Do You Recall the Most Famous Snowflake of All?

We have now officially hit winter and our minds drift past the holidays and imagine snowflakes on the horizon. I can’t help but thinking of how the word snowflake crept into our political discourse particularly over the past five years.

Trump supporters have consistently derided liberals as snowflakes. They use the word as a pejorative description, sort of name-calling, but I venture to guess many of them do not know the meaning of pejorative.

As Dana Schwartz wrote on GQ.com several years ago, “There is not a single political point a liberal can make on the Internet for which ‘You triggered, snowflake?’ cannot be the comeback. It’s [sic] purpose is dismissing liberalism as something effeminate, and also infantile, an outgrowth of the lessons you were taught in kindergarten. ‘Sharing is caring’? Communism. ‘Feelings are good’? Facts over feelings. ‘Everyone is special and unique’? Shut up, snowflake.”

I interpret snowflake to mean weak, insecure, feelings hurt easily by criticism, can dish it out but can’t take it, cowardly—in other words, melts like a snowflake. Using that concept, only one person stands out to be the most famous snowflake of all, and that is former president Donald Trump.

We know that Trump cannot accept criticism or enjoys being made fun of (he’s not alone in that).  But he, more than most, stews about it for unusually lengthy periods of time or he will lash out immediately when such criticism is leveled at him or if he’s a brunt of a joke. 

Remember when President Obama gave Trump the what-for during the president’s monologue ten years ago at the White House Correspondents Dinner?

“I know that he’s taken some flack lately,” Obama said of Trump who was present. “But no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald.”  Obama went on further to mock Trump’s birther efforts.

Trump sat there motionless at his table as the camera trained on him. It’s impossible to feel heat off an image on TV but this may have been the breakthrough. Trump was seething as the rest of the audience of politicians, journalists and celebrities merrily laughed at the barb.

Trump hates that stuff—being scoffed at and such. He showed it at press conferences, rallies, even overseas on official business. And don’t get me started on the criticism of his appearance. The vanity-driven narcissist does not take that well. Thin (and orange) skinned for sure, but a definite snowflake.

Then there is Trump’s cowardice. He laments at the fact henever received a Purple Heart but clearly doesn’t understand that to do so, you must have sustained a wound in combat serving in our armed forces. That could not have happened with Trump because on five occasions he successfully received draft deferments based on bone spurs that rendered him unfit for military duty.  But he still longs for that medal.

When there were demonstrators near the White House following the murder of George Floyd, Trump was reportedly taken to a bunker in the mansion. He denied that, of course; it would make him look weak, which he is. He earned the moniker “bunker boy” at the time.

On January 6, 2021, during his speech that incited the violent insurrection, he implored his faithful to march to the Capitol and fight like hell or there won’t be a country anymore. He pledged to join them but instead exited stage right and headed back to his bunker, er the White House to gleefully watch Trump flags and poles being deployed to smack police and smash windows and doors of the people’s house.

But the most important and most dangerous reason he is the king of the snowflakes is his incapability to accept defeat.  Whether or not Trump truly believes his baseless big lie about the 2020 election being “stolen” and in which two-thirds of those identified as Republican go along, this snowflake cannot admit he lost. 

It is amazing he hasn’t come to grips with defeat before given his multiple failed marriages, numerous lawsuits, embarrassing bankruptcies including casinos that dent the illusionary armor of his being a great businessman, the takedown of the sham Trump University and on and on.

But when it comes to elections where he has twice lost the popular vote, the snowflake melts in the sunlight.

Why Dems Will Not Face Trump in 2020

Potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2020 have been dipping their toes in the political waters to determine if they will indeed make a run. From the familiar Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden to the lesser known Julian Castro and Mitch Landrieu, with well over a dozen in between including Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, these individuals are exploring whether or not they can raise sufficient money for a presidential bid, if they are viable to survive the grueling primary system, and to see if the voters think they are tough enough to stand up to Donald Trump in 2020. 

The latter point is interesting as these candidates will attempt to out-Trump Trump in an effort to corral the Democratic base behind them.  It should be noted, however, that Hillary Clinton has always been considered tough yet she couldn’t topple Trump for a bevy of reasons irrespective of her toughness. 

Nonetheless, voters, especially Democratic voters, will be applying ideological litmus tests to these candidates as well as determining their electability against an opponent who has yet to approach, much less crack 50 percent job approval.

With all the hand wringing that will take place in order to figure out an effective way to “stand up to Trump,” it may be a moot point.   I may be in a small minority but I truly believe that Donald Trump will not be their opponent in 2020.

The President’s legal woes haven’t even scratched the surface and already he’s in trouble. For the first time, Federal prosecutors directly implicated Trump for federal crimes involving illegal campaign contributions resulting from payments made to Trump’s alleged mistresses in an effort to defraud the U.S. by paying hush money to these women so their stories remained hidden from the voters during the 2016 campaign.

Those offenses alone supported by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s statement as well as corroborating evidence and testimony that are in the possession of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III would amount to, in the opinion of many legal scholars, an impeachable offense.

Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg.  According to NBC News, the following are other investigations underway:

. The Mueller probe looking at Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, and whether there was cooperation/coordination/assistance from the Trump campaign;

. New York prosecutors looking at the inaugural committee;

. New York’s attorney general examining the Trump Foundation and Trump’s business dealings;

. the lawsuits looking at whether Trump is violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause through his business dealings; and

. the defamation lawsuit by Summer Zervos, who alleges that Trump defamed her after she claimed she was sexually assaulted by the president in 2007.

