Solomonese Explains

HRC executive director Joe Solomonese has issued an update of his widely criticized statement about judging the performance of President Obama.

I’ve seen some reactions to my weekly message, that I gave the President a free pass not to fulfill his campaign promises until 2017. Here’s something from what I wrote that the authors didn’t include in their pieces: “I predict great things coming out of our work with this President, but that does not mean that I am satisfied today. Our community cannot be satisfied so long as DOMA is on the books and an inclusive ENDA is not.“

I am not satisfied. HRC is not satisfied. Our community is not satisfied and that’s why thousands of LGBT people and our allies are in Washington this weekend to demand more. That’s our position. Stopping here would mean losing. But stopping here is not what we intend to do.

We are pushing for much more. It is our job to dog them, but it is also our job to make sure that success is possible. As I wrote, “To do the work, we have to work with our supporters in Congress and with the Administration. Whatever you think of the Administration’s first nine months, you don’t pass laws by sitting out. You pass laws by sitting at the table.”

Do I believe we’ll have a good track record by 2017? Yes. But the President can’t deliver on his promises alone. It will take all of us working together.