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JENNIFER VANASCO
Friday, August 22, 2008
ARE
YOU
DISAPPOINTED
IN
Barack
Obama?
I
know
I
am.
Maybe,
for
example,
you
listened
to
Obama
and
John
McCain
talk
about
gay
marriage
on
Saturday
with
Rev.
Rick
Warren,
pastor
of
the
giant,
evangelical
Saddleback
Church,
and
the
host
of
the
first
(unofficial)
debate
between
the
candidates.
Maybe
you
heard
Obama
say,
“I
believe
that
marriage
is
the
union
between
a
man
and
a
woman.
Now
for
me
as
a
Christian
…
it’s
also
a
sacred
union.
God’s
in
the
mix.”
Maybe
you
thought,
“Even
though
he
says
that
he
favors
civil
unions
so
that
gay
partners
can
visit
each
other
in
the
hospital,
it
doesn’t
seem
that
far
from
McCain
saying
that
though
he
also
believes
marriage
is
between
a
man
and
a
woman,
‘that
doesn’t
mean
people
can’t
enter
into
legal
agreements.’”
Maybe
you
heard
Obama
say
that
America’s
greatest
moral
failing
is
that
it
doesn’t
take
care
of
the
least
of
its
citizens.
“That
applies
to
poverty,”
he
said.
“It
applies
to
racism
and
sexism.”
Does
it
apply
to
homophobia?
Obama
didn’t
say.
I
heard
those
things
Obama
said
(and
didn’t
say)
and
was
disappointed.
When
you
hear
Obama
basically
say
that
gay
unions
aren’t
as
good
as
straight
ones
because
God’s
not
there,
because
they’re
not
sacred,
it’s
easy
to
wonder
whether
it
matters
if
you
vote
for
Barack
Obama
or
John
McCain.
You
might
think:
It’s
six
of
one,
a
half-dozen
of
the
other.
Or:
John
McCain
doesn’t
seem
like
such
a
bad
guy.
Or:
Obama
has
very
little
experience
and
has
proved
nothing
except
that
he’s
good
at
running
for
office.
At
least
with
John
McCain
we
know
where
we
stand.
You
might
think
those
things
—
I
know
I
have.
AND
YET
I’M
going
to
vote
for
Obama
in
November
— and
give
money
to
his
campaign
now
—
for
one
reason:
the
Supreme
Court.
Because
here’s
what
else
Obama
and
McCain
said
in
their
discussions
with
Rick
Warren:
When
asked
which
of
the
sitting
Supreme
Court
justices
he
would
not
have
appointed,
Obama
named
Justice
Clarence
Thomas
and
Justice
Antonin
Scalia
and
noted
that
he
voted
against
the
appointment
of
Chief
Justice
John
Roberts.
He
does
not
share
their
legal
views,
he
said.
McCain,
on
the
other
hand,
named
all
the
liberal
and
centrist
judges
as
people
he
would
not
have
appointed:
Justices
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg,
Stephen
Breyer,
David
Souter
and
John
Paul
Stevens.
(It’s
interesting
that
he
didn’t
name
Justice
Anthony
Kennedy,
often
the
swing
vote,
who
has
become
fairly
consistently
gay-positive
in
his
decisions.
Maybe
McCain
missed
one.)
McCain
also
noted
that
there
would
likely
be
vacancies
during
the
next
presidential
administration.
Indeed.
And
that’s
why
I’m
voting
for
Barack
Obama.
Having
a
friendly
Supreme
Court
is
crucial
to
safeguarding
our
civil
rights;
there
is
nothing
more
important.
A
president
serves
for
eight
years.
A
Supreme
Court
appointment
can
influence
American
law
for
decades.
A
Supreme
Court
can
rule
that
gays
and
lesbians
are
worthy
of
dignity
and
respect
under
the
law
or
that
gay
rights
are
“special
rights”
and
we
are
not
entitled
to
them.
OBAMA
IS
THE
candidate
most
likely
to
choose
men
and
women
who
are
progressive
thinkers
—
or
who
at
least
do
not
leap
backward
in
disgust
when
faced
with
the
concept
of
gay
couples
marrying
or
lesbians
serving
in
the
military.
A
McCain
administration
wouldn’t
be
the
worst
thing
to
happen
to
gays
and
lesbians.
An
Obama
administration
wouldn’t
be
the
best.
Yet
when
considered
through
the
lens
of
possible
Supreme
Court
appointments,
the
choice
is
stark.
In
the
long
term,
an
Obama
appointment
could
secure
the
safety
of
our
families
and
our
employment.
A
McCain
appointment
could
be
disastrous.
Of
course,
it’s
always
a
bit
of
a
gamble.
Democratic
presidents
have
been
surprised
when
their
appointed
justices
vote
more
conservatively
than
they
were
expecting,
and
vice
versa.
So
yes,
I’m
disappointed
in
Barack
Obama.
He
does
not
seem
to
walk
in
solidarity
with
us;
he
does
not
think
we
are
his
equal.
But
I’m
taking
the
long
view.
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