In addition, there is Mr. Mueller’s investigation into possible obstruction of justice on the part of the President (think: Comey and Sessions firings, Trump’s public comments to Lester Holt and, of course, his tweets).

And let’s not forget the myriad investigations the Democratic-controlled House will launch in 2019.  Any organization Trump had led over the past decade is currently or will be under investigation. Follow the money because with Trump, it’s all about money.

A full listing of ALL the investigations that involve Trump and Russia can be seen here.

That is one big basket of deplorable legal perils. 

My gut tells me that the meticulous, professional and extremely competent Mr. Mueller will present

Image: The Daily Beast

(if allowed to complete his work) a convincingly damning case against Mr. Trump in the areas of his purview. Moreover, the relentless U.S. Attorney’s office in the SDNY as well as an incoming New York State Attorney General will probably clobber Mr. Trump and members of his family for other crimes.

So, what does all this mean with respect to 2020?  There will likely be Articles of Impeachment drawn by the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives after reviewing the reports and/or indictments that will undoubtedly be forthcoming. But even if impeachment is voted by the House, the fate of Mr. Trump’s removal from office rests in the hands of the Senate.

When President Nixon was about to be impeached, key Republicans approached him to tell him his time was up.  Rather than face a difficult and divisive trial, Nixon chose to resign.

 Most people that I know believe a defiant Donald Trump would never cave like Nixon did.  He will fight back with all his might and try to rally what will remain of his loyal base to “revolt,” as he suggested, pressuring Senate Republicans from convicting.

Whether those Senators will succumb to such pressure will be determined by how the public reacts to the Special Counsel’s report and indictments and from what the SDNY brings to the table.

If the evidence is so overwhelming and his support erodes significantly, I suspect Mr. Trump will choose not to fight any impeachment attempt and may resign and return to his gilded lifestyle that was partially interrupted by winning the presidency. Even his wife feels the stress is too much for his health.  

More likely though, he will not seek a second term and will blame the media, the Democrats, President Obama, “Crooked Hillary” and everybody else but himself.

Either way, Democratic presidential candidates will not be facing Mr. Trump in 2020.

Why Trump’s Purple Heart Comment is the Most Disqualifying

During Donald Trump’s quest to become the next President of the U.S., he has said a cornucopia of things and acted in such ways that would have disqualified any normal candidate for the highest position in the land.  By now we are aware of his misogynist and anti-Hispanic comments that darkened the sky at the outset of his campaign that should have disqualified him. We witnessed his boorish, self-centered behavior during the primary debates that exhibited a profound lack of even basic knowledge of government and policy that should have derailed his bid.  #hocopolitics

Yet, during and since the conventions—a period that should have been used to remedy his gaffes and his obvious flaws and to make himself viable—Trump has succeeded to be breathtakingly unfit for the office.  His convention was an ego-driven bunch of nonsense capped off by a searing, anger-laden speech that depicted an America that is on par with North Korea.

Since then Trump was even worse.  His ill-advised scrap with the sympathetic Khan family was, in my view, the turning point of the campaign.  This is when leaders of his own party as well as conservative operatives and opinion writers began an exodus from his camp.

Then there was more.  His supposed sarcastic suggestion that Russia, an adversary, hack into Hillary Clinton’s emails.  If a Democrat would have encouraged such action, Trump would have been sure to charge treason. 

His 2^nd amendment cure to stop Clinton’s appointing judges he does not favor was beyond irresponsible as well as dangerous given the hatred embodied by his dwindling number of supporters.  

Trump’s ridiculously stupid assertion (again he claims he was sarcastic or maybe not) that President Obama was the founder and Hillary Clinton the co-founder of ISIS was another gem.

All of these and so much more (and I haven’t even mentioned his temperament, pathologically narcissistic personality and dubious business history plus his unwillingness to make his tax returns available and his notion that nukes are mere playground toys) are disqualifying enough to be Commander-in-Chief and President of our nation.  However, the one single faux pas that should have immediately disqualified him was his comment about his always wanting the Purple Heart.

The other examples indicate he is a bigoted jerk.  The Purple Heart comment proves he is a stupid one as well because he clearly doesn’t know what the Purple Heart means.

The honor, which actually had its roots during the American Revolution under Continental Army Commander-in-Chief Washington, has been awarded to nearly 2 million Americans since April 5, 1917 who had been wounded or killed in combat against our enemies. It is the oldest military award still given to U.S. service members.

On August 1, Trump said in Virginia after a vet gave him his Purple Heart, “Man that’s like big stuff. I've always wanted to get the real Purple Heart. This was much easier,”  

Trump, who successfully avoided the military draft on five occasions, according to a report in the New York Times, never had the opportunity “to get the real Purple Heart.” 

But wanting one? You have to be wounded or killed in combat!  Who wants to be shot or injured by explosives? That’s akin to “I always wanted to be in a car accident” or “I’d like to experience how it feels to be water boarded (a tactic he strongly endorses).

“As someone who fought for our country in Iraq, was injured, and was awarded a Purple Heart, I can tell you, no one should ever ‘want’to get a Purple Heart,”Sean Barney, who was shot in the neck in Fallujah in 2006, posted on Facebook.

