Look Who’s Drawing the Parallel

What is it about this guy, Obama?

He has so much power.

He shows up our need to have a father-figure in the White House, a moral leader, an embodiment of American values. Not at all like the prime ministers of Japan and China and Europe who approach their jobs more like a CEO.

Gays were taking it personally that he seemed to be breaking his promises to them. All over the internet were statements of bitter cynicism – “looks like he’s just another politician,” “why were we so easily duped?” and the like.

Less pessimistic voices cautioned that if he was not necessarily for us at the moment it didn’t mean he was against us. But it was so much easier to see his dragging his feet on gay rights as just another of so many examples of his unwillingness or inability to keep his promises. Can’t close down Guantánamo, can't tone down the war in Afghanistan, can’t get health care to work, the bailout to work. It was looking so much like part of the grand disillusionment, the post honeymoon, the clay feet of the saint.

For gays, at least, all that seems to be water under the bridge now. Obama gave a talk to gay rights advocates yesterday in the East Room in which he said all the right things. He supports the overturn of DADT and DOMA. He said “I’m with you” in at least half a dozen ways. It was unexpected. And it was thrilling.

Plenty of people remain sceptical. Talk’s cheap, they say. We’ve heard it before, they say.

I, too, am waiting for the fat lady to sing. But I heard something that really packed a punch for me. Aside from naming the hate crimes bill after Matthew Shepard, I mean.

"It's not for me to tell you to be patient any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

Maybe I’m just not looking in the right places, but did everybody miss that in all the excitement?

This is where the president of the United States has real power. He sets the tone. He lets people know whose views in the power structure are in the ascendant, whose are passé.

Bush let it be known anybody not in support of corporate America was a socialist. Had prayer breakfasts where evangelicals prayed for Bush’s continued moral leadership against abortion, stem cell research and gay rights. For eight years one felt the need to have a waste basket at the ready next to the bed or chair after watching the 11 o’clock news.

And now we have a president who says – in so many words – “You guys remember back when blacks were being told to cool it and wait another 150 years? Remember how the wise leadership of the country counseled patience? And how it took a Martin Luther King to remind us that justice delayed is justice denied?

And you know all those black folk now dragging their feet because their church leaders tell them this is different? These are not civil rights we’re talking about here?

Well I, Barack Obama, am telling you now…

"It's not for me to tell you to be patient any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

This is the president drawing the parallel, folks.

Hope you didn’t miss it.

Hope also you didn’t miss the fact that “it’s not for me to tell you to be patient” was his way of asking us to be patient.

OK. It’s not a perfect world.

But gee, the man can talk pretty.