OBAMA HECKLED: NEW YORK – President Barack Obama was heckled multiple times during his speech at a Democratic fundraiser in one of the country’s most Democratic cities. They held signs and interrupted his speech to protest AIDS funding and the stalled repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy banning gays for serving openly in the military that he has promised to repeal.
His administration has increased AIDS funding, he said, but “the people that potentially will take over will cut AIDS funding if we don’t focus on this election.”
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” protest came moments later, as Obama began talking about how incomes for middle class fell by 5 percent – a statement he had to repeat twice. The president pointed out that this week Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to begin debating a bill that would have moved toward repealing the policy.
“And as a consequence some of those signs should be going up at the other folks’ event. Folks should be hollering at the other folks’ event,” he said, “because the choice in November could not be clearer.”
In response to a thread started recently on a forum we all know, entitled ‘Obama has taken no questions from LGBT media since election,’ ‘Political Tiger’ posted this:
“Yet he invited Rachael Maddow to the White House and hosted a reception for 300 LGBT activists at the White House to honor LGBT Pride, the first such event ever held at the WH … appointed more openly gay people to his administration than the last two combined, including the first ever transgender appointees … awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King … signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act … spoke out against LGBT discrimination at the National Prayer Breakfast … spoke out about repealing Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell in his first State of the Union Address … released the first Presidential PRIDE proclamations since 2000 … invited gay families to the Easter Egg Roll as part of the Obama administration’s outreach to diverse communities … welcomed four gay couples to its first State Dinner … publicly invited shunned gay Mississippi high school prom student to the White House … convened the first-ever anti-bullying summit to craft a national strategy to reduce bullying in schools … reversed the US’s position by signing the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity … successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, against Republican attempts to block it … extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees in 2009 and 2010 … issued diplomatic passports, and provided other benefits, to the partners of same-sex foreign service employees … banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation’s largest employer) … instructed HHS to require any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds (virtually all hospitals) to allow LGBT visitation rights … extended the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program … issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy praised as “long-overdue” by the Task Force, Lambda and others … eliminated the discriminatory Census Bureau policy that kept gay relationships from being counted, encouraging couples who consider themselves married to file that way, even if their state of residence does not yet permit legal marriage … produced U.S. Census Bureau PSAs featuring gay, lesbian, and transgender spokespersons … extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims … extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners … required all grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT individuals … issued guidance specifically to assist LGBT tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity……….
But let’s ignore all that because bitching is so much more fun.”
But hey, if these haters choose to ignore all that (‘Change we refuse to believe in!’), and carry on (willfully) failing to distinguish their enemies from their friends, they’re most welcome to Palin, O’Donnell and Co.
PS Have a read of this
President Barack Obama kisses Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s mother, after delivering remarks following the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the East Room of the White House October 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Obama earlier signed the $681 billion U.S. defense budget bill which included a provision that makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Matthew Shepard was tortured and murdered in 1998 in Wyoming. Witnesses say he was targeted for being gay. Also in 1998, three white men in Texas chained James Byrd, a black man, to a pickup truck and dragged him to his death.
Louvon Harris stands alongside her sister Betty Byrd Boatner, both sisters of James Byrd, Jr, as she embraces Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, as President Barack Obama looks on after he spoke in honor of the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr, Hate Crimes Prevention Act during a reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, October 28, 2009.
White House.gov
It’s really shameful the tantrums being thrown by some on the left about what they percieve as “inactions” on their pet causes.
Meanwhile they do much damage to the same guy who they insist owe them.
These people slay me, and leave me speechless.
But they fail to see that they do not damage President Obama in isolation.
I agree with you Eleroy, I actually believe protests like this strengthen the President because when people see these obnoxious haters screaming at him and refusing to even allow him speak….well, I know which side most sane folk will take.
Chipsticks, it’s all so infuriating to watch.
The ever self-serving and awful Dan Savage has to be one of the most off-putting and viciously malicious and petty characters out there. As the self-appointed spokesperson for gay rights he does the cause much harm. Keith Olbermann seems to give him much airtime on his show - one of the many reasons I recently stopped watching Countdown.
I listened to Dan Savage make excuses for Ken Mehlman!!! even as he bashed and disrespected President Obama (as he always does.)
Ken Melhman who was the architect of every anti-gay agenda enacted under Bush!!! But who now comes out and gives a fundraiser to “help” the gay cause. LOL!!
This is the same guy Dan Savage will give a pass—but will disrespect President Obama??
This only exposes hypocrites like Dan Savage and their real agenda.
Then you have the idiotic Charles Moran —-the social climbing log cabin republican who wants to hold President Obama’s feet to the fire on gay issues and everything else he never expected or dared ask of his own party!!
And if I hear one more short-sighted person demand that President Obama reverse DADT via executive order, I’ll explode.
The premature inteference and immature raging of these idiots have only served to undercut and undermine what I know is the careful and well thought out permanent reversal President Obama has in the works—slow yes, but that was the only way to tackle and permanently resolve what has been often wielded for divisive purposes.
Executive orders are reversible and if President Obama had opted to use this, this same crowd would have whinged on about how he was only politically posturing and did not try for a permanent solution—exactly what he is doing right now.
The hypocrisy, arrogance and idiocy is mind-blowing.
Also the ever animated Perez Hilton!!!
These Neanderthals, well I feel sorry for them, picking a fight with the person that is trying to help them. That said the President is a strong classy man. His temperament above average.
You would think that these protestors would be storming the Republicans at their public appearances, and visiting their congressional offices. Both the method and the target of this protest was counter-productive, IMO.
I have said to the protesters that rude behaviour to the President makes them lose the support of those of pn their side
Chipsticks, when you see the list of all this man has acomplished, and then see these selfish people it really makes you wonder. It’s like they want the President to walk on water. I wonder where were these ‘hecklers’ when Clinton signed DADT.
Agree so much.
Thank you, Chipsticks.
Republicans eat Democrats and Democrats eat their own. We’ll soon be extinct.
I blame the far left of the dem party and the progressives,independents who until this president took office I never realized were so much like the far right of the gop. Its all about their causes and everything they want being done now now now, no middle ground what so ever.
I am really baffled by people’s attitude. They expect President Obama to come in and fix problems immediately when it took them years to develop. The President promised change, but he also promised that it would be a long and tough battle. It is not his fault that they chose not to listen to the latter. If his so called “supporters” choose to be vindictive and not vote or vote republican in the upcoming elections, they will truly see no progress for any of their causes and I will not feel sorry for them at all.
The president must truly be indefatigable, because a lesser man would have shouted some expletives and stormed out. This is truly exhausting to even witness. I am grateful to have witnessed the election of President Obama in my lifetime. However, there is a part of me that wishes he would take his lovely family and move far away from here. When I saw then Senator Obama deliver the DNC speech keynote address, I feared for him because it was evident the inevitable course his life would take. Everyone seems to be clawing at him, making demands of him as if they are ignorant to the way the political process works in this country - they expect him to unilaterally change public policy. It’s revolting and unsettling.
As the President said if the other side get in control, just wait and see the cuts which will be made. So they need to do there complaining, but get out to vote in November. I believe if the Tea Baggers-Republicans get in control, people think things are bad now, just wait!!!!!