Van Jones: Obama Wouldn’t Lose Black Vote If He Came Out As Gay

Via Real Clear Politics.

I think if President Obama came out as gay, he wouldn’t lose the black vote,” a cheerful Van Jones told MSNBC this afternoon. “President Obama is not going to lose the black vote no matter what he does,” he added.

Jones seems to recognize that homophobia is a factor in the black community, but goes on to dismiss its impact (and then, to be fair, he defends marriage equality, which few Republicans would do). Still, the linkage of “coming out as gay” and “no matter what he does,” with all that chortling between Jones and the MSNBC gang, is more than a little unsettling.

8 Comments for “Van Jones: Obama Wouldn’t Lose Black Vote If He Came Out As Gay”

  1. posted by Houndentenor on

    A hypothetical based on another hypothetical? It’s pathetic that this is what passes for political commentary in 2012.

  2. posted by another steve on

    Houndentenor, your ugly comments are making less and less sense. Do you do anything but come her and spill your bile against this blog?

    • posted by Houndentenor on

      I was referring to Jones’ comments. It’s irrelevant how a community MIGHT respond to a revelation of something that is highly unlikely to be true or ever be revealed even if it were. What’s the point of even discussing something that ridiculous? This was on a news program? They can’t find someone who isn’t a moron to discuss current events?

  3. posted by TomJeffersonIII on

    1. I am sorry, but I really do not think that commenting on a wildly false rumor is terribly newsworthy/professional.

    2. Yeah, Homophobia is a problem in the “black community” and, yes, racism is also a problem in the “gay community”…and sexism is a problem in the “male community”. Anti-semitism is a problem in the “Christian community”. Bias against the poor and disabled is also a problem in our society. Prejudice and stereotypes (across the board) are a problem with many people. I think people who like to say (or seem to be saying), “See! ‘the blacks’ hate us poor gays, so we should vote Republican” are not being terribly productive or helpful to the complicated issues at hand.

    • posted by Houndentenor on

      But #2 is an argument used here, at gaypatriot and other homocon blogs after Prop 8 passed. It was just as revolting then as it is when NOM uses it now.

  4. posted by another steve on

    “See! ‘the blacks’ hate us poor gays, so we should vote Republican” are not being terribly productive or helpful to the complicated issues at hand.

    Wow, just where in this blog item did you see Miller say anything like that? Blog commenters who make things up and attribute them to the blogger are wasting everyone’s time.

  5. posted by Tom Scharbach on

    Still, the linkage of “coming out as gay” and “no matter what he does,” with all that chortling between Jones and the MSNBC gang, is more than a little unsettling.

    Why? Van Jones was making a joke in the form of an over-the-top statement and the others laughed. What’s unsettling about that? Not everybody on television has to be a long-face, intoning portentously, in George Will tones.

    Van Jones’ point, though, is well taken, it seems to me. Support for marriage equality would not change high levels of African-American support for President Obama. Although levels of support for marriage equality among African-Americans seems to be lower than among Democrats in general, the issue isn’t at the top of the list, and certainly not high enough up the list to change support for the President.

    It isn’t as if this is exactly news. NOM and its allies have deployed a strategy of attempting to use marriage equality to drive a wedge between African-Americans and gays/lesbians, and it hasn’t worked. Why would that change now, and in particular with President Obama?

    • posted by Houndentenor on

      We have to give the African American community some credit. They are well aware that the Democrats are not nearly as pro-gay as the GOP is racist.

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