The Advocate has weighed in on the announcement that President Obama will be speaking at the HRC dinner this weekend, in the middle of the National Equality March.
Joe has already echoed my views. The days of Obama riding by on his oratorical skills are long since past. Yes, I'm sure he'll give a great speech. And yes, I'm sure the very-safe cocktail and weenie crowd will go ga-ga over the president, as they did in June when he bought them off with a few drinks at the White House, but gave them nothing substantive in return. But Obama needs to be careful. The "safe" gays no longer control the community as they once did. Obama is going to need to announce something big at the speech, or he's going to get some very bad press following it. As will HRC for inviting him, I suspect.
UPDATE: Andy Towle doesn't seem terribly impressed either.
FURTHER UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan is really not pleased:
If Obama wants to support gay equality, he knows what to do. If Pelosi and Reid want to support gay equality, they know what to do. If HRC believes in gay equality, they also know what to do.Wow.
So spare us the schmoozing and the sweet-talking and do it. Until then, Mr president, why don't you have a nice steaming cup of shut-the-fuck-up?
