I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached. Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBTAmericans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. [Emphasis mine]
This emphasis on conciliation and empathy for opposing viewpoints--which comes, mind you, in an open letter to the LGBT community--resonates strongly with what I said in a previous post:
Moreover, [Obama] needs to demonstrate in his character, his rhetoric, and his political methods that conciliation and empathy are dominant values, and that political opponents will not be shut out of a Democratic regime. Those on the political right need to be assured that their arguments will be heard and taken seriously, and that, yes, they will even be given some power when in the minority to steer and participate in the national agenda. If Obama succeeds in embodying these values--and wins in virtue of them--then he will have remade the political landscape on the day of his election.
Let's hope so.
1 comment:
Dude, that is pretty tight. Post-Partisanship! Combine that with IRV, elimination of the electoral college, and, for icing on the cake, make the Senate democratic (each state should have a number of votes proportional to its population). Oh, and just for fun, throw in some campaign finance reform and lobby reform.
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