With so many other Americans receiving the medal for their sacrifice, Trump’s flippant remark displays his arrogance and stupidity all at once. 

He doesn't know what the Purple Heart is for. That alone should disqualify him.

Hillary Should Thank Her Lucky Stars

Should Hillary Clinton go on to become the first President in U.S. history, she can look back at this campaign and count her lucky stars.  There have been three fortunate situations that will have propelled the former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State to the position she has coveted for decades.  Without all three, her chance of winning in November would have been a longshot.  In no particular order:

The non-indictment indictment.  When FBI Director James B. Comey announced on July 5 that Hillary would not be recommended for indictment as a result of her use of private email servers while Secretary of State, a major burden was lifted off the shoulders of the Clinton campaign.  This led to a collective sigh of relief among Democrats and anger and disappointment by Republicans.    

In a public, straightforward speech, Comey excoriated Clinton for multiple misdeeds but mostly determined the former Secretary of State was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information contained in emails.  The main reason the FBI did not recommend punishment was that there was no evidence to indicate “intent” to misuse the email system or that she was grossly negligent.  This does not mean there wasn’t intent; it means there was insufficient evidence to support it.

By the thinnest of margins, Hillary escaped the legal morass that would have all but killed her chances of being elected though this “scandal” will be kept alive by her opponent and the GOP throughout the remainder of the campaign.  Moreover, a poll showed that 56 percent opposed her exoneration, and that’s not good.  Nonetheless, the threat of indictment has vanished and is clear to run.

He’s with her. Bernie Sanders effectively ended his underdog campaign on July 12 when he, for the first time, publicly endorsed Hillary for President.  The Clinton camp had to concede several left-leaning issues contained in the Democratic Platform to basically win the peace.  Had she not, Sanders and his followers would have likely made some form of trouble at the upcoming Democratic National Convention with floor fights, demonstrations and other tools to rain on Hillary’s parade.  That was never explicitly stated but the implied threat was there and Hillary complied with the majority of Sanders’ demands.

Then there was the worry that Sanders would launch a third party campaign (after all, he's not a true Democrat), which would doom Hillary's chances for sure.

With their joint rally in Portsmouth, NH where the endorsement took place, those circumstances have been obviated.  The hope is that Bernie’s supporters would now work for or at least vote for Clinton in the fall.  It’s not clear that will happen among some Sanders hold-outs. But with Bernie on board, Hillary will not feel compelled to choose a running mate to the left of her, such as Sen. Sherrod Brown or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, to appease the enthusiastic Sanders backers.  She could now select a running mate based on other factors that are more comfortable to her.

Donald Trump.  The third lucky star is Hillary’s opponent, Donald Trump.  Without going into the myriad reasons of how a Trump presidency would be a disaster on so many levels, Hillary lucked out by drawing an opponent even more disliked than her.  Her trustworthiness polling is alarmingly low for a presidential contender and her negatives among voters are high, except Trump’s are even higher.  Once an opinion is formed about trustworthiness, it is near impossible to reverse that.  And the email matter did not help.  #hocopolitics

photo courtesy of theduran.com

For his part, Trump is doing everything possible to help Hillary.  Every day, it seems, he opens his mouth and bad things come out of it.  He reinforces the narrative Hillary has embarked on that he does not have the temperament, experience or skill set to be Commander-in-Chief.  Trump’s bullying antics on Twitter and at rallies, the juvenile name-calling, the oversimplification of complex issues, his gross narcissism, and bigoted pronouncements render him a scary choice.  It’s hard to say if any other GOP candidate would have defeated Hillary because many of them had their own flaws.

Even with a fractured Republican Party heading into the convention and what seems to be a relatively unified Democratic party bolstered by the support of President Obama and other Dem leaders as well as Sanders, the race seems too close for comfort at this point.

There is much more ahead with the conventions, the VP picks, the debates, the long campaign, and unexpected events that are sure to transpire between now and November that will determine the final outcome.

Regardless, Hillary Clinton should definitely thank these lucky stars for at least being in the game.

October's Oddities

It wasn’t enough that this past Halloween brought out the strangest, most creative and unique costumes ever. However, the entire month of October saw its share of odd events and scary people that would make the entire month Halloween-esque for all its nuttiness.

We had such unlikely events like a rogue blimp wreaking havoc along the Pennsylvania countryside. 

There was a wild inflatable pumpkin terrorizing residents in Arizona.

The Baltimore Ravens hadn’t won a home game through October (they won Sunday, though, to kick off November).  

Someone actually wrote a published letter to the Baltimore Sun bemoaning the large number of advertisements apparently oblivious to the fact that the media depends on advertising for revenue. 

After a devastating drought, Texas was pelted with flooding rains of biblical proportions.

And the stock market (Dow Jones index), which usually tanks in October, climbed a hefty 8.5 percent, the most in four years.

If these happenings weren’t sufficiently Halloween-ish in their strangeness, perhaps the GOP presidential debate broadcast on CNBC met that bar.  Setting the stage is the fact Dr. Ben Carson and Donald Trump are the frontrunners—a rightfully scary prospect considering how ignorant they are of government policy and mechanics.  Yet, that’s who the Republican voters prefer right now; it’s pretty Halloween-creepy.

