DADT

Quite frankly, I think I simply hate all politicians. I fail to understand why anyone chooses a life of public service and then, once elected, spends the rest of thier tenure refusing to serve the public that elected them.
I am currently of the persuasion that most politicians do not run because they want to help people, but because they want the prestige and power. Call me cynical if you like, but the results that we see on Capitol Hill only reinforce my statement.

I have now read *literally* hundreds of FB comments, discussions and blogs about the vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). After doing so, I have come to a single conclusion, and I think the conclusion applies to the entire last decade of politics: democrats are blindly blaming republicans and republicans are blindly blaming democrats. The key words in my statement are "blindly" and "blindly." The politics on Capitol Hill have gotten so partisan, that the public has follwed suit. No one even questions 'what' or 'why,' they simply agree with their party's stance on any given subject, no matter how ludicrious.

DADT was the first piece of legislation that Bill Clinton (he was a DEMOCRAT, for those who have forgotten) signed into law. When its popularity waned, he blamed the republicans for fooling him. ok. whatever.
Telling the gays to hush up and stay in the closet was a mistake, and the public at large (not to mention the gay world) listened to all the political talk and bought it anyway, primarily because a democrat told them that it was ok.... So, now here we are, almost 20 years later. The party that liked the legislation is giving lip-service again. the party that didn't like the legislation to begin with is being blamed for not repealing it.
So the question to me is, 'what changed'? The answer is, 'politicians'.
In my cynical little mind, all I can say is this: This whole 'human rights' issue is being used as leverage during a tight mid-term election year. neither side cares about who it affects, or how it affects people, or even if it is constitutional. This is a lip-service power struggle...and BOTH sides are EQUALLY guilty for the repeal legislation failing.
The democrats knew that the legislation would fail. how did they know? because the GOP stated firmly (months ago) that they would NOT vote for any legislation that added to the already soaring, unchecked deficit. The democrats, trying to paint the GOP as the party of "no," tacked DADT onto a financial bill, KNOWING that the GOP would vote against it...even the Republicans who support the repeal voted against it...as did a couple of fiscally conservative democrats. The votes to repeal it EXISTED. EVERYONE knew it. they only needed 1 GOP vote and they had 7. This legislation was tacked onto a financial bill as a parlor trick, in an attempt to dissuade the independents and moderates who are leaning toward voting for the GOP in November. Had the democrats truly cared about this legislation, they would have let it stand alone.
I don't expect the current GOP to be supportive of things like human rights (not since they sold their souls to the religious right)...but I am highly dissapointed that the democrats just used their own constituents as political pawns. Mostly because, IF THIS TRICK FAILS, and the GOP regains control...with some Tea Party-ers in the mix...this legislation will not be able to pass for many years. And that is a tragedy