Last night at the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh, former President Bill Clinton was interrupted by a heckler challenging him on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He gave a long, somewhat angry response that included the following: “I hated what happened. I regret it. But I didn’t think I had, at the time, any choice if I wanted any progress to be made at all… This policy should be changed.”
He also address the Defense of Marriage Act:
Amazing how Bill Clinton’s the victim in all of this; totally amazing.
I believe him, insofar as I don’t believe he had/has a nefarious plan to keep gays from having the same rights as straights.
I can sympathize to a point, until I remember that he signed DOMA. He friggin signed it. He wasn’t overridden by a conservative congress. He went along with it for political expediency. It’s called a veto Mr. Former President. It’s called standing up for what you believe in.
I can give Clinton the benefit of the doubt on DADT, it was viewed as a “compromise” at the time.
However, DOMA? STFU Bill. You not only ran radio ads in the Deep South in 1996 BRAGGING about signing DOMA but Kerry said you told him to come out more strongly FOR all the state gay marriage bans that were on referrendum in 2004 to “neutralize” that issue (ie be exactly the same as Bush).
The problem was he tried to discuss it.
You don’t discuss things with the military – you give an order, you ask them how they’re going to implement it, and you have them report back on their progress.
There is no discussion. If they refuse to follow orders, you regretfully accept their resignation – on the spot.
Period.
I am a fan of his. I think he tried to do the right thing. There is a group of right wing hardliners in the military to this day who are violently opposed to lifting DADT. But it’s congress that needs to act!
Slick, Willie.
How rude. The heckler was like a teabagger.
Fuck that sleazy psychopath.
On second thought, don’t fuck him–that’d really make his life hell.
Bill Clinton is a politician, not a crusader. His job was to stay in power, not to fight for justice. This reality is the same for any politician.
I don’t get why people are disappointed when a politician doesn’t get out in front on their favorite issue. They need >50% to keep their power and that’s what drives their behavior. What are you expecting, a “leader”?
Vince, what exactly does it take for you to see Bill Clinton as a lying sack of dog shit? His gay bashing wasn’t enough? His signing DOMA at the same time as he was cheating on his wife isn’t enough evidence to get you to think he’s a hypocritic liar? Hempfest is this weekend… Did you start the party early?
Will in Seattle nails it. The Commander-In-Chief can and should solicit opinions from his military commanders, but the CiC issues the orders.
See, it’s just a different version – not Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but Don’t Ask, Order and Accept the Salute.
What a fucking dick Bill Clinton is. Apologies to dicks.
I would love any one of you to try and be president for a day to deal with all the competing interests of the people you serve. Amazing. The gays always demand that the rest of the world try and imagine themselves in their shoes, to empathize with their difficult reality. But when it comes time to put yourselves in someone else’s shoes–the president, who agreed with you but was in a tough spot politically on a delicate issue for most Americans, you guys say: Fuck You! Really makes me want to support you less, even though I’m on your side. Makes YOU look like the real narcissists, not Slick Willie.
Hurray for questioner Lane Hudson, we never would have heard a word from Bill Clinton about DADT or DOMA without his so-called “heckling!”
Is there a less useful political ally than the gay lobby? So Bill Clinton should have dropped the rest of his agenda (you know, being president of the United States) to go to bat for gays in the military and gay marriage in 1993 and 1998 respectively. He didn’t and instead of pleasing Dan Savage and Andrew Sullivan (who voted for those noted gay-friendly candidates, Bob Dole and George W Bush) Clinton instead gave us a balanced budget, a great economy and the model for how a competent president should do his job. Bill Clinton’s account of what happened is correct – if he didn’t sign DOMA, he was dead politically and his signing of that bill actually blunted anti-gay legislation in the Gingrich era congress. The angry screaming jackass’s version of events is drama queen BS.
Why was a homophobic Republican like Bill Clinton invited to speak at Netroots Nation in the first place?