But the greatest October oddity came from that very debate.  The rough and tough Republican candidates who boast they can “deal with” Russia, China and other potential or imagined adversaries as well as force the Mexican government to erect a wall along the border showed the chink in their collective armor, um façade. With all their bravado, they couldn’t cope with the line and manner of questioning put forth by the CNBC moderators. 
Led by the dreaded Sen. Ted Cruz, the candidates whined about those many “gotcha” questions. 

Heaven forbid they should be asked to comment on their record or things they have said and have done in the past.  Shame on the moderators for asking them to reconcile past conflicting statements made by the candidates! 

Accordingly, the “liberal media” have joined President Obama and Hillary Clinton as the ghoulish villains of October, playing to the party’s base.  Now these candidates want to scuttle the scheduled debate originally hosted by NBC and Telemundo in favor of more sympathetic and less probing panelists. 

We’ll see what turns up as the candidates are seeking relief and going over the heads of Reince Priebus, the RNC and the Republican “establishment” in search of softballs to hit out of the park.

The first question that should be asked by whoever moderates the next debate is, “How are you going to stand up to Vladimir Putin, if you can’t handle CNBC’s John Harwood?”

Seeing Red: The Dems and the Election Bloodbath

Typically, the color red signals danger, such as a red light at an intersection or a red flag.  In other cases, red has a negative connotation like in red-handed, red tape, redneck, red herring and an undesirable ink color on a balance sheet.

To Democrats, by the time midnight rolled around on Election Night, the nation in general and Maryland in particular had been soaked by a splash of red as if a bucket of pigs’ blood was emptied from above like in the horror film Carrie.

 Republicans, who are associated with the color red as in red states, counties, etc., pulled off a stunning string of victories from the U.S. Senate to council offices down the ballot that painted the map a sea of red.

This phenomenon is not unusual as the party not occupying the White House in the sixth year of a second term of a presidency historically makes gains—sometimes substantial and transformative as one we just experienced.  It was expected that the prevailing mood of national discontent with President Obama for reasons still beyond my comprehension would result in a changing of the guard in the Senate and an increase in the ever-growing conservative gerrymandered district-rigging of the House of Representatives.  #hocopolitics

Democratic candidates treated Obama like he was kryptonite with some even blaming him for the Ebola outbreak that consisted of one death here.  That the nation’s voters would ignore the fact that unemployment is down to 5.8 percent and the 214,000 added jobs in October means that employers have added at least 200,000 jobs for nine straight months, the longest such stretch since 1995 is pathetic.  

The stock market has reached new heights.  Gasoline is at relatively low levels. Obamacare, so reviled by those who didn’t have a clue what was inside the law, now allows uninsured citizens access to health care.  Oh, and Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive (even if some of their drivers aren’t).  Nonetheless, the Dems ran away from all that—a sure-fire losing strategy.

Yet, Democratic voters and candidates also seem to have forgotten how the Republican Party with the lowest approval ratings on record, shut down the government, nearly allowed the U.S. to default on its obligations, and stifled reform on immigration, sensible gun control and any job package the President sent up the Hill. 

It makes me see red. 

Not that the results would have been much different but Democratic candidates virtually conceded the election to the GOP by distancing themselves from Obama.  It wasn’t just a surge of anti-Obama folks that descended on the polls that shaped the outcome; reliable Dem voters stayed home.  That’s how you lose if you’re a Democrat.

In Maryland it was a similar playbook for the Republicans: tap the electorate’s perceived discontent and hope that the Democrats field less than stellar candidates so Dem voters, too, would pass on this off-year election.  That formula worked in the Governor’s race.

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, the heir apparent to Governor Martin O’Malley, skated through the primary to defeat two other LGBT equality advocates, former delegate Heather Mizeur a lesbian, and Attorney General Douglas Gansler.  The LGBT community was divided among them but Mizeur garnered the most enthusiasm.  Dissension spiked when the Equality Maryland PAC made a curious and controversial endorsement of Brown so early in the process.

It wasn’t just a surge of anti-Obama folks that descended on the polls that shaped the outcome; reliable Dem voters stayed home.

Brown avoided specifics during the primaries—a deficiency that would later haunt him in the general election—and squashed his two rivals by depending on the formidable O’Malley “machine” that attracted huge amounts of cash, paid worker bees, numerous volunteers, union support  and a host of other endorsements.  Don’t knock that machine, however; we wouldn’t have achieved marriage equality without it being cranked up at the right time when the Question 6 campaign was floundering in the early stages.

In the Brown vs. Hogan match-up, Brown failed to present any kind of vision for the future and instead trusted his “campaign strategists” by attacking Hogan as a bogeyman thus raising the profile of the relatively unknown former appointments secretary in the single-term Ehrlich administration.

Larry Hogan was far more effective in face-to-face debates, staying on message about the multitude of tax hikes under the O’Malley administration and the disastrous rollout of the state’s new health care exchange of which Brown had been assigned the lead.  Armed with witty quips and zingers, Hogan scored big during these contests and Brown’s failure to defend the administration or Maryland’s economic posture for that matter helped seal the deal.

Though Republican voters in the state sniffed a huge upset, the ultimate outcome was not decided by them but the tens of thousands of eligible Democrat voters who rode this one out.  Call it voter self-suppression.  Baltimore City, an anticipated boon to the Brown election map, had a 35 percent turnout.  Ouch.

