Bill Clinton on "DADT" and Defense of Marriage Act at Netroots Nation

Photo by Andrés Duque

While delivering the keynote address at the Netroots Nation 09 conference in Pittsburgh, former president Bill Clinton was interrupted by a question on "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act. Washington D.C.-based netroots gay activist and blogger Lane Hudson yelled: "Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' right now?"

Clinton joked that Hudson, who was heckled by some in the audience, should take his behavior to a town hall meeting on health care reform, then explained he "didn't have any choice at the time" and "nobody regrets how this was implemented anymore than I do."

You wanna talk about ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, I’ll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn’t deliver me any support in the Congress and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempt to let gays serve in the military and the media supported them. They raised all kinds of devilment. And all most of you did was to attack me instead of getting some support in the congress. Now, that’s the truth.

When Gen. Colin Powell came up with this ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ it was defined while he was chairman much differently than it was implemented. He said, 'If you will accept this, here is what we’ll do. We will not pursue anyone, any military members out of uniform will be free to march in gay rights parades, go to gay bars, go to political meetings, whatever mailings they get, whatever they do in their private lives, none of this will be a basis for dismissal.' It all turned out to be a fraud [due to] enormous reaction against it among the middle-level officers and down after it was promulgated and Colin was gone.

On DOMA, the former president maintains he was attempting to block a constitutional marriage amendment: "Something had to be done to try to keep the Republican Congress presenting that. The president doesn’t even get to veto that. It’s the Congress that can refer constitutional amendments to the states. I didn’t like signing DOMA, and I certainly didn’t like the constraints it would put on benefits."

Writing at Firedoglake and the Huffington Post, Lane Hudson says he was "shocked" by the response from fellow progressives: "The immediate response shocked me at the time and still does. Those surrounding me yelled at me, booed, and told me to sit down. One elderly lady even told me to leave. While I was among the supposed most progressive audience in the country, they sought to silence someone asking a former President to speak out on behalf of repealing two laws that  took away the rights of a minority."

Lane Hudson adds: "What happened that was really important, however, is that President Clinton did address the issues that I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have without my forcing the conversation."

AFTER THE JUMP, via Firedoglake, video of the exchange.

Comments

[FREELEO]

Why didn't Bill Clinton say all of this while he was in office?

Note to Obama: Let the masses know what's really going on so you don't come off looking like a ball-less, gutless wonder while you are in office. You are losing the health care battle because you won't take off the gloves. Guess what Obama? Republicans and some democrats don't have gloves, just cloven hooves. Fight harder!

[Roderick]

I think Bill is placing the responsibility on where it needs to be on the Gay Community. We can't isolate ourselves from the larger majority and than when things don't go are way blame them for not coming to our aid. We need more mobilization around political issues. We need to support other groups and their issues. We need to lobby. Stop blaming others (i.e African Americans for the passing of prop8 and Obama)

@Freeleo I disagree the house and the senate will pass healthcare reform. Everybody is well aware of the scare tactics the republicans are using. Besides Democrats have the majority. And Obama as already went on recording saying he will a pass a bill with or without the GOP!

[Dalton]

Regardless of how anyone feels about Bill Clinton, his response is spot on and it is the most complete and honest description we've heard on both of these very bad laws. Ever.

FWIW, I heard Hillary Clinton BEFORE the primaries at Netroots Nation in Chicago and she said the same thing about DOMA, it was meant to prevent a threatened Republican led constitutional amendment. I don't understand why WJC or HRC never explained this to the public, when they were in the WH or later. Why only explain it netroots bloggers?

[Dalton]

One more thing...

@Rod, I know you and Lane Hudson are friends but maybe you should tell him that heckling a sitting or former president, and interrupting a speech, is very inappopriate.

[Hendly]

Lane Hudson is a self promoting headline grabbing blogger.

My fave comment to Lane @ HuffPo:

I hope you feel better but, Bill Clinton has no more power to influence DADT or DOMA than you. So your clamoring to "debate" as opposed to listen has given you something to brag about but has not advanced the debate. Look, the history of DADT is crucial in this "debate". Clinton had a military and a congress who did not want to discuss the issue AT ALL and the nation was tepid , at best. So what the GLBT community now sees as the biggest affront since Plessy v. Ferguson, was seen at the time as a great victory. DADT was intended to allow gays to stay in the military so long as everyone looked the other way. that was progress at the time; trust me! Now, I agree, that now it seems like a terrible insult that demands a remedy; but with some perspective, the GLBT community must stop attacking the President for not tackling this hot potato head on and create a climate where his support for your cause will not damage his popular support for other legislation, Health Reform, for example . Lyndon Johnson told Dr. King that the art of governing is the favorable timing between the power and the politics. YOU NEED TO STOP YELLING AND GO AFTER THE GENERALS. An order from the president will get you another result just as intolerable as DADT unless the Generals and Sergeants are made to support the idea. ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST YELLING!

[kayman]

Hendly, you said it best. I think there are bigger issues at hand these days. We need to stop the blame game for real because all it's doing is making those of us who want progress (like myself) to distance themselves from the radical. You can't get anything done in the midst of acrimony other than chaos and destruction.

We need to support everybody that stands for a socially progressive stance (aside from just GLBT issues) because otherwise cohesion amongst Progressives will always lay at the door. Nobody wants to deal with a group of people that is unable to sympathize with others' on their issues.

[Kevjack]

I can't believe it. Both Bill and Hillary read somebody in one week!!

[Diva1961]

I'm glad Lane spoke up. It is important to know exactly what happened so that there is clarity for a plan of action of what not to do, or what TO do next time a very important issue arises.

This is America and we have all sat back too long and stayed quiet and followed the rules, even when it was/is (as shown just now through Clinton's explanation about the passage of DADT) to our own detriment.

This was one of the most concise, yet thorough explanations of what happened to create DADT that I have read, by then President Clinton. I feel an honesty and a feeling that he was more than happy to give that topic and airing. He felt it wasn't the appropriate time and place, but the truth doesn't need the "right" environment. I commend both of them.

[alicia banks]

i really miss bubba and his surplus!

hillary was a 2fer

bill started this repeal and he could have finised it via hc

shame we are stuck with the lying and lame likes of obama/gwb 2.0!!!