Joe and I are launching today a donor boycott of the DNC. The boycott is cosponsored by Daily Kos, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Andy Towle and Michael Goff of Towle Road, Paul Sousa (Founder of Equal Rep in Boston), Pam Spaulding, Robin Tyler (ED of the Equality Campaign, Inc.), Bil Browning for the Bilerico Project, and soon others.It's really more of a "pause," than a boycott. Boycotts sounds so final, and angry. Whereas this campaign is temporary, and is only meant to help some friends - President Obama and the Democratic party - who have lost their way. We are hopeful that via this campaign, our friends will keep their promises.
So please sign the Petition and take a Pledge to no longer donate to the DNC, Organizing for America, or the Obama campaign until the President and the Democratic party keep their promises to the gay community, our families, and our friends.
I confess that I have mixed feelings about this. It's very true that the DNC has frequently defriended gays once an election was over. AMERICAblog puts forth some damned good reasons why the DNC itself is a poor ally, and shows where the Obama Administration is supporting policies they promised to get rid of. Unfortunately, most of our best advocates are still Democrats. It's sort of like having a good friend whose husband is an absolute boor. Do you invite neither of them, or both of them, to your wedding? Or is that a poor choice in examples?
Boycotting on my part would be an empty gesture. I don't donate to the DNC or Organizing for America anyway, since I don't have much money to spare. I did put time towards Obama's campaign last year, but right now he's in office and isn't asking for me to put up yard signs. So, for the time being, I plan to continue my current policy of supporting individual gay-friendly candidates with my time and, sometimes, money.
However, if you want to sign the pledge, go here.