Fortunately, marriage equality and transgender protections were achieved in Maryland before this election.  Hogan, although he promised not to try to turn back these settled issues, probably would not have signed a same-sex marriage bill into law, let alone fight for it like O’Malley did.  He said he has since “evolved” on marriage equality (sound familiar?) but stated he opposed the transgender non-discrimination bill—the Fairness for All Marylanders Act.

Nationally, the more conservative entrenched Congress will not act on finally passing the Employment Nondiscrimination Act or ENDA, which has been languishing in Congress for decades.  As has been the experience in the past, the GOP will probably misinterpret the election results as a mandate, and will hamper their being a national party when its leadership will revert to appealing to their shrinking base of white, male, older, rural, Protestant and heterosexual Americans, believing there is no need to reach out to LGBT folks.

The next two years will be seen as a pause in our struggle for progress on many levels.  If we can wait it out, perhaps all that the red will turn into a rainbow.

Equality Wins!

Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, reverses Prop 8

On the 10^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down sodomy laws in Lawrence v Texas, June 26, 2013 turned out to be another seminal landmark in the history of LGBT rights.  By a 5-4 decision the Court struck down Section 3 of DOMA—the Defense of Marriage Act—on the grounds that it violated the equal protection clause in the U.S. Constitution.  

In the case, Windsor v the United States, DOMA was viewed by the majority of the Court, whose opinion was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, as unconstitutional “as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.”  Justice Scalia was among three justices authoring dissents.

“By creating two contradictory marriage regimes within the same State, DOMA forces same-sex couples to live as married for the purpose of state law but unmarried for the purpose of federal law, thus diminishing the stability and predictability of basic personal relations the State has found it proper to acknowledge and protect,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy. “By this dynamic DOMA undermines both the public and private significance of state sanctioned same-sex marriages; for it tells those couples, and all the world, that their otherwise valid marriages are unworthy of federal recognition. This places same-sex couples in an unstable position of being in a second-tier marriage.”

The result is that same-sex couples who were married in states where such nuptials are legal, including Maryland, will be able to enjoy over a thousand Federal rights, benefits and entitlements that are accorded heterosexual couples. They include such Federal benefits as the right to file joint tax returns, federal pension survivors’, Social Security survivors’ benefits and many more.   Government agencies will be required to revamp their regulations to include legally married same-sex couples. 

With the Court’s decision to allow a lower court’s ruling to stand, which struck down Proposition 8 in California based on the equal protection clause, there are now 13 states plus D.C. where same-sex couples can marry. This represents jurisdictions covering over 93 million Americans.

DOMA was signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton in which the Federal government was barred from recognizing same-sex marriages even if they were legal in certain states.  At the time, no such marriages were legal.

The second landmark decision that struck down Proposition 8 was based on standing that upheld the U.S. District Court of California’s ruling, authored by Vaughn Walker.  “We have never before upheld the standing of a private party to defend the constitutionality of a state statute when state officials have chosen not to,” read the majority opinion in Hollingsworth v. Perry authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. “We decline to do so for the first time here.”

By taking this approach, the Supreme Court nullified Proposition 8 in California but provided no opinion on the rights of states to ban same-sex couples from being legally married.  Observers characterize the Court’s decision as “punting.”  During the oral arguments in March, Justice Kennedy cautioned that the Court was entering “unchartered waters,” which signaled a more likely narrow ruling as opposed to a sweeping broader one, unlike the DOMA ruling.

Hundreds of equality supporters as well as a lesser number of opponents gathered around the Supreme Court building in sweltering heat and humidity cheering the news amidst a sea of rainbow colored flags and signs.  People came from all over the U.S. with some spending the night before to witness history.

“Today the married lives of same-sex couples in Maryland were made whole,” Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland, told me.   “We can now access the more than 1,000 protections the federal government provides to married couples. And with the ruling in the Perry case, marriage equality returns to California bringing us to 13 states and the District of Columbia that have marriage equality. We will continue our quest in the remaining 37 states until all loving and committed couples in the U.S. have access to marriage equality.”

HRC president Chad Griffin issued a statement that said in part, “Today’s historic decisions put two giant cracks in the dark wall of discrimination that separates committed gay and lesbian couples from full equality.”

Governor Martin O’Malley, who pushed marriage equality in Maryland, weighed in calling the rulings “a powerful step forward for those who live in states like Maryland.”

The White House issued the following statement: “I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.  This was discrimination enshrined in law.  It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people.  The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it.  We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

“This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.” 

“This is a historical day for all gay and lesbians couples,” said Annapolis resident Kim Hinken. “My wife, Adri and I are overjoyed at the repeal of DOMA. Finally, the country recognizes our vows to each other as they do any couple. The legal protections that this ruling allows us will assure that we are seen as a legally married couple in the U.S.”

Pride Arrives in January

No, it’s not yet June with its clammy hot weather and the Pride parade and festival just around the corner.  Instead, it’s January—in the dead of winter but it feels like Pride has arrived already.

As the clock ticked past midnight on New Year’s Eve into 2013, we celebrated scores of gay and lesbian weddings that were made legal by Maryland’s voters selecting love over bigotry.  There was a sweeping amount of pride by those in the LGBT community who although they may not have yet participated in this momentous life-changing development, saw it as a victory for Maryland’s gay and lesbian families after years of hard work and near-misses.

