I spent a lot of time during the transition criticizing many of President Obama's choices for top appointments as too centrist. Eventually, I dropped the argument, realizing that arguing over abstractions like "centrist" versus "progressive" rarely, if ever, leads to new knowledge. The arguments just never seem to go anywhere.
However, I am going to break the seal on these arguments today, now that there is growing evidence that, at least when it comes to LGBT rights, many key Obama appointees are, in fact, to the right of the American public as a whole. For example, take his senior military advisors on Don't Ask, Don't Tell:
Supporters of the repeal in recent days have pointed out that Obama's senior military team has not been in line with the president's decision to overturn the policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"So far his senior military team is not on the same page with the president and has not aligned with him yet," said Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to repealing the ban.
"Or if they are, it is certainly not apparent," he added.
Every poll, not matter how it is phrased, shows that only a minority of Americans oppose repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. There is a wide variation, but those opposing repeal are always under 50%:
Quinnipiac University Poll. April 21-27, 2009. N=2,041 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 2.2
"Federal law currently prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military. Do you think this law should be repealed or not?"
Should repeal 56%--37% should not repeal
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. April 23-26, 2009. Adults nationwide.
"Do you favor or oppose the policy sometimes called 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in which the U.S. military does not ask new recruits whether they are gay or lesbian, but prohibits gays and lesbians from serving in the military if they reveal their sexual orientation?"
Favor 48%--47% Oppose
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Dec. 19-21, 2008. N=1,013 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.
"Do you think people who are openly gay or homosexual should or should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military?"
Should 81%--17% Should Not
Why are President Obama's senior military advisors aligned more with the conservative minority on this one? Even if you think that the evenly divided 48%-47% poll is the most accurate one, surely a Democratic President, representing the nation's center-left coalition, should have advisors that represent the center-left position. Otherwise, there is no way to ever hope that progressives can become senior leaders within the military apparatus.
Now, I know that one reason for this is that progressives have not done as much successful organizing in the military area as they have in, say, labor and environmental matters. Generally speaking, one should expect more progressive appointments in areas of policy where progressives have done more successful organizing. However, Democrats did retake Congress in 2006 largely because of a military issue (Iraq), and President Obama won the Democratic nomination largely for the same reasons. After all that, it is still extremely frustrating that there seems to be no way to win in areas of military policy.
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