“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” It works for the mobsters of The Godfather, but President Obama and the White House have been working so hard to court our enemies that they have alienated core Democratic constituencies. No group has felt this more than the LGBT community. When Obama addresses the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC, the largest gay-rights organization) annual gala this Saturday, he will have the chance to either renew his relations with this loyal Democratic constituency or incite further agitation and disenchantment.

As a candidate in the primaries, Obama positioned himself to the left of frontrunner Hillary Clinton on gay rights. He promised speedy repeals of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT, the law that bans gays from serving openly in the military) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, which bans same-sex marriage on a federal level). He made a number of other commitments, promising to serve as a “fierce advocate” for the LGBT community and pledging to put the full weight of the White House behind eight legislative goals. In return, the LGBT community threw much of its support behind Obama, both in fundraising and in actual campaigning. The community finally saw someone that would work for them in the White House. (more…)