While these nuptials and engagements were taking place during and after January 1, our community became ecstatic over the playoff run by our hometown darlings of the gridiron, the Baltimore Ravens.  First, the methodical dispatching of the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 at M&T Bank Stadium sent the Ravens to the next round.  They were inspired by the announced retirement of Ray Lewis.

A week later, following a stunning overtime thriller over the much-favored Denver Broncos on the frigid turf of Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Baltimore began getting its purple on in earnest.  Enthusiasm that had been dormant earlier in the season, sprung loose as soon as mighty Joe Flacco’s miracle pass to Jacoby Jones in the game’s last 30 seconds tied the score that was eventually won by a Justin Tucker field goal moments into the second overtime period.

Next on tap was a rematch with the dreaded New England Patriots and Tom Brady on January 20.  As Ravens fans well remember, a year ago at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, the Ravens were a TD catch in the final seconds from winning the AFC Conference championship, but the ball was stripped away from then Ravens receiver Lee Evans.  Seconds later a botched field goal try by Billy Cundiff sealed the fate as Baltimore, who outplayed the Pats, left in defeat.  It was a bitter setback.

But this year, Purple Pride showed up in January and as a result of the Broncos upset, the underdog Ravens had their chance at redemption at Foxboro.  The same battle for the title and a trip to the Super Bowl awaited a more confident Ravens squad, and it showed.

They were on a mission, and after a rather sleepy first half trailing 13-7, the purple giant awoke.  Reeling off 21 unanswered points led by a stingy defense and another sterling performance by Flacco and his offense, the Ravens prevailed 28-13, and off to the Super Bowl we go!

With just a night’s sleep to savor this unlikely season and a momentous January so far, we saw history made at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama merely 15 hours later.  There was an abundance of pride as the first African-American president who proved it was no fluke with his reelection, took the oath of office for his second term on Martin Luther King Day no less. 

Then his inaugural address brought more pride in January.  For the first time in history, a U.S. president included references to LGBT equality and gay rights in an inaugural speech.  He mentioned Stonewall, Seneca Falls and Selma in the same sentence, equating gay rights with women’s rights and civil rights for African-Americans.  That is a huge step forward and a source of deep pride in reflecting upon the decades of struggles that led to this point.

“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth,” he said.

The president added, “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” 

These words were beautiful to listen to and a validation of our cause.  As he had demonstrated time and time again in his first term, President Obama has been a consistent ally for LGBT rights and a source of pride.  From the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ to his endorsement of marriage equality to appointing more openly LGBT officials than any other president, Mr. Obama has given our movement a dynamic push, while our country is coming along faster than anyone expected.

These were incredible events that have galvanized our community and allies.  Sure, football is just a game played by rich men for even richer owners.  So what?  Civic pride is an effective and welcome antidote to the day-to-day problems that beset us.  It is also inspiring.  The Ravens are underdogs who show us that with hard work anyone could overcome adversity and succeed. 

Barack Obama was also an underdog with an unconventional family and childhood.  Look what he had to overcome.  And look what he is accomplishing for “our gay brothers and sisters.” 

Equality pride, purple pride and presidential pride.  They’re not related but connected nonetheless.  A prideful January to be sure.

Oh, What a Night!

I must confess I didn’t believe what occurred on the night of November 6, 2012 would ever happen.  Marriage equality failed all 32 times it had been decided through state ballots, and I didn’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling that this time it would break that skein. 

I did not have confidence early on in Marylanders for Marriage Equality—the organization with a diverse array of coalition partners who assumed the lead to defend the Civil Marriage Protection Act against a referendum by opponents who amassed three times the number of signatures needed to place a minority’s rights up for a popular vote.  This organization appeared too guarded, too evasive and too elusive for my taste as I am a “severe” proponent of transparency.  More on them later.

With this effort affording gays and lesbians perhaps the one last shot at marriage equality in Maryland in a generation, I believed that nothing should be left on the field.  I was particularly disappointed by the squeamishness of some elected officials who had built-in persuadable constituencies and multiple platforms and tools available to vociferously laud the virtues of equality and fairness.

These politicians—especially Democrats—had all the cover they needed.  President Obama went public with his support following Vice President Biden.  Former President Bill Clinton did likewise.  The Democratic Party installed marriage equality as part of the Party’s platform.

The President, in particular, had much more to lose as he took on this political risk.  A pronouncement in support of same-sex marriage could have hurt him with conservative Democrats in swing states.  But he had the guts to do it, proving once again what a true leader he is and offered a blueprint as to how to become one.  He was astutely aware that  this issue was trending positively across the nation.

Governor O’Malley championed the cause following years of uncertainty as to how equality should be achieved.  He, too, was a true leader during this fight, persuading wavering legislators to help pass the bill and then traveling around the country to raise needed funds for the battle ahead.

Instead, these other elected officials were quiet supporters but supporters nonetheless.  To use a baseball analogy, it’s akin to a batter needing to hit a two-run homer to win the game but wound up with a double, putting runners on second and third, and leaving the potential heroics to the next guy.

Well, that “next guy” came through.

First, Marylanders for Marriage Equality raised nearly three times the amount of money than the opponents.  They developed a sophisticated strategy for executing a potent ground game using nuts and bolts grass roots efforts as well as solid use of social media.  They oversaw a superb ad campaign that mostly featured religious leaders and straight individuals to validate the cause.  They enlisted the public support from celebrities as well to win the hearts and minds of voters regardless of sexual orientation, political party, race, age, gender, religion or ethnic background.    

