when needed (might lose a vote in 2012-can't have that) to the progressives-without any meat on it. (hopefully the progressives are into details) Which without reading DU I wouldn't have know about. It actually gives them next to bupkus-while looking good. Score Obama!

[orleans]

68. if that's true it probably comes out to way less than the entire bone

i thought it might be.

ugh.

[katandmoon]

75. OMG, what an empty gesture this is.

My new name for Obama is Obempty.

[QC]

81. Spouses will be able to eat in the employee cafeteria.

Isn't that enough for you people?/????//

[Zhade]

111. Oh, so it's ANOTHER LIE. Fuck this shit.

NT!

[Number23]

65. nice

Kick and rec

[Zhade]

112. Look above. It's an empty gesture.

NT!

[David Zephyr]

69. Hillary Clinton Did This for All State Dept. Employees BEFORE Obama did.

Not impressed. One bit.

[George II]

72. Point?

[Bluenorthwest]

70. We will see tomorrow what he says

But it looks like the benefits extended will be minimal to the extreme. We shall see.

[glitch]

71. R rescinded after reading post #64. nt

[donheld]

73. It's a dog biscuit

Now I suppose, we're suppose to shut up. NOT BLOODY LIKELY.

[TheWatcher]

83. And we will not. But you will have to deal with the "Yes Bots" Flagellating all over themselves as

If the Civil Rights Bill had just been passed.

It's another token measure to put the Sheep back to sleep, and the stirring in the Meadow to a minimum.

We will never learn, but hopefully future generations will.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

74. Heading in the right direction

and keeping GLBT issues in the forefront - sounds about right to me, a straight person. I'll be watching.

[elocs]

76. The lesson here is if you don't give some exactly what they want

they will piss on your shoes and then complain about the smell.

[Skittles]

90. disgusting

[Zhade]

113. The lesson here is that fools will fall for empty gestures.

Like you just did.

[LeftyMom]

77. Oh look, he's throwing a very tiny sliver of bone. How cute.

:eyes:

[Technowitch]

84. So far the only identified 'benefit'

...seems to be relocation assistance for families.

Which, if past practices hold, will be 100% taxable as if the two women or two men involved were single strangers who, for some whim, decided to live together for years and raise a family.

I've checked several reliable sites and the consensus seems to be this really is no more than the sliver of a bone, just sharp enough to choke on the way down.

[subcomhd]

87. yeah

he's a big dissapointmet after 8 years of a government that treated gay Americans just as well. Where is the change? Jeeeeeeeez!!!!!


Friends - this is not a scrap from the table - nor is all that needs to be done.

What world do you live in in which this isn't a major, courageous move by Obama for gay Americans.?

[Zhade]

114. The real world.

NT!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

85. It's going to take a lot more bones, Mr President.

How about tossing a steak next?

[subcomhd]

86. Wait

Isn't he a big dissapointment? Bush 3?

[Name removed]

88. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skittles]

89. you suck if you don't consider civil rights for gay folk an IMPORTANT ISSUE

BIG TIME

[George II]

110. Is that a comment about his sexual preference?

[Zhade]

116. ORIENTATION, asshole. Not preference.

NT!

[George II]

119. Oh?

"asshole"...is THAT a comment about his sexual preference?

Have you no sense of humor?

[t0dd]

91. Yeah, because playing politician and trying to appease everyone is better

than standing by your principles and doing what is right. You are delusional, and I feel sorry for you.

[cali]

92. go the fuck away. this is about civil rights

which obviously don't mean anything to you as long as you're not effected.

[bc3000]

102. I have no access to medical care

Sorry, but that's a much bigger issue to me than extending the pool of people that can leech health care from their partners, be they straight or gay.

Why should I constantly be penalized because I am single? I am supposed to support GLBT community's desire to cash in on a slew of benefits and tax breaks that I have no access to when I don't even support straight married people getting these benefits? Your life is not worth more than mine because you are married, regardless of your sexual orientation.

Why should I support your issue? As most of the GLBT community on DU seem to make very clear: my issue means nothing to you when you constantly threaten to pull support from democrats who do not support your issue. I don't see how you can have it both ways, yet that's what I see people doing here all the time. And that's the problem with one issue voters. You expect me to support your issue at all times, while threatening to withdrawal support for everyone else's issues the moment you don't get exactly what you want.

[Zhade]

118. Because DUers are EXPECTED to support our rights. That's from Skinner himself.

Don't like it? Get the fuck off DU then.

[LeftyMom]

93. Doing the right thing* is only worth it if you get your ass kissed for doing so?

Last I checked, that's not how one establishes leadership and moral authority.

*Or, in this case, a tiny hint of a shadow of a hint of the right thing. As far as change we can believe in (TM) goes, this one gets measured in pesos.

[Zhade]

115. If you don't support equal rights for GLBT people, GET THE FUCK OFF DU!

You are not welcome, per the founder of this site, so fuck off and go away, you bigoted asshole!

[shireen]

94. U.S. to Extend Its Job Benefits to Gay Partners

Source: New York Times

President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Wednesday to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, administration officials said Tuesday evening, but he will stop short of pledging full health insurance coverage.

Mr. Obama, in an Oval Office announcement, is expected to offer details about which benefits will be provided. It is the most significant statement he has made on gay issues, and it comes as he faces intense criticism from several gay rights leaders over what they suggest has been a failure to live up to campaign promises in the first months of his presidency.

Mr. Obama will be weighing in for the first time on one of the most delicate social and political issues of the day: whether the government must provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. While he will announce a list of benefits, officials said, they are not expected to include broad health insurance coverage, which could require legislation to achieve.

The initial reaction from some gay rights advocates was mixed.

“Extending benefits to partners of gay federal employees is terrific, but at this point he is under enormous pressure from the gay civil rights community for having promised the moon and done nothing so far,” Richard Socarides, an adviser to the Clinton administration on gay issues, said Tuesday evening. “So more important now is what he says tomorrow about the future for gay people during his presidency.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/us/politics/17gays.html

---

Before anyone says this is a duplication, read the first paragraph.
"...but he will stop short of pledging full health insurance coverage"


Why does everything have a "but" when it comes to GLBT issues?
... benefits to partners except full healthcare benefits.
... same rights as married couples but not marriage.
... praise for the service of gays in the military but allows Don't Ask, Don't Tell to continue.
... campaign promises about civil rights for gays but not just yet.

:wtf:

ENOUGH!

[NMMNG]

95. "Why does everything have a "but" when it comes to GLBT issues?"

Because to them we're everything "but" human. We're just a bunch of dirty homosexuals. As such we don't deserve anything approaching equal rights. Rights are reserved for righteous humans.

[madaboutharry]

97. I had the same thought.

Why does there always have to be a "not really"? I am so weary of it.

[Recursion]

96. What other "benefits" are there? NT

[Dappleganger]

98. Benefits aren't benefits unless it's health care too.

Jesus Christ on a crutch, even my husband's greedy pharm company who laid him off gave FULL bennies to GLBT partners.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

103. One tiny step for GLBT rights

It's a good thing, but I'll be a lot happier when he signs an executive order nullifying DADT.

[Vidar]

107. It's a step in the right direction, after his blunder on DOMA.