Their efforts were bolstered by all the volunteers in and out of the campaign’s organization who knocked on doors, engaged strangers, family members, neighbors and co-workers, participated in phone banks, contributed funds and developed innovative methods for getting the message out.

I began to feel more confident on Election Day as I worked the polls at Clarksville Middle School.  Not only were voters pronouncing their support for Question 6 but did so with intensity and enthusiasm.  Sure, there were opponents—some of them even rude.  But the overwhelming majority appeared to be on our side, and it gave me hope that perhaps later that night there would be cause for celebration.

That momentous night, when the voters re-elected President Barack Obama, the most pro-LGBT president ever, we were creating another headline.  For the first time in U.S, history, Maryland, Maine and Washington succeeded via the ballot to legalize same-sex marriage.  Minnesota beat back an anti-gay constitutional amendment.  Moreover, seven LGBT candidates were elected to Congress, including for the first time, an openly lesbian person, Tammy Baldwin, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.

In Maryland proponents of marriage equality defeated the forces who would deny the legal, economic and social benefits that marriage equality would confer by a 52-48 margin. 

I thank everybody who helped make this historic struggle in Maryland a reality.  I especially thank Governor Martin O’Malley for his leadership in the battle along with all the legislators who supported and voted for the Civil Marriage Protection Act.  The gay and lesbian members of the legislature were particularly effective in their efforts.  And a special thank-you goes to Sen. Allan Kittleman, a Republican, for his vociferous and unyielding support for marriage equality.

I thank Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality and his team, for ultimately getting the job done. I thank the coalition partners, such as, HRC, NAACP, SEIU, ACLU, Equality Maryland and PFLAG as well as leading clergy for their superb work and commitment. 

I thank all the volunteers and contributors who walked that extra mile.

I thank all those who began this fight and laid the groundwork for success.

And most of all, I thank you, the voters, for coming out to vote and making November 6, 2012 a historic milestone in the history of LGBT rights.

How Will the Obama-Romney Brawl Play Out?

Courtesy of Dan Pearce, myfantastic.escape.com

I thought the gloves would come off around September between President Barack Obama and the Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney.  With so much at stake riding on the outcome of this election, the pugilism from both campaigns began in earnest in late spring. 

For his part, Romney has done nothing but attack Obama since the GOP primary season.  In fact, all his Republican competitors did.  That’s what you do when you try to unseat an incumbent.  It’s perfectly reasonable to do so and backed by the Supreme Court’s decision on the Citizens United case, the Romney camp will have all the money in the world to inundate the air waves with negative ads.

Team Obama is not pussy-footing around either.  They are well aware that the unemployment numbers have been stubborn, and although the Republican-controlled Congress failed to act on a jobs bill, the sluggish recovery and high unemployment will be laid upon Obama’s doorstep that would ordinarily spell disaster for an incumbent.  Remember, it’s the economy stupid!

Realizing that axiom, the Obama folks have aimed their sights on Romney to make this a choice between not only the direction of the country but also who is better suited to run it.  Fortunately for Team Obama, he has a weak opponent that few feel excited about and whose baggage from Bain Capital, his record as governor of Massachusetts, and his head-scratching refusal to release more than one year’s tax returns provides a terrific target to exploit.

Most national polls reveal a virtual dead heat.  There has been very little variation in the national surveys and little movement is expected until the conventions and ultimately the presidential debates.  It seems that most people have already solidified their choices; those who haven’t probably are not focused on the election yet and many of those may not vote at all.

The country is so divided by red and blue that national campaigns don’t exist anymore. Since the Electoral College decides presidential contests, the election will be won not by national totals but by a handful of venues that are termed “battleground” states.  They include such prizes as Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

You will see the candidates spend more time and advertising dollars in those states and perhaps a few others than anywhere else.  They are the targets, and that’s where this contest will be decided.

Obama can count on his consistent likeability among voters, including the coveted “independent” segment of the electorate.  Those who have paid attention can see the remnants of gridlock and divided government, and depending if either he or Congress will be blamed for this inertia that alone could decide the outcome.

With surprisingly so few partisans showing the love for Romney, it has been clear from the outset that the election will be defined as Obama vs. the anti-Obama.  Romney’s negatives are too high at this stage to explain why there is a dead heat.  His support is more about getting Obama out of office than getting Romney into it.

Obama is on shaky ground now.  The economy could falter, setting off higher unemployment and stall the fragile recovery.  It can even trigger another recession.  The drought that is gripping much of the nation most likely will have an impact on the economy including gas prices, but when?  Though he obviously should not be blamed for this natural phenomenon, a faulty economy is his to own.

Moreover, economic destabilization in European countries can affect ours—another factor beyond anyone’s control.

Then there are international tensions that could pop up between now and November which could affect voters’ preferences.  Usually the population rallies around a president during an international crisis.  But those rules may not be in play anymore.

Romney is banking on the Obama haters to propel his candidacy, and there are lots of them.  The hatred towards the president began during the 2008 campaign and continued in earnest the night of his inauguration and it hasn’t subsided.  Even the major victory in the war on terrorism—the killing of Osama bin Laden, once considered public enemy number one—failed to generate praise from the opposition.

Then there is “Obamacare”—the defining piece of legislation that galvanized the Republican base and the Tea Party.  Unfortunately for Romney, this law was patterned after his own Massachusetts version rendering him ineffective in his criticism of it.

Romney is also saddled by his experience at Bain, which is relevant since his business experience is used as the rationale for unseating the president.  His refusal so far to release prior tax returns will likely turn off swing voters as he will be perceived as hiding something.  People don’t like that.

For the country in general, this is a pivotal election.  For LGBT folks in particular, there is also much at stake.  Obama was successful on most of the large initiatives: he ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” ordered hospitals receiving federal funds to allow visitation by members of same-sex couples, signed a comprehensive hate crimes bill into law, publicly supported marriage equality, and appointed more LGBT individuals to key positions than any previous president.  And the Justice Department ceased defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in several court challenges.

Romney threatened to reverse those victories.  With a potential control of both chambers going to Republicans, that could be accomplished more easily.  Keep that in mind.

The remainder of the campaign will be a big-time brawl, so brace yourself for the ugliness that will ensue.  The outcome, like an evenly matched prize fight, may not be clear until the final bell.  We just can’t have judges deciding it—again.

A Good Time to be OUT and PROUD

Since last year’s Pride, happily there have been some quick-moving major developments in the quest for LGBT equality.  The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” took effect with a ho-hum reaction from within the Armed Services instead of the predicted panic by anti-gay worry-warts. 

Both California’s Proposition 8 and the federally passed DOMA—Defense of Marriage Act—are not being upheld in the lower courts on Constitution grounds.  These cases will eventually go before the Supreme Court for an ultimate ruling.

New York State’s legislature passed same-sex marriage and Governor Cuomo immediately signed it. In Maryland the General Assembly narrowly approved marriage equality and Governor O’Malley signed it into law on March 1.  A referendum in an effort to overturn the law is likely in November.

As for gender identity non-discrimination, although Maryland’s General Assembly failed to bring the matter to a vote again this year, protections were legislated successfully in Baltimore and Howard counties, which expand on those already passed in Baltimore City and Montgomery County.  Perhaps next year, the state will follow through.

We witnessed for the first time in U.S. history a sitting president publically support same-sex marriage as did the current vice-president, his two predecessors and two former presidents.  And this hasn’t been demagogued so far by equality opponents as one would have expected.   You can sense a change in the direction of the wind.

One of the factors for this welcome progress has been the trending revealed in local and national polls about the improved attitudes towards LGBT folks including support for marriage equality.  A few years ago this would have seemed implausible. 

The people seem to be always out in front of the politicians on these matters, and the politicians take notice.  That was one of the reasons “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed; it garnered huge widespread backing from the citizenry.

What is causing the needle move into the positive side of the dial?   A recent CNN-ORC International survey offers some clues.  Although the divide continues by political party and age, the support for marriage equality, for example, is inching upward, and it might be because the issue has become more personal than before. 

According to this poll, the number of Americans who say someone close to them is gay stands at 60 percent.  Contrast that to 49 percent in 2010.  And during the 1990’s, CNN reports that the highest percentage of Americans having a gay family member or a close friend reached only 41 percent.   And that was a mere 14 years ago.  In that timeframe, that number rose from 41 to 60 percent, almost a 50 percent increase.

Gays and lesbians are coming out; it’s just that simple.  More are doing so at an earlier age than ever.  Added familiarity with gay people through culture or other means creates a safer environment to come out as do the increased protections against discrimination in employment and housing allow gays and lesbians to disclose their sexual orientation at work. (Note, there is still a long way to go in that regard and federal protections are still lacking.)

While there are too many instances whereby parents reject their children after they come out, those who are accepting have recognized that sexual orientation is not a choice or these families are not dominated by religious dogma.  Or maybe they simply love their kids as they are supposed to do!

All this may explain the fact that more people have close ties to a gay or lesbian person than before.  It should also explain why the positive numbers are rising since folks do not want to see the people close to them hurt by discrimination.

Still, there is so much work left to be accomplished.  We still have too many haters, and that’s an obstacle that will be difficult to overcome.  They should be remanded to the ever-shrinking minority of homophobes and Bible thumpers.

As Pride rolls in, there are certainly reasons to celebrate.  More people are coming out and are being more accepted for who they are.  And that translates into progress.

Pride began as a commemoration of the Stonewall uprising in New York when a rag-tag bunch of trans people, drag queens, street hustlers, and others marginalized by society in general and by gay folks in particular fought back after constant harassment.  Gay rights then were completely non-existent. 

Each year Pride parades and celebrations allow LGBT people to let it rip and be themselves. Sometimes this has impeded progress, but the world is getting used to it—or over it. 

The evolution from political rallies at Pride to a party atmosphere has been the subject of much commentary over the years.  We have plenty to celebrate to be sure.  But we should never forget how this all started in the first place.  And we cannot allow ourselves to forget the road to equality remains largely unpaved.

Let’s celebrate our accomplishments as a community and who we are as individuals, but let’s also rally the masses to join in on one of the most fundamental battles for equality this state has known.  If we do that we can achieve further success.

To do that, we need the entire community to get behind the effort to defeat the referendum in November.  Not everyone sees themselves as ever being married.  That’s OK.  But here’s the chance to show the world that the time for being treated like a second class citizen is over. 

That’s what real Pride is all about.  And why we should be